Cliche enough title for ya?
Well now that I have a little over one month left, of course I found the perfect gym for my needs. It is at a discounted price because I am young, and I get such amenities as a pool, exercise classes (power yoga and body pump), a gym, a sauna, and an onsen! I went to my first yoga class this week and it went pretty well. The next day I asked my coworkers about a few words I could remember and I now know how to say inhale and could probably recognize the word for exhale. It was a good class, I was pretty impressed. I spent the class peeping my head around like a prairie dog to see if I was doing the correct thing. The only thing that was a little woopsie was at the end of the class. We were lying on our mats, inhaling and exhaling, relaxing. I guess I figured the instructor was just talking about how to relax, but the instructor was talking and I didn't open my eyes. Probably I should have been looking around pretty regularly to make sure I was doing what the class was. After a while, the instructor came over and kind of woke me up. I wasn't really asleep, but I think the whole class was stretching and I was just lying there.
I met an 80-year old woman at the gym. She is so very sweet and speaks English well. She invited me to hang with her and her husband soon and I am looking forward to it very much. Something very interesting and sad she told me was the story of where she grew up. She was born in Okayama (not too far from Matsue), but when she was young, her family moved to Beijing for a few years. When they returned after the war, their house was a casualty of the war, so they had to move to Matsue with relatives. It is still strange thinking and hearing stories about WWII from this side of the war.
The weather here has been a disaster. Winds that may be some of the strongest I've ever felt, thunder so loud it shakes my apartment (not an earthquake), and it just got done snowing! Strange place this is.
Looking forward to experiencing some new Christmas and New Years traditions!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
A Japanese Thanksgiving
Over Thanksgiving break, my sister and brother-in-law got the opportunity to come visit Japan for about 9 days. I was lucky enough to get most of those days off. It was really nice to get out of the office and remind myself of the things I like about this country. It is quite easy to get caught up in the little difficulties of living in a foreign country. Some stories from the trip...
They arrived after I was done with work on Saturday. They had just traveled for two days, so I was greeted by something similar to ravenous zombies.. except without the dead part. We had a lovely dinner of Japanese BBQ with some friends, and retired to the Palace (reference to the name of the building I live in, Leopalace, which is far from a palace). The next day, we went to Yaegaki Shrine, which is where people frequently go to find the love of their life. I may have described this before because I had already been twice. For 100￥, you can buy a fortune on a sheet of paper. You take the paper to a special pond, place the paper in the water with a coin on top, and count how long it takes for the paper to sink. The longer it takes for the paper to sink, the longer it will take you to find your true love. The closer it is to you, the closer in proximity they are to you. Near the pond, there is a bamboo forest. We hiked up through it some and were awed by the beauty of it. There were so many trees! Afterwards, I introduced them to their first conveyor belt sushi experience. A good time was had by all.
Next stop was Kyoto, but only a day trip. We explored Kiyomizu Temple (world heritage site), the geisha district Gion, another bamboo forest, but coolest was the monkey mountain! We hiked for about 20 minutes up to the top of a mountain on the west side of Kyoto. At the top, was a whole colony (herd? flock? pride?) of macaques. They are all pretty tame and come up and sit right next to you. There was a caged-in house where we bought peanuts and fed the monkeys through some chicken wire. There was also a phenomenal view of Kyoto. It was awesome.
We spent two full days in Osaka. I unintentionally booked us to stay at the official hotel of Universal Studios Japan. It was a child's dream, which made it so much fun. Everything was Woody and Wendy the Woodpecker themed and made for families. They had great amenities, like sponges that expand when you get them wet! The restaurant in the hotel was called the World World Cafe, because that makes sense. Osaka included some fantastic shopping, which took up a full day we were there. We ate crepes almost every night we were there. The second day, we found an owl cafe. Yes, that's right. Last time I went to a cat cafe, this time owls. The more I have thought about it since, the less happy I am with it though. It was really cool to be able to pet owls and see them and hold them, yes. I'm not a big animal rights activist, but can you tell me that keeping nocturnal animals awake during the day, chaining their feet together, forcing them to be held by strangers, and keeping many species together in the same room is not some sort of torture? I know that torture sounds like a strong word, but if I think about that in the context of if someone was doing it to humans, it seems to fit. I wonder how long it will stay around. Anyways, another night, we found our way to a Japanese night club. It was a pretty cool experience. They might have been hired by the club, but there were people dressed as wizards on the two different dance floors they had. As a woman, it was a nicer experience overall because I didn't run into the common US clubbing situation of fending off strangers who attempt to dance moreso on you than with you. Thanksgiving night, we went to a restaurant near the ryokan we stayed at for one night (just to get some of that traditional Japan) and ate a nabe-like feast. The main dish was similar to nabe, but we were just given a pot of broth on a hot plate and vegetables and meat to put in it. It was accompanied by gyoza (Chinese dumplings/potstickers), fried chicken, french fries, edamame, and plenty of sake.
I guess I only really took pics in Osaka and Kyoto.
We took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and it happened to be a beautiful, sunny day, so we got a wonderful view of Mount Fuji from the train. During the day, we wandered around Harajuku. Interestingly enough, Lady Gaga was in Harajuku promoting a new robotic "real doll" modeled after her the same day we were there. Even more interesting, we passed by four identical new Jaguars while walking around. Umm hello. Famous. We had one final dinner of sushi and crepes for dessert before returning to the hotel. The next morning they had a flight to catch, so we ate breakfast together at the YMCA we stayed at (a mere 200￥for breakfast- what a deal!) and I fell back asleep. That day, I set out by myself to find something to do. I read that I could go into the building where the sumo tournaments are held and just look around, which I thought I was doing. Turns out I walked into the Tokyo-Edo Museum that is conveniently just behind the sumo building. The whole time I was wondering when I would start seeing the sumo exhibits, but they never came. Shows how much I pay attention I guess. After that, I wandered around Shinjuku, which is one of the bigger, busier places in Tokyo. I caught the night bus home and arrived just as the sun was rising in Matsue, much colder than the Tokyo I had left.
It was so wonderful to see them, and it was a Thanksgiving to remember (or not - I did mention the sake, didn't I? ...just kidding).
Next stop was Kyoto, but only a day trip. We explored Kiyomizu Temple (world heritage site), the geisha district Gion, another bamboo forest, but coolest was the monkey mountain! We hiked for about 20 minutes up to the top of a mountain on the west side of Kyoto. At the top, was a whole colony (herd? flock? pride?) of macaques. They are all pretty tame and come up and sit right next to you. There was a caged-in house where we bought peanuts and fed the monkeys through some chicken wire. There was also a phenomenal view of Kyoto. It was awesome.
We spent two full days in Osaka. I unintentionally booked us to stay at the official hotel of Universal Studios Japan. It was a child's dream, which made it so much fun. Everything was Woody and Wendy the Woodpecker themed and made for families. They had great amenities, like sponges that expand when you get them wet! The restaurant in the hotel was called the World World Cafe, because that makes sense. Osaka included some fantastic shopping, which took up a full day we were there. We ate crepes almost every night we were there. The second day, we found an owl cafe. Yes, that's right. Last time I went to a cat cafe, this time owls. The more I have thought about it since, the less happy I am with it though. It was really cool to be able to pet owls and see them and hold them, yes. I'm not a big animal rights activist, but can you tell me that keeping nocturnal animals awake during the day, chaining their feet together, forcing them to be held by strangers, and keeping many species together in the same room is not some sort of torture? I know that torture sounds like a strong word, but if I think about that in the context of if someone was doing it to humans, it seems to fit. I wonder how long it will stay around. Anyways, another night, we found our way to a Japanese night club. It was a pretty cool experience. They might have been hired by the club, but there were people dressed as wizards on the two different dance floors they had. As a woman, it was a nicer experience overall because I didn't run into the common US clubbing situation of fending off strangers who attempt to dance moreso on you than with you. Thanksgiving night, we went to a restaurant near the ryokan we stayed at for one night (just to get some of that traditional Japan) and ate a nabe-like feast. The main dish was similar to nabe, but we were just given a pot of broth on a hot plate and vegetables and meat to put in it. It was accompanied by gyoza (Chinese dumplings/potstickers), fried chicken, french fries, edamame, and plenty of sake.
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| Outside of Universal Studios Japan and our hotel |
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| In the bamboo forest looking at pretty fall leaves |
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| Monkey Mountain and the view |
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| Just monkeying' around |
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| Ferris wheel in Osaka |
We took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and it happened to be a beautiful, sunny day, so we got a wonderful view of Mount Fuji from the train. During the day, we wandered around Harajuku. Interestingly enough, Lady Gaga was in Harajuku promoting a new robotic "real doll" modeled after her the same day we were there. Even more interesting, we passed by four identical new Jaguars while walking around. Umm hello. Famous. We had one final dinner of sushi and crepes for dessert before returning to the hotel. The next morning they had a flight to catch, so we ate breakfast together at the YMCA we stayed at (a mere 200￥for breakfast- what a deal!) and I fell back asleep. That day, I set out by myself to find something to do. I read that I could go into the building where the sumo tournaments are held and just look around, which I thought I was doing. Turns out I walked into the Tokyo-Edo Museum that is conveniently just behind the sumo building. The whole time I was wondering when I would start seeing the sumo exhibits, but they never came. Shows how much I pay attention I guess. After that, I wandered around Shinjuku, which is one of the bigger, busier places in Tokyo. I caught the night bus home and arrived just as the sun was rising in Matsue, much colder than the Tokyo I had left.
It was so wonderful to see them, and it was a Thanksgiving to remember (or not - I did mention the sake, didn't I? ...just kidding).
Friday, November 15, 2013
Superstitions of the Body
This post has been a long time in the making. As in, I have been putting off finishing it for about 2 months because I was too lazy to finish my research. That means that all of this is information is dated, but that doesn't matter so much. Anyways, I am not sure if I have brought this topic up before or not, but it's a good story.
You know how in America it is pretty rude to comment on someone's acne or to point it out especially in an over-animated way? Well one day I woke up with an unfortunately large, red, unpoppable (TMI?) pimple in the middle of my forehead. I did my best to cover it up, but there is only so much a rushed concealer job can accomplish. So I walked in to work and it didn't take long for my more outspoken Japanese coworker to look at my face, get super wide-eyed, point at my forehead, point at her own, and then cover her mouth and start whisper-talking in Japanese. I did my usual "I'm going to be playfully annoying until you speak English" act, and she said Vanessa, you are in love with someone! This had happened a few months back, but I had forgotten about the rules. What followed were questions about who it was, if we would have a joined wedding with my other coworker who is getting married next month... you know, the usual. I deflected the questions pretty well and managed to change the subject to figure out what a pimple means on other parts of the face. Here is the response I got:
Pimple on the forehead: you have a crush on or are in love with someone.
Pimple on the chin: someone has a crush on you or is in love with you.
Pimple on the right cheek: your partner will end the relationship
Pimple on the left cheek: you will end the relationship
Makes you think twice about using that face cream.
I tried to look this up online. I only tried for about 45 seconds, but I didn't really find anything. Maybe it's regional.
Then that made me curious to talk more about the idea of personality type based on blood type. I have been told over and over that my blood type must be A because I am organized and can understand feelings well. I don't know my blood type, but when I do learn it, you know the first thing I will do is to check out what the Japanese say my personality is like based on that. If you are curious about what your blood type says about you, this article tells a lot of cool information.
I was talking with my Japanese coworkers about things I have heard about superstitions of the body in western culture. What I can think of right now is if your ears are burning, someone is thinking about you. Can anyone else think of more? It would be cool if someone actually responded so that's not a rhetorical question. No pressure though.
On another note, something I have to compliment Japan on is its cleanliness. While sitting here at the front desk of my work, I just watched a man walk by with what looked like plastic kitchen tongs, which I say because they weren't very long which made him bend over, picking up all kinds of trash. There really aren't many cigarette butts here. When I see a big piece of trash outside, I am pretty surprised. Which brings me to my next cultural compliment to Japanese culture. All jobs, from presidents of major companies to the guys who stand next to a cross walk all day waiting for someone who has the need to cross to the grocery store clerks are respected as integral parts of society. Everyone has their job and everyone contributes to the running of the country. Not everyone can have that high-paying managerial career, but you can bet most people take pride in the work they do. If that person in the lower-paying, mindless job did not do that job, who would? Of course this is a generalization, I'm sure there are some Japanese people who feel very differently. It is just much moreso a practiced belief than in the states.
You know how in America it is pretty rude to comment on someone's acne or to point it out especially in an over-animated way? Well one day I woke up with an unfortunately large, red, unpoppable (TMI?) pimple in the middle of my forehead. I did my best to cover it up, but there is only so much a rushed concealer job can accomplish. So I walked in to work and it didn't take long for my more outspoken Japanese coworker to look at my face, get super wide-eyed, point at my forehead, point at her own, and then cover her mouth and start whisper-talking in Japanese. I did my usual "I'm going to be playfully annoying until you speak English" act, and she said Vanessa, you are in love with someone! This had happened a few months back, but I had forgotten about the rules. What followed were questions about who it was, if we would have a joined wedding with my other coworker who is getting married next month... you know, the usual. I deflected the questions pretty well and managed to change the subject to figure out what a pimple means on other parts of the face. Here is the response I got:
Pimple on the forehead: you have a crush on or are in love with someone.
Pimple on the chin: someone has a crush on you or is in love with you.
Pimple on the right cheek: your partner will end the relationship
Pimple on the left cheek: you will end the relationship
Makes you think twice about using that face cream.
I tried to look this up online. I only tried for about 45 seconds, but I didn't really find anything. Maybe it's regional.
Then that made me curious to talk more about the idea of personality type based on blood type. I have been told over and over that my blood type must be A because I am organized and can understand feelings well. I don't know my blood type, but when I do learn it, you know the first thing I will do is to check out what the Japanese say my personality is like based on that. If you are curious about what your blood type says about you, this article tells a lot of cool information.
I was talking with my Japanese coworkers about things I have heard about superstitions of the body in western culture. What I can think of right now is if your ears are burning, someone is thinking about you. Can anyone else think of more? It would be cool if someone actually responded so that's not a rhetorical question. No pressure though.
On another note, something I have to compliment Japan on is its cleanliness. While sitting here at the front desk of my work, I just watched a man walk by with what looked like plastic kitchen tongs, which I say because they weren't very long which made him bend over, picking up all kinds of trash. There really aren't many cigarette butts here. When I see a big piece of trash outside, I am pretty surprised. Which brings me to my next cultural compliment to Japanese culture. All jobs, from presidents of major companies to the guys who stand next to a cross walk all day waiting for someone who has the need to cross to the grocery store clerks are respected as integral parts of society. Everyone has their job and everyone contributes to the running of the country. Not everyone can have that high-paying managerial career, but you can bet most people take pride in the work they do. If that person in the lower-paying, mindless job did not do that job, who would? Of course this is a generalization, I'm sure there are some Japanese people who feel very differently. It is just much moreso a practiced belief than in the states.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Stopping by Kansai
Due to the way that the days fall in October, we were all allowed an extra day off. I chose mine to make a 3 day weekend and decided to spend it in Kansai. For those who don't know, the Kansai region includes such cities as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. I went first to Kobe, then Kyoto, then Osaka.
Day 1: Kobe
Starting bright and early at 7:00am (usually I am able to wake up around 9 or 9:30, so this was a little rough), I got ready and made my way to the bus station. The bus to Kobe took somewhere close to 4 hours and was pretty uneventful. No one was seated behind me, which cooled my conscience and allowed me to fully recline my chair. It would have been perfect if I had some sunglasses or an eye shade, but alas my sunglasses broke last week. Sometimes life is just so difficult.
It was raining when I first arrived, so I decided to adventure around the shopping mall at the station. Bought some CDs like it was 1999. After the rain subsided, I headed out in search of Chinatown. Kobe's Chinatown has a pretty good reputation, and I think it was cool. Not great, but cool. There were a lot of food stands with food that didn't seem too different than convenience store food, and decorations that were Chinese-themed. I did get to read about it though and apparently before the war it was great but got burned to the ground. At home it was always one thing to hear about the things that happened during WWII, but to see the places it happened makes it less like a story and more a real event. Not that I'm some enlightened, better-than-thou wealth of information, it was just strange to stand somewhere knowing that was where it went down (then walking away in favor of some chicken on a stick). After I had gotten my Chinatown fix, I decided to wander to the water and see what I could find. I first happened upon the memorial park for the 1995 earthquake that hit the region. It was a nice park and right on the water. They had some pictures of all of the damage which was interesting and a bit eye-opening. Made me think... what is stopping that from happening again, right now? Luckily, there were no problems.
I wandered through the park and on the other side, I found a row of tents. This sort of tent set-up only happens when there is some sort of festival. Curious, I checked it out. The first tent inside was run by an Iranian man who spoke English. He told me that it was the 50th anniversary of the construction of Kobe Tower. Most of the tents had traditional Japanese foods or little games for kids, but others were more interesting. I got some nice tea from one man and had a chat with a guy from Sweden promoting his business of Swedish goods. There was a big area with lots of wood crafts and another area with a stage. I wasn't sure who the people were; I only know that most were not good at their basketball shooting competition.
After that, I walked around a shopping area, of course stopped in at the H&M (deals on deals), and then walked back through a big shopping area. Just after thinking my feet were so tired, I saw a spa that was gloriously open until 10. It was almost 8, so I stopped in and got myself a 30 minute foot reflexology massage. Oh man, oh man. It even came with a free pair of socks! After that, I happened upon a restaurant selling Kobe beef. As that was one of my goals of this trip, I stopped in. The least expensive piece of beef was, I believe, 80 grams of lean beef. So I paid my 1500 yen (near $15) for the best 80 grams of beef I have ever had. Probably. Anyway, it was worth it. After, I took the train to Kyoto that night to stay with a host from Couch Surfing.
Day 2: Kyoto
Kyoto is such a cool city. I started off at a World Heritage Site, Kiyomizu Temple. It was really really beautiful, as expected. Many people comment on how touristy it is, but of course it is touristy- it's a tourist attraction. I suppose it wasn't so crowded for me because I went on a Monday. On the road leading up to the temple, there were a bunch of souvenier shops, which I couldn't say no to. After that, I wandered around Gion, which is the district known for its previous reputation of housing and employing geisha. I didn't see any geisha this time, but still saw some people dressed in yukata (which are traditionally worn in the summer). I was last in Kyoto in August, which was miserably hot and humid, and this time I was only a little uncomfortable in jeans and a T-shirt which was a vast improvement. After passing through Gion, I found a famous cat cafe! There are about 10 cats, maybe more, who live there and hang out all day. They nap and get pet and get fed. Shoot, that would be the life! One of them came over and sat on top of me, and when I was leaving, the woman gave me his business card. His name was Sumomo which I believe is a Japanese peach. Not going to google it. There were ebbs and flows of the action as the cats fell asleep and woke up again. It happened a surprising number of times which makes me a tiny bit curious about the sleeping patterns of cats. Only a tiny bit though. Also not going to google that.
After the cats, I wandered around a bit more. Found a covered shopping street and nearly bought a beautiful antique kimono, but with the obi and all of the ties it would have run about 10,000 yen, or just over $100. For something that I probably will wear almost never, I don't think that's worth it. It was beautiful though. Near that store, there was a restaurant that served burgers. Bacon cheeseburgers. This was a trip where I treated myself a bit- if you hadn't caught on yet. That night, I went out to some izakayas (Japanese bars) with my Couchsurfing host.
Day 3: Osaka
I woke up the next morning and headed over to Osaka on the train. There was a nice flower exhibit in the station that I poked around at. There are also two shopping buildings that have rooftop gardens. I visited one of them and it had a really great view of a building being demolished. It was actually a pretty cool thing to watch. After spending a little time shopping, I hopped on a bus and headed back home.
It was a great weekend and was so nice to be able to get out of Matsue for a bit.
Day 1: Kobe
Starting bright and early at 7:00am (usually I am able to wake up around 9 or 9:30, so this was a little rough), I got ready and made my way to the bus station. The bus to Kobe took somewhere close to 4 hours and was pretty uneventful. No one was seated behind me, which cooled my conscience and allowed me to fully recline my chair. It would have been perfect if I had some sunglasses or an eye shade, but alas my sunglasses broke last week. Sometimes life is just so difficult.
It was raining when I first arrived, so I decided to adventure around the shopping mall at the station. Bought some CDs like it was 1999. After the rain subsided, I headed out in search of Chinatown. Kobe's Chinatown has a pretty good reputation, and I think it was cool. Not great, but cool. There were a lot of food stands with food that didn't seem too different than convenience store food, and decorations that were Chinese-themed. I did get to read about it though and apparently before the war it was great but got burned to the ground. At home it was always one thing to hear about the things that happened during WWII, but to see the places it happened makes it less like a story and more a real event. Not that I'm some enlightened, better-than-thou wealth of information, it was just strange to stand somewhere knowing that was where it went down (then walking away in favor of some chicken on a stick). After I had gotten my Chinatown fix, I decided to wander to the water and see what I could find. I first happened upon the memorial park for the 1995 earthquake that hit the region. It was a nice park and right on the water. They had some pictures of all of the damage which was interesting and a bit eye-opening. Made me think... what is stopping that from happening again, right now? Luckily, there were no problems.
I wandered through the park and on the other side, I found a row of tents. This sort of tent set-up only happens when there is some sort of festival. Curious, I checked it out. The first tent inside was run by an Iranian man who spoke English. He told me that it was the 50th anniversary of the construction of Kobe Tower. Most of the tents had traditional Japanese foods or little games for kids, but others were more interesting. I got some nice tea from one man and had a chat with a guy from Sweden promoting his business of Swedish goods. There was a big area with lots of wood crafts and another area with a stage. I wasn't sure who the people were; I only know that most were not good at their basketball shooting competition.
After that, I walked around a shopping area, of course stopped in at the H&M (deals on deals), and then walked back through a big shopping area. Just after thinking my feet were so tired, I saw a spa that was gloriously open until 10. It was almost 8, so I stopped in and got myself a 30 minute foot reflexology massage. Oh man, oh man. It even came with a free pair of socks! After that, I happened upon a restaurant selling Kobe beef. As that was one of my goals of this trip, I stopped in. The least expensive piece of beef was, I believe, 80 grams of lean beef. So I paid my 1500 yen (near $15) for the best 80 grams of beef I have ever had. Probably. Anyway, it was worth it. After, I took the train to Kyoto that night to stay with a host from Couch Surfing.
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| Hello, Chinatown! |
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| Duck BBQ wrap |
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| Panda-flavored ice cream? |
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| Street treats in Chinatown |
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| Kobe Tower- Happy 50th! |
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| Halloween performances |
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| Stopped in for some Kobe beef. Lives up to its rep! |
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| The restaurant in Kobe was the first to give me a Thank You banana upon exit. |
Day 2: Kyoto
Kyoto is such a cool city. I started off at a World Heritage Site, Kiyomizu Temple. It was really really beautiful, as expected. Many people comment on how touristy it is, but of course it is touristy- it's a tourist attraction. I suppose it wasn't so crowded for me because I went on a Monday. On the road leading up to the temple, there were a bunch of souvenier shops, which I couldn't say no to. After that, I wandered around Gion, which is the district known for its previous reputation of housing and employing geisha. I didn't see any geisha this time, but still saw some people dressed in yukata (which are traditionally worn in the summer). I was last in Kyoto in August, which was miserably hot and humid, and this time I was only a little uncomfortable in jeans and a T-shirt which was a vast improvement. After passing through Gion, I found a famous cat cafe! There are about 10 cats, maybe more, who live there and hang out all day. They nap and get pet and get fed. Shoot, that would be the life! One of them came over and sat on top of me, and when I was leaving, the woman gave me his business card. His name was Sumomo which I believe is a Japanese peach. Not going to google it. There were ebbs and flows of the action as the cats fell asleep and woke up again. It happened a surprising number of times which makes me a tiny bit curious about the sleeping patterns of cats. Only a tiny bit though. Also not going to google that.
After the cats, I wandered around a bit more. Found a covered shopping street and nearly bought a beautiful antique kimono, but with the obi and all of the ties it would have run about 10,000 yen, or just over $100. For something that I probably will wear almost never, I don't think that's worth it. It was beautiful though. Near that store, there was a restaurant that served burgers. Bacon cheeseburgers. This was a trip where I treated myself a bit- if you hadn't caught on yet. That night, I went out to some izakayas (Japanese bars) with my Couchsurfing host.
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
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| Kiyomizu Temple and view of Kyoto |
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
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| Famous in Kyoto: couples sitting by the river |
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| Hand-painted pottery |
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| Hand-painted pottery |
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| That is one happy cat. Not. |
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| "Oh hey, I'm just going to warm your shins for a bit" |
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| Cats gotta rest too. |
Day 3: Osaka
I woke up the next morning and headed over to Osaka on the train. There was a nice flower exhibit in the station that I poked around at. There are also two shopping buildings that have rooftop gardens. I visited one of them and it had a really great view of a building being demolished. It was actually a pretty cool thing to watch. After spending a little time shopping, I hopped on a bus and headed back home.
It was a great weekend and was so nice to be able to get out of Matsue for a bit.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Weddin' Bells
This past Sunday, my coworker got married! Hooray! I am the biggest sap for weddings, and I can't wait to tell all about this beautiful night.
I'll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). My coworker met her French husband shortly after coming to Japan almost two years ago. They got engaged a few months ago, and decided to have the wedding in Japan. This proved to be a major headache. In Japanese, it's called めんどくさい, which more or less means a pain in another place.
Japanese people love package deals. There's a reason why sometimes you stereotypically see buses and groups of Asian people all on a vacation or tour together. It is generally bought as an all-inclusive, plane-bus-hotel-restaurant(?) fare. I guess it is much easier this way; it's safer, too. It is also easier to get royally ripped off.
The package deals for weddings will often include everything- location, food, decorations, officiant, and sometimes even the dress. This whole ordeal usually ends up costing an enormous amount, which is made up for by things such as, more recently, guests paying a fee at the door, or more traditionally the payment of about $300 or $500 to the bride and groom (30% of which is given back in the form of a gift). As the bride and groom were both western, they preferred to have a western-style wedding. This meant they wanted to choose how everything was. In America, this isn't so difficult. There are a plethora of places to get married, lots of places whose staff are familiar with providing flowers, food, and other decorations, places to rent things like tablecloths and silverware, and anything else you need for a wedding. Due to the desire for wedding packages, these things were near impossible to find. Lucky for everyone involved, both the bride and groom have been here for a while and have had time to network a bit. It was catered by a friend, the pies and quiches (oh ma goodness.. delicious) were also done by a baker they go to, it was officiated by a friend, etc.
All of that means that obviously these past 2 months have been very busy and stressful (but also isn't that the case with a lot of weddings?). Anyways, fast forward to the day of the wedding. I show up to their apartment to help get ready and to pick up a few last things to decorate with. I volunteered myself to help set up beforehand. When the bride was ready to go and all of the pictures at the apartment had been taken, the small wedding party went to Lake Shinji for the small ceremony and I walked over to the reception area to help set up. It was about 4:10 by the time I got there. We were allowed to begin setting up at 4. The party started at 5:30. You see how we were destined to have a race with time?
Another friend of the bride and groom also said she would help, so we set to work. We had to set up all of the tables, place settings, decorations, and other things I can't think of I'm sure. Luckily, a wedding guest showed up pretty early and with her help, we finished just on time! Soon the guests all arrived, and the bride and groom entered to the song Ho Hey by the Lumineers which was really sweet. It was tough holding back the tears, but you have to do what you can to avoid the need to reapply mascara.
The party itself was really great. I had the job of making sure everyone participated in the guest book. This was a really cute idea. Everyone is under the impression that you can't find Polaroid cameras anymore, but that is incorrect. They just look different. For the guest book, each person or group of people would take a Polaroid of themselves, tape it in the book, and write a little note. How cute, huh? We ate quiche, hummus, pita bread, risotto, pumpkin soup, salad, pie, cheese cake, oh man oh man. A few speeches, a little dancing, some great live saxophone music, and the party was about wrapped up.
So it was a really fantastic time. Weddings are awesome.
In other news, we just caught the edge of a typhoon yesterday. The rain wasn't so bad, but it was enough for an umbrella. Unfortunately, the wind was bad enough that any umbrella was almost destined to fold over the carrier's head. Luckily, today it isn't raining. Unluckily, the cold seems to have begun. Time to think about getting rid of my summer clothes so I have less to take home when I leave.
Speaking of leaving, countdown to leaving Japan is about 3.5 months. Of course I am getting more and more feelings of wanting to stay. It's just easiest to know that if I really want to come back, I can. Japan really is such a cool country.
I'll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). My coworker met her French husband shortly after coming to Japan almost two years ago. They got engaged a few months ago, and decided to have the wedding in Japan. This proved to be a major headache. In Japanese, it's called めんどくさい, which more or less means a pain in another place.
Japanese people love package deals. There's a reason why sometimes you stereotypically see buses and groups of Asian people all on a vacation or tour together. It is generally bought as an all-inclusive, plane-bus-hotel-restaurant(?) fare. I guess it is much easier this way; it's safer, too. It is also easier to get royally ripped off.
The package deals for weddings will often include everything- location, food, decorations, officiant, and sometimes even the dress. This whole ordeal usually ends up costing an enormous amount, which is made up for by things such as, more recently, guests paying a fee at the door, or more traditionally the payment of about $300 or $500 to the bride and groom (30% of which is given back in the form of a gift). As the bride and groom were both western, they preferred to have a western-style wedding. This meant they wanted to choose how everything was. In America, this isn't so difficult. There are a plethora of places to get married, lots of places whose staff are familiar with providing flowers, food, and other decorations, places to rent things like tablecloths and silverware, and anything else you need for a wedding. Due to the desire for wedding packages, these things were near impossible to find. Lucky for everyone involved, both the bride and groom have been here for a while and have had time to network a bit. It was catered by a friend, the pies and quiches (oh ma goodness.. delicious) were also done by a baker they go to, it was officiated by a friend, etc.
All of that means that obviously these past 2 months have been very busy and stressful (but also isn't that the case with a lot of weddings?). Anyways, fast forward to the day of the wedding. I show up to their apartment to help get ready and to pick up a few last things to decorate with. I volunteered myself to help set up beforehand. When the bride was ready to go and all of the pictures at the apartment had been taken, the small wedding party went to Lake Shinji for the small ceremony and I walked over to the reception area to help set up. It was about 4:10 by the time I got there. We were allowed to begin setting up at 4. The party started at 5:30. You see how we were destined to have a race with time?
Another friend of the bride and groom also said she would help, so we set to work. We had to set up all of the tables, place settings, decorations, and other things I can't think of I'm sure. Luckily, a wedding guest showed up pretty early and with her help, we finished just on time! Soon the guests all arrived, and the bride and groom entered to the song Ho Hey by the Lumineers which was really sweet. It was tough holding back the tears, but you have to do what you can to avoid the need to reapply mascara.
The party itself was really great. I had the job of making sure everyone participated in the guest book. This was a really cute idea. Everyone is under the impression that you can't find Polaroid cameras anymore, but that is incorrect. They just look different. For the guest book, each person or group of people would take a Polaroid of themselves, tape it in the book, and write a little note. How cute, huh? We ate quiche, hummus, pita bread, risotto, pumpkin soup, salad, pie, cheese cake, oh man oh man. A few speeches, a little dancing, some great live saxophone music, and the party was about wrapped up.
So it was a really fantastic time. Weddings are awesome.
In other news, we just caught the edge of a typhoon yesterday. The rain wasn't so bad, but it was enough for an umbrella. Unfortunately, the wind was bad enough that any umbrella was almost destined to fold over the carrier's head. Luckily, today it isn't raining. Unluckily, the cold seems to have begun. Time to think about getting rid of my summer clothes so I have less to take home when I leave.
Speaking of leaving, countdown to leaving Japan is about 3.5 months. Of course I am getting more and more feelings of wanting to stay. It's just easiest to know that if I really want to come back, I can. Japan really is such a cool country.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Big Brother
I was watched.
Not in the creepy way that that sentence implies though. I had my first ever official observation of a lesson. The two days previous were a bit of a mess of setting up the equipment and hoping that everything will work. I had to change how I wrote my lesson because I had to stay within the camera view (thus only using the white board). There were a few things I would change about the experience, but most of it was okay. Let's dive in, shall we?
First, we only had about 10 minutes to sign in, test sound, and generally set up beforehand. Luckily, my coworker is brilliant at computers so it wasn't a huge problem. Unfortunately, that is usually my time to set up the classroom and not a webcam. This came into play later when I had to skip through 56 tracks on the CD in the middle of the lesson.
Second, I didn't really get the chance to meet the guy watching. I mean we had talked on the phone once before, but it was a pretty awkward back-and-forth "Can you hear me?" "Yes" "Okay... uh well I guess I'll start now if that's okay?" No biggie though. Awkward is something that you have to get used to when it is a part of your personality.
I was able to minimize the screen that would show the livestream of me and of the other office, but unfortunately could not stop the sound from the other side as his microphone was still on. Most of the time it wasn't so bad. I would just find myself pausing in between my sentences to hear the echo of my voice stop talking before I continued to my next sentence. There was also quite a bit of background noise at one point which was frustrating.
I also had to look as professional as possible which meant full jacket, pants, long-sleeved shirt. The office may be air conditioned, but that isn't a comfortable outfit unless it's actually cold out. The message I'm trying to get across is that I got nice and sweaty in a room that was approximately 26 degrees Celsius.
All that aside, it was good to hear feedback on my teaching methods. It really wasn't as bad as I make it out to be, it is just mostly unfortunate that it had to be conducted from webcam instead of someone actually sitting in on the lesson. I guess that's what you get for living in the middle of nowhere.
Not in the creepy way that that sentence implies though. I had my first ever official observation of a lesson. The two days previous were a bit of a mess of setting up the equipment and hoping that everything will work. I had to change how I wrote my lesson because I had to stay within the camera view (thus only using the white board). There were a few things I would change about the experience, but most of it was okay. Let's dive in, shall we?
First, we only had about 10 minutes to sign in, test sound, and generally set up beforehand. Luckily, my coworker is brilliant at computers so it wasn't a huge problem. Unfortunately, that is usually my time to set up the classroom and not a webcam. This came into play later when I had to skip through 56 tracks on the CD in the middle of the lesson.
Second, I didn't really get the chance to meet the guy watching. I mean we had talked on the phone once before, but it was a pretty awkward back-and-forth "Can you hear me?" "Yes" "Okay... uh well I guess I'll start now if that's okay?" No biggie though. Awkward is something that you have to get used to when it is a part of your personality.
I was able to minimize the screen that would show the livestream of me and of the other office, but unfortunately could not stop the sound from the other side as his microphone was still on. Most of the time it wasn't so bad. I would just find myself pausing in between my sentences to hear the echo of my voice stop talking before I continued to my next sentence. There was also quite a bit of background noise at one point which was frustrating.
I also had to look as professional as possible which meant full jacket, pants, long-sleeved shirt. The office may be air conditioned, but that isn't a comfortable outfit unless it's actually cold out. The message I'm trying to get across is that I got nice and sweaty in a room that was approximately 26 degrees Celsius.
All that aside, it was good to hear feedback on my teaching methods. It really wasn't as bad as I make it out to be, it is just mostly unfortunate that it had to be conducted from webcam instead of someone actually sitting in on the lesson. I guess that's what you get for living in the middle of nowhere.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Filling up the Japanese Moon
Before, during, and after the Obon holiday, my wonderful parents visited me. We spent a few days in Tokyo, a few in the Kansai region (specifically Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara), and then I brought them back to Matsue at the end. I also sent them on a day trip to Hiroshima.
During this time, we have been out most nights and seen the moon. It started from maybe around a half moon and has filled up and up. It's been a really nice thing to notice together every night.
So, since these wonderful parents of mine are experiencing not only Japan but East Asia for the first time, I thought it would be great to have some guest blog entries!
The first guest entry is from my graceful mother, Jan.
Things my mother never told me (but my daughter did):
Take your fan, a towel for dabbing sweat, and a towel for drying your hands in the public restrooms. It is rare to see paper towels. Often there is no soap either, so keep your Purell handy.
Don't point with your chopsticks.
Watch out for bicycle riders on the sidewalks. Yikes!
Bow to everyone. A head nod for a polite acknowledgement, a low and long bow for deeper respect and appreciation.
"Arigatou gozaimasu" (thank you very much) will work for most everyone for everything.
The onsen is a public bath. Ladies enter one section, gents another. Remove your shoes as you do nearly everywhere in Japan. Grab a small towel. Strip naked and place your clothing in a basket on the shelf, or in some places, a locker. Enter the bathing area, a hot-spring-fed pool lined by stations with shower sprayers, low stools, a bucket for your towel, and shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Wash yourself before entering the bathing pool. The hot spring water soothes away all the aches and pains. In Tamatsukuri onsen (a ten minute train ride from Matsue) it is said bathe once and you will be more beautiful. Bathe more than once and all manner of illness and disease will be cured. The water is indeed marvelous. Girls with their mothers, old women, young women soak and float in the women's onsen. A mother massages the feet of her daughter. A warm waterfall is great for standing under, letting the water pressure beat out the aches and pains in shoulders and neck. Afterwards, dry off and return to the locker room where hair dryers, combs and brushes in packets are available. Find your clothing and shoes and you are ready to go, refreshed, relaxed, and revitalized.
At the sushi restaurant you can sit in the booth, enter your food order on a tv screen, and in a few minutes you will see it come by on a conveyor belt, like a miniature baggage claim system. Or, if you like the looks of something that passes by randomly you can pick that up, if it isn't perched on a bowl that means it is someone else's order. Cool!
At all food places you receive a damp towel, sometimes warmed and sometimes in a little plastic wrapping, with which to wipe your hands. Nice! Get used to eating without a napkin in your lap.
At the ryokan, the traditional Japanese hotel, ladies may select a yukata (a light summer kimono) from an array of bright colors and patterns. Choose an obi, the sash, of another color. Men have a gray yukata and a dark blue sash. Guests can wear these as they lounge in their rooms or at dinner. The traditional dinner lasts maybe two hours and you will not believe the variety of dishes and foods placed before you... Squid, steamed sea bass plucked from the river just hours earlier, pickled vegetables and raw vegetables of all colors, a chunk of tofu, rice steamed with chicken in a steamer at your table, wasabi and soy sauce, tempura fried vegetables. Don't forget the sake and the tea. Or the mango pudding for dessert. A meal fit for a royal family.
Arigatou gozaimasu, Japan.
Arigatou gozaimasu, Vanessa.
~~Here is a continuation of my mother's adventures when my parents stayed in Tokyo for a night before their flight home.
On Friday morning we are in Tokyo and standing at the information center of the
Tsukiji fish market at 4:45am. Our alarm went off at 4am so we could witness
this phenomenon: the tuna auction. The fish market is a ten-minute cab ride
from our hotel. The room is teeming with tourists dressed in green vests (the
earlier group of 60 people) and blue vests (the second group, and the later
arrivals). We are handed blue vests. The green vests get to observe the first
bidding, which starts at 5:25 and we of the blue vests, the second group, leave
the room at 5:45 to observe the second round. So we have awhile to wait. Our
fellow observers are sitting on the floor passing the time with quiet
conversation, waiting for the door to open.
Our group leaves the room on schedule and files out into a vast area of loading
docks, trucks, and smaller vehicles whizzing by, and we are shepherded into a
chilly warehouse where the action is taking place. Dozens of frozen tuna corpses
lie side by side on the floor, ghostly gray but for the tails which are chopped
off to reveal the pink meat inside. They look like torpedoes. Dozens of men
wander about with clipboards, flashlights, and picks, examining the tuna in
close detail. They lift a flap of flesh and shine the light to evaluate
something of the quality of the fish. They hack their picks into the tail end,
and sometimes a chunk falls off which they pick up and squeeze, perhaps for
flakiness? They make notes on pieces of paper. At 6:00am four men stand on
platforms and start ringing bells and calling for the bidding to begin. Each man
puts down the bell and starts shouting and waving his arms, taking bids from the
group, typically signaled by the raising of a couple of fingers. This is largely
a man's world. I see one woman among a hundred. In ten minutes the bidding stops
and the garage doors rise. Small trucks with flat beds arrive and the tuna are
loaded onto the beds, grasped by two hooked chisels and heaved on the bed like
so many sacks of flour. Our line files out and as we walk along the loading area
the traffic of these little trucks is like rush hour. A saw is whirring at the
end of the warehouse, slicing these frozen fish in half lengthwise like
log-splitters.
As we stroll down the narrow street the village of sellers are are coming to
life, laying out their vegetables, spices, pottery, and other wares for the day.
It is 6:30am and as most of the city sleeps, the fish market has been in
business for hours, getting ready for the day.
The next entry is from my ever clever father, Chip. For those who may be confused, this is in the style of the Top Ten List from the Late Show with David Letterman.
From the Home Office in Shimane Prefecture
TOP TEN REASONS TO VISIT JAPAN
10. Shaved Ice. If you like Houston in July, you’re all ready for Japan in August.
9. The people are friendly and charming. They bow to each other routinely.
8. The drivers are courteous to pedestrians and there are no pickpocket worries.
7. You can get nearly anything in a vending machine. The trains are on time.
6. If you’re adventurous—and limber-- you can use a “squatty” rather than a Western-style toilet.
5. The food is very tasty, well-prepared and it’s fun to try new things.
4. It’s easy to use chopsticks. Just keep the bowl under your chin.
3. The gardens are beautiful, the temples and shrines magnificent.
2. Baseball is ubiquitous. Infields are all dirt. Yu Darvish is loved.
And the Number One reason to visit Japan...
1. Vanessa is in Matsue!
During this time, we have been out most nights and seen the moon. It started from maybe around a half moon and has filled up and up. It's been a really nice thing to notice together every night.
So, since these wonderful parents of mine are experiencing not only Japan but East Asia for the first time, I thought it would be great to have some guest blog entries!
The first guest entry is from my graceful mother, Jan.
Things my mother never told me (but my daughter did):
Take your fan, a towel for dabbing sweat, and a towel for drying your hands in the public restrooms. It is rare to see paper towels. Often there is no soap either, so keep your Purell handy.
Don't point with your chopsticks.
Watch out for bicycle riders on the sidewalks. Yikes!
Bow to everyone. A head nod for a polite acknowledgement, a low and long bow for deeper respect and appreciation.
"Arigatou gozaimasu" (thank you very much) will work for most everyone for everything.
The onsen is a public bath. Ladies enter one section, gents another. Remove your shoes as you do nearly everywhere in Japan. Grab a small towel. Strip naked and place your clothing in a basket on the shelf, or in some places, a locker. Enter the bathing area, a hot-spring-fed pool lined by stations with shower sprayers, low stools, a bucket for your towel, and shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Wash yourself before entering the bathing pool. The hot spring water soothes away all the aches and pains. In Tamatsukuri onsen (a ten minute train ride from Matsue) it is said bathe once and you will be more beautiful. Bathe more than once and all manner of illness and disease will be cured. The water is indeed marvelous. Girls with their mothers, old women, young women soak and float in the women's onsen. A mother massages the feet of her daughter. A warm waterfall is great for standing under, letting the water pressure beat out the aches and pains in shoulders and neck. Afterwards, dry off and return to the locker room where hair dryers, combs and brushes in packets are available. Find your clothing and shoes and you are ready to go, refreshed, relaxed, and revitalized.
At the sushi restaurant you can sit in the booth, enter your food order on a tv screen, and in a few minutes you will see it come by on a conveyor belt, like a miniature baggage claim system. Or, if you like the looks of something that passes by randomly you can pick that up, if it isn't perched on a bowl that means it is someone else's order. Cool!
At all food places you receive a damp towel, sometimes warmed and sometimes in a little plastic wrapping, with which to wipe your hands. Nice! Get used to eating without a napkin in your lap.
At the ryokan, the traditional Japanese hotel, ladies may select a yukata (a light summer kimono) from an array of bright colors and patterns. Choose an obi, the sash, of another color. Men have a gray yukata and a dark blue sash. Guests can wear these as they lounge in their rooms or at dinner. The traditional dinner lasts maybe two hours and you will not believe the variety of dishes and foods placed before you... Squid, steamed sea bass plucked from the river just hours earlier, pickled vegetables and raw vegetables of all colors, a chunk of tofu, rice steamed with chicken in a steamer at your table, wasabi and soy sauce, tempura fried vegetables. Don't forget the sake and the tea. Or the mango pudding for dessert. A meal fit for a royal family.
Arigatou gozaimasu, Japan.
Arigatou gozaimasu, Vanessa.
~~Here is a continuation of my mother's adventures when my parents stayed in Tokyo for a night before their flight home.
On Friday morning we are in Tokyo and standing at the information center of the
Tsukiji fish market at 4:45am. Our alarm went off at 4am so we could witness
this phenomenon: the tuna auction. The fish market is a ten-minute cab ride
from our hotel. The room is teeming with tourists dressed in green vests (the
earlier group of 60 people) and blue vests (the second group, and the later
arrivals). We are handed blue vests. The green vests get to observe the first
bidding, which starts at 5:25 and we of the blue vests, the second group, leave
the room at 5:45 to observe the second round. So we have awhile to wait. Our
fellow observers are sitting on the floor passing the time with quiet
conversation, waiting for the door to open.
Our group leaves the room on schedule and files out into a vast area of loading
docks, trucks, and smaller vehicles whizzing by, and we are shepherded into a
chilly warehouse where the action is taking place. Dozens of frozen tuna corpses
lie side by side on the floor, ghostly gray but for the tails which are chopped
off to reveal the pink meat inside. They look like torpedoes. Dozens of men
wander about with clipboards, flashlights, and picks, examining the tuna in
close detail. They lift a flap of flesh and shine the light to evaluate
something of the quality of the fish. They hack their picks into the tail end,
and sometimes a chunk falls off which they pick up and squeeze, perhaps for
flakiness? They make notes on pieces of paper. At 6:00am four men stand on
platforms and start ringing bells and calling for the bidding to begin. Each man
puts down the bell and starts shouting and waving his arms, taking bids from the
group, typically signaled by the raising of a couple of fingers. This is largely
a man's world. I see one woman among a hundred. In ten minutes the bidding stops
and the garage doors rise. Small trucks with flat beds arrive and the tuna are
loaded onto the beds, grasped by two hooked chisels and heaved on the bed like
so many sacks of flour. Our line files out and as we walk along the loading area
the traffic of these little trucks is like rush hour. A saw is whirring at the
end of the warehouse, slicing these frozen fish in half lengthwise like
log-splitters.
As we stroll down the narrow street the village of sellers are are coming to
life, laying out their vegetables, spices, pottery, and other wares for the day.
It is 6:30am and as most of the city sleeps, the fish market has been in
business for hours, getting ready for the day.
 |
| The tuna in their glory |
The next entry is from my ever clever father, Chip. For those who may be confused, this is in the style of the Top Ten List from the Late Show with David Letterman.
From the Home Office in Shimane Prefecture
TOP TEN REASONS TO VISIT JAPAN
10. Shaved Ice. If you like Houston in July, you’re all ready for Japan in August.
9. The people are friendly and charming. They bow to each other routinely.
8. The drivers are courteous to pedestrians and there are no pickpocket worries.
7. You can get nearly anything in a vending machine. The trains are on time.
6. If you’re adventurous—and limber-- you can use a “squatty” rather than a Western-style toilet.
5. The food is very tasty, well-prepared and it’s fun to try new things.
4. It’s easy to use chopsticks. Just keep the bowl under your chin.
3. The gardens are beautiful, the temples and shrines magnificent.
2. Baseball is ubiquitous. Infields are all dirt. Yu Darvish is loved.
And the Number One reason to visit Japan...
1. Vanessa is in Matsue!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Blueberries and Magic Mountain Water
Hello friends!
I had such a cool day. Part of what I do in Japan is to volunteer to help people practice English. I have some friends I meet up with occasionally, and also meet with a group of people every once in a while. Yesterday, I met with the group of people.
We started out early - well, early for the first day of my weekend (9 am). We drove for about an hour east to the next prefecture, to the area around Mt. Daisen. The drive was, of course, incredibly beautiful. I appreciate the green, mountainous landscape so much here. It's a nice change from home. Everyone except myself spoke Japanese in the car, and the language spoken easily moved to it. That wasn't a problem though...I got to look at the scenery more. We finally arrived to our first destination: a blueberry... orchard? Is that what you would call it? Grove? English is difficult. It was all you could pick for about an hour. To me, that meant fill up the little carton they give you, then eat as many as you can. It was the greatest thing! Blueberries are delicious and we only had to dodge one Asian hornet! Wait, what??? Those are scary! But blueberries rule.
After our hour was up, we drove over to this lovely little cabin in the woods that did not look at all Japanese. A friend of one of our hosts built the cottage with his wife. Just them, no help. Daaang. It was an adorable little cottage and was so nice. We got there and the grill was already hot. Japanese style BBQ is the most fun by far. It's over a charcoal grill and you keep throwing thin slices of meat, cabbage, onion, corn on the cob, mushrooms, shrimp, and more. You have a bowl with sauce in it and when something is ready on the grill, you pick it off with your chopsticks, dip it in your sauce, and eat it. Watch out, American friends and family. When I return, I am throwing a Japanese-style BBQ. Something new on the menu here was a shellfish called sazae which is a slimy, soft, bitter, salty experience. The wikipedia site says it is a delicacy, so you know, that's cool. I came to Japan and said I would try anything put in front of me and I tried it. It really wasn't bad, it was just strange and much mushier than I expected. The cool thing about sazae though is how it is cooked. You buy them while they are still in the shell, and quite possibly still alive. There is water in the shell where the creature is, and when you put it on the grill, the water starts to boil. When that happens, you drown it in shoyu (Japanese name for soy sauce). Once it cooks a little more, it is ready to eat. How to get it out of the shell, you ask? Simply take the kebab skewer that you ate your chicken kebab off of and stab it out. A little gruesome. A lot exciting. Another interesting food we ate was a sausage - more of a mini hotdog - on a bone. Yep, hotdogs how they naturally come off the pig. And we could wash it all down with natural spring water from the mountain! So so cool.
After growing some food babies and taking a few group pictures, we wished our host well and began the adventure back home. The language of the car again switched to Japanese, which gave me a great chance to take a nap. Picking berries and eating delicious food is exhausting! Such a fun day and a great experience.
I had such a cool day. Part of what I do in Japan is to volunteer to help people practice English. I have some friends I meet up with occasionally, and also meet with a group of people every once in a while. Yesterday, I met with the group of people.
We started out early - well, early for the first day of my weekend (9 am). We drove for about an hour east to the next prefecture, to the area around Mt. Daisen. The drive was, of course, incredibly beautiful. I appreciate the green, mountainous landscape so much here. It's a nice change from home. Everyone except myself spoke Japanese in the car, and the language spoken easily moved to it. That wasn't a problem though...I got to look at the scenery more. We finally arrived to our first destination: a blueberry... orchard? Is that what you would call it? Grove? English is difficult. It was all you could pick for about an hour. To me, that meant fill up the little carton they give you, then eat as many as you can. It was the greatest thing! Blueberries are delicious and we only had to dodge one Asian hornet! Wait, what??? Those are scary! But blueberries rule.
 |
| The gang setting out |
After our hour was up, we drove over to this lovely little cabin in the woods that did not look at all Japanese. A friend of one of our hosts built the cottage with his wife. Just them, no help. Daaang. It was an adorable little cottage and was so nice. We got there and the grill was already hot. Japanese style BBQ is the most fun by far. It's over a charcoal grill and you keep throwing thin slices of meat, cabbage, onion, corn on the cob, mushrooms, shrimp, and more. You have a bowl with sauce in it and when something is ready on the grill, you pick it off with your chopsticks, dip it in your sauce, and eat it. Watch out, American friends and family. When I return, I am throwing a Japanese-style BBQ. Something new on the menu here was a shellfish called sazae which is a slimy, soft, bitter, salty experience. The wikipedia site says it is a delicacy, so you know, that's cool. I came to Japan and said I would try anything put in front of me and I tried it. It really wasn't bad, it was just strange and much mushier than I expected. The cool thing about sazae though is how it is cooked. You buy them while they are still in the shell, and quite possibly still alive. There is water in the shell where the creature is, and when you put it on the grill, the water starts to boil. When that happens, you drown it in shoyu (Japanese name for soy sauce). Once it cooks a little more, it is ready to eat. How to get it out of the shell, you ask? Simply take the kebab skewer that you ate your chicken kebab off of and stab it out. A little gruesome. A lot exciting. Another interesting food we ate was a sausage - more of a mini hotdog - on a bone. Yep, hotdogs how they naturally come off the pig. And we could wash it all down with natural spring water from the mountain! So so cool.
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| View from the balcony of the cabin |
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| BBQin' |
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| Sazae, post shell removal |
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| The beautiful cabin |
After growing some food babies and taking a few group pictures, we wished our host well and began the adventure back home. The language of the car again switched to Japanese, which gave me a great chance to take a nap. Picking berries and eating delicious food is exhausting! Such a fun day and a great experience.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Hanabi boom!
I have met my second friend from Couchsurfing! My new pal was in Matsue for a big physics conference. We hung out once during the week and I took him to my favorite bar, St. James Gate. Sunday after Suigo-sai round two (see next paragraph), my pal and maybe 5 or 6 of his pals and also my 3 pals (pal party!) all went out for a drink and then we took them to karaoke! It was a lot of fun to show some foreign - UK, Finnish, Israeli - friends around the little city a bit. Hooray Couchsurfing :)
So, as I said, this weekend was Suigo-sai. That is a huge fireworks (hanabi) festival in Matsue over the lake. It was so so beautiful. And really cute! They made faces, fish, Mickey Mouse shapes, and many others. There were some really awesome ones that shot out and stayed lit on parachutes which was even cooler when the parachutes floated over our heads and looked like jellyfish in the air. As you could guess from that, though, we were sitting downwind. A little (or a lot) smoke in the lungs and some ash sprinkled on us, but mostly not too bad. I went both days, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday after the fireworks, we walked over to the other side of the lake where there was a stage and I saw an anime concert! Sounds like it could be pretty strange, but it was really just a Japanese girl dressed as a famous anime character, wearing an awesome blue wig, DJing anime songs. Some people got pretty into the dancing and I joined right in. The next night, the fireworks lasted twice as long and there were about twice as many people. I really don't think I've seen that many people in one place in a long time. It was crazy. We sat behind a little family with the cutest little girl who would watch with her mother and say "hanabi boom!" but instead of boom would use the Japanese version of the word. It was so adorable. But it was so fun and we went to one of my favorite restaurants after, Wara Wara. They have some American food, like a tower of onion rings and "spicy" fries that really just taste like Arby's normal fries. Still great though.
These photos were borrowed from pals on facebook with much better cameras than mine:
Although it is very easy to get caught up in how frustrating some things are in Japan, yesterday I spent some time walking and could easily take the time to appreciate the place I live. On my way to the pool for my almost-always-weekly swim, I saw a black kite carrying an eel between its claws and saw it land in a nearby tree. On the way home, I saw a giant heron fly into the same tree on a lower branch. There may be spiders everywhere, but they wont hurt people except for maybe a heart attack if you run through the web. They really do look cool though. My walk home from the pool usually includes a stop at Aeon, the mall in Matsue, and the closest place to get relatively cheap groceries. Walking home from that, I walk three blocks along the little river near my house. Adorning the edges are sunflowers, and in the water are turtles and ducks making quiet nighttime noises. The shortcut down a side street I take runs along a little waterway where, if you look hard at night, you can see little crabs run into the water away from the approaching footsteps. Japan can be pretty cool sometimes.
So, as I said, this weekend was Suigo-sai. That is a huge fireworks (hanabi) festival in Matsue over the lake. It was so so beautiful. And really cute! They made faces, fish, Mickey Mouse shapes, and many others. There were some really awesome ones that shot out and stayed lit on parachutes which was even cooler when the parachutes floated over our heads and looked like jellyfish in the air. As you could guess from that, though, we were sitting downwind. A little (or a lot) smoke in the lungs and some ash sprinkled on us, but mostly not too bad. I went both days, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday after the fireworks, we walked over to the other side of the lake where there was a stage and I saw an anime concert! Sounds like it could be pretty strange, but it was really just a Japanese girl dressed as a famous anime character, wearing an awesome blue wig, DJing anime songs. Some people got pretty into the dancing and I joined right in. The next night, the fireworks lasted twice as long and there were about twice as many people. I really don't think I've seen that many people in one place in a long time. It was crazy. We sat behind a little family with the cutest little girl who would watch with her mother and say "hanabi boom!" but instead of boom would use the Japanese version of the word. It was so adorable. But it was so fun and we went to one of my favorite restaurants after, Wara Wara. They have some American food, like a tower of onion rings and "spicy" fries that really just taste like Arby's normal fries. Still great though.
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| This is as good as iPhone 3GS cameras get when trying to capture fireworks. |
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| Festival massage, anyone? |
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| Who would have thought that children trying to stand inside of beachballs on water would be the cutest? |
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| First anime concert. Pretty awesome. |
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| I think I can safely say these were the best fireworks I've ever seen. |
Although it is very easy to get caught up in how frustrating some things are in Japan, yesterday I spent some time walking and could easily take the time to appreciate the place I live. On my way to the pool for my almost-always-weekly swim, I saw a black kite carrying an eel between its claws and saw it land in a nearby tree. On the way home, I saw a giant heron fly into the same tree on a lower branch. There may be spiders everywhere, but they wont hurt people except for maybe a heart attack if you run through the web. They really do look cool though. My walk home from the pool usually includes a stop at Aeon, the mall in Matsue, and the closest place to get relatively cheap groceries. Walking home from that, I walk three blocks along the little river near my house. Adorning the edges are sunflowers, and in the water are turtles and ducks making quiet nighttime noises. The shortcut down a side street I take runs along a little waterway where, if you look hard at night, you can see little crabs run into the water away from the approaching footsteps. Japan can be pretty cool sometimes.
A Bird of a Feather
I've had my first visitor from far away!
One of my very greatest friends visited from her teaching job in South Korea this weekend. We got to do some really great stuff! Here we go...
I had finished my lessons for the day and was waiting for her bus to arrive. That proved to be very difficult, so I had to watch videos of kittens to pass the time. It sure worked because all of a sudden my best friend was walking through the doors... to my work... in Matsue! After a hushed reunion (classes still in session), she set her stuff down and we waited a few minutes for my shift to end. That night, I showed her Lake Shinji (although there was no sunset due to clouds) and we went for okonomiyaki and yakisoba. If you don't remember, that is fried pancake with veggies inside and fried noodles, respectively. Mmm so good! Of course, that night I had to show her my favorite bar and then we took a night trip to the castle. Unfortunately, there aren't any lights on the castle at early hours of the morning, so we didn't stay long.
After some delicious pasta from the station the next morning, we made our way to the neighboring city of Yonago. Just after we arrived at the station, however, it began to pour. Well, that wasn't about to stop us. We were equipped with some pretty sturdy umbrellas. After the 45 minute train ride, we adventured around the city in search of the festival location. The festival scheduled that night was a fireworks festival called Gaina Matsuri. On our way to the lake where the fireworks would go off, we walked by a stand that was being cleaned up, I imagine due to the rain. As we were passing, the guy working there hands us each a chocolate-dipped banana and says "free!" Of course, we took them and said thank you thank you over and over. After walking away, we decided that there weren't many countries where we would just take some free treats from some random person and have no worry about safety. We continued on our way, through the rain and puddles. It was down these 10 blocks or so that we began to comment on how wet our feet felt. Well, friends, that was just the beginning. We finally found the main street of the festival with vendors all setting up their stuff (it was early afternoon). No one was really ready to sell their food yet, so we walked along the water and eventually took shelter under a little covered area with an old lady and her old dog. She kept talking to her dog and it was really sweet. After some rest, we walked along the lake to another area with tents and saw that they were also not serving food yet, so we walked back to the original spot. By that time, some places were open and we scored some shaved ice and french fries and roasted corn. We heard some commotion at the stage nearby and went to check it out. To our delight, four adorable members of a boy band were ready to perform. We saw some of their songs and they had these awesome dances and just looked so cute. Obviously, they are our new boyfriends. After that, we decided that walking around for 3 or 4 hours in wet shoes was bad enough, and it wasn't worth it to stay for the fireworks. That was ok though, we belted out some karaoke that night with some of my friends.
The next day, we woke up and saw the temple in my neighborhood. That day was particularly windy, and we went over to the lake to see all of the cool stuff. It was so windy that the waves were splashing up over the sidewalk near the water. Just like the ocean! After sorting out a bus ticket and wandering a little more, we met what turned out to be a lot of friends at my favorite spicy nabe restaurant. I'll remind you all that nabe is vegetables and meat cooked in a broth right at your table. It was so. so. good. What was funny about this dinner is that my friend who was visiting had actually met one of my friends from Japan once when they both happened to be in Busan. They were both at dinner and had a little reunion. So cool and such a small world. One of my Matsue friends went out for another beer with us after and we tried some local Shimane beer. It wasn't bad! The next day I had to work.. laaame. Sarah explored maybe a little, we grabbed lunch, then she took a night bus to Tokyo that left around 8. She stayed there and had a little vaca for a bit before going back to Seoul.
Not many pictures, but...
So great to see best pals!
The next day, we woke up and saw the temple in my neighborhood. That day was particularly windy, and we went over to the lake to see all of the cool stuff. It was so windy that the waves were splashing up over the sidewalk near the water. Just like the ocean! After sorting out a bus ticket and wandering a little more, we met what turned out to be a lot of friends at my favorite spicy nabe restaurant. I'll remind you all that nabe is vegetables and meat cooked in a broth right at your table. It was so. so. good. What was funny about this dinner is that my friend who was visiting had actually met one of my friends from Japan once when they both happened to be in Busan. They were both at dinner and had a little reunion. So cool and such a small world. One of my Matsue friends went out for another beer with us after and we tried some local Shimane beer. It wasn't bad! The next day I had to work.. laaame. Sarah explored maybe a little, we grabbed lunch, then she took a night bus to Tokyo that left around 8. She stayed there and had a little vaca for a bit before going back to Seoul.
Not many pictures, but...
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| Best friend and local temple |
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| The Buddha statues were surrounded by water! So windy! |
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| Wind makes the waves go over the sidewalk. |
So great to see best pals!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Japanniversary
It's my 6 month Japanniversary today. I have experienced so much and I'd like to say it went by so fast or it went by so slow, but I can't. I think so far this has been such a crazy experience that I find it more and more difficult to gauge the time I've been here. I've been through phases, sure. Exploring my town, making as many friends as possible, trying to travel every weekend, falling into a rhythm, and whatever phase I'm in now. Festival season? Vacation season?
I feel like it's the calm before the storm. I have 6 months left at this job and a little more than that left in Asia. In 8 months, I plan to be back stateside. That seems like a long time, but so many awesome things happen before that, that I'm sure it will fly by. Strange to think about. Carpe diem, eh?
Here's some cool news for y'all though... post-Japan I'm spending 4 weeks in India. Forever a gaijin. Maybe that's what I'll title my next blog.
I feel like it's the calm before the storm. I have 6 months left at this job and a little more than that left in Asia. In 8 months, I plan to be back stateside. That seems like a long time, but so many awesome things happen before that, that I'm sure it will fly by. Strange to think about. Carpe diem, eh?
Here's some cool news for y'all though... post-Japan I'm spending 4 weeks in India. Forever a gaijin. Maybe that's what I'll title my next blog.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The Company
There are many people talking about Coco Juku online and what it is like to work for the company. I recently looked back to my first post on my blog and can say that things are pretty different than the idea I had back then. This is my blog, so here are my two cents...well, two yen.
Obviously, that means this post will not be one of my adventures. I am just hoping to help those looking into applying to Coco.
Background of my school. We are in Matsue, a town of 200,000. The rest of the prefecture is largely rural rice fields or mountains. There are not many reasons for a lot of people to speak English. We opened in the middle of February this year. At the beginning, we may have had a few demo lessons a week, which was pretty exciting. We even had a few people sign up! But after those first 2 or 3 months, things slowed drastically.We ended up going a full month without anyone signing up. True, sometimes it takes a while to get a company on its feet. Hopefully that's the case with us. We have had some events lately which might at least get the word out.
We - rather, the Japanese staff - began having sales meetings. After a few months, my other foreign teacher and I were excluded from almost every meeting. I understand -- it's difficult translating back and forth during a meeting and trying to keep any sort of flow. That is especially true when it seems so difficult to decide which of our counselors will translate what is being said. It usually falls to the youngest (who, in Japanese society will almost always be the lowest-ranked) member of the group. That being said, being left out of meetings all the time can get pretty frustrating pretty fast. Much of the time we feel like we don't have a say in what happens in the office.
I have heard some horror stories by others working at busier schools in Coco, but at my school, mostly there is not a lot to do. That is one reason that I will not be staying another year. With sometimes as few as two lessons a week, the job can get pretty boring.
I can realize and acknowledge how lucky I am. I get along well with my branch manager who, after I learned her history, seems like someone I would have been friends with had we grown up in the same generation and spoken the same language. Since we have fewer students, my coworkers and I are able to joke around a bit more. We can have fun during the day and teach each other phrases in different languages. (I learned that the word for a drunkard is youparai (yow-pah-rai) and my Japanese coworkers learned the phrase cat nap.) There are only four of us in the office -- one school manager/counselor, one counselor, and two native teachers -- so things can be pretty relaxed. Most of the time, it is a fun work environment. Difficulties do, of course, arise when things need to change or happen and that dang language barrier gets in the way. There is a lot lost in translation not just because translation is difficult, but because so much in Japan and in the Japanese language is implied. A word I hear many times a day is the word for maybe. I think it is probably among the top 10 most commonly used words in Japanese. I believe I have talked about this enough in previous posts.
All that said, I came to Coco Juku with no experience. They taught me how to teach and gave me a job. My coworkers helped me (and still help me) solve all of my tasks having to do with living in Japan. I signed up for this job to have a way to earn money in order to live in another country. I did not sign up to be given a bunch of time off and do what I please. No matter how frustrating the job can be sometimes, it brought me to a foreign country. I think back to the demo lesson I gave over Skype during my interview and wince. I have learned so much and it is all because of Coco. Although frequently the job is dull, my experience here has been overall a positive one. But again, it really depends on the staff at your school.
Hopefully this will give some folks insight on what it is like for one person working at one branch of Coco. I promise the next post will be exciting.
Obviously, that means this post will not be one of my adventures. I am just hoping to help those looking into applying to Coco.
Background of my school. We are in Matsue, a town of 200,000. The rest of the prefecture is largely rural rice fields or mountains. There are not many reasons for a lot of people to speak English. We opened in the middle of February this year. At the beginning, we may have had a few demo lessons a week, which was pretty exciting. We even had a few people sign up! But after those first 2 or 3 months, things slowed drastically.We ended up going a full month without anyone signing up. True, sometimes it takes a while to get a company on its feet. Hopefully that's the case with us. We have had some events lately which might at least get the word out.
We - rather, the Japanese staff - began having sales meetings. After a few months, my other foreign teacher and I were excluded from almost every meeting. I understand -- it's difficult translating back and forth during a meeting and trying to keep any sort of flow. That is especially true when it seems so difficult to decide which of our counselors will translate what is being said. It usually falls to the youngest (who, in Japanese society will almost always be the lowest-ranked) member of the group. That being said, being left out of meetings all the time can get pretty frustrating pretty fast. Much of the time we feel like we don't have a say in what happens in the office.
I have heard some horror stories by others working at busier schools in Coco, but at my school, mostly there is not a lot to do. That is one reason that I will not be staying another year. With sometimes as few as two lessons a week, the job can get pretty boring.
I can realize and acknowledge how lucky I am. I get along well with my branch manager who, after I learned her history, seems like someone I would have been friends with had we grown up in the same generation and spoken the same language. Since we have fewer students, my coworkers and I are able to joke around a bit more. We can have fun during the day and teach each other phrases in different languages. (I learned that the word for a drunkard is youparai (yow-pah-rai) and my Japanese coworkers learned the phrase cat nap.) There are only four of us in the office -- one school manager/counselor, one counselor, and two native teachers -- so things can be pretty relaxed. Most of the time, it is a fun work environment. Difficulties do, of course, arise when things need to change or happen and that dang language barrier gets in the way. There is a lot lost in translation not just because translation is difficult, but because so much in Japan and in the Japanese language is implied. A word I hear many times a day is the word for maybe. I think it is probably among the top 10 most commonly used words in Japanese. I believe I have talked about this enough in previous posts.
All that said, I came to Coco Juku with no experience. They taught me how to teach and gave me a job. My coworkers helped me (and still help me) solve all of my tasks having to do with living in Japan. I signed up for this job to have a way to earn money in order to live in another country. I did not sign up to be given a bunch of time off and do what I please. No matter how frustrating the job can be sometimes, it brought me to a foreign country. I think back to the demo lesson I gave over Skype during my interview and wince. I have learned so much and it is all because of Coco. Although frequently the job is dull, my experience here has been overall a positive one. But again, it really depends on the staff at your school.
Hopefully this will give some folks insight on what it is like for one person working at one branch of Coco. I promise the next post will be exciting.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
3000+!!
Hey pals- you've passed the 3000 mark on views, so thanks for reading!
In lieu of the celebration, I will attempt to keep a theme of threes for the post.
First, I will begin with the number three. In Japan, three is さん, which is romajinized as san but pronounced like sun (sort of). The Japanese sun is a harsh one. I'm not exactly sure why. I could look it up, but I don't care enough. I just know that's what everyone says. Maybe it is pollution? Wakadonai (I don't know). I do know that I went to the beach this weekend and got a lovely sunburn. That was, of course, mostly my fault. I think that every year, at least once, the sun reminds me that I need to reapply my sunscreen. 2013 lesson: learned. In America, I remember commenting with friends on how silly it seemed that Asian people, especially women, would use umbrellas in the sun. Let me say now, that is the least of it. There are cute umbrellas made only for UV protection (I call them sunbrellas), long-armed UV gloves, UV scarves, UV shirts and pants, and big hats. I saw a woman once on the bus with full pants on, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, a scarf, and a hat on, but fanning herself like mad and wiping away sweat with her handkerchief. So silly. That's something that almost all Japanese people have- a handkerchief. A lesson learned quickly when almost none of the public bathrooms have paper towels or hand driers. I gave in and purchased a sunbrella, which was a fantastic buy. Makes standing at the bus stop half-bearable. But also some of my friends who are closer to my age who are Japanese just don't care about the sun or actually want to get tan. To each his own.
Second, I have become hyper-aware of any three points that could potentially make triangles when I am walking. Why? Spiders. Spiders spiders spiders. It is the rainy season and never before has "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" song felt so true or repetitive in my life. There are spiders everywhere here and you can bet that if they can find a triangle, they will make a web. These spiders are luckily harmless, eating only bugs, but still not something you'd like to walk into...unless I guess if you're really into spiders. I have only seen two real monster spiders, at the beginning of spider season. With their legs, they were about the size of my palm. GROSS. They were both right outside my front door and within about a week of each other. Not the best welcome home from work, I'd say. Mostly though, spiders are anywhere between the size of a pinky-fingerpring to thumbprint. Maybe sometimes a print from a big thumb. Manageable though.
Third, I will point out that I have almost been in Japan for 3 (X2) months! So 6... loosely related to three, but three topics on three was more difficult than I thought it would be. Really though- 6 months. That's half of the time I will be here. Yes, I will announce it- I am officially only going to be in Japan for one year. Although there are many reasons, I think the main reason is that I have so many other places to be a gaijin. My list of places to travel and things to do is ever-growing. But Japan has been and continues to be an amazing and, naturally, life-changing experience for me.
In lieu of the celebration, I will attempt to keep a theme of threes for the post.
First, I will begin with the number three. In Japan, three is さん, which is romajinized as san but pronounced like sun (sort of). The Japanese sun is a harsh one. I'm not exactly sure why. I could look it up, but I don't care enough. I just know that's what everyone says. Maybe it is pollution? Wakadonai (I don't know). I do know that I went to the beach this weekend and got a lovely sunburn. That was, of course, mostly my fault. I think that every year, at least once, the sun reminds me that I need to reapply my sunscreen. 2013 lesson: learned. In America, I remember commenting with friends on how silly it seemed that Asian people, especially women, would use umbrellas in the sun. Let me say now, that is the least of it. There are cute umbrellas made only for UV protection (I call them sunbrellas), long-armed UV gloves, UV scarves, UV shirts and pants, and big hats. I saw a woman once on the bus with full pants on, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, a scarf, and a hat on, but fanning herself like mad and wiping away sweat with her handkerchief. So silly. That's something that almost all Japanese people have- a handkerchief. A lesson learned quickly when almost none of the public bathrooms have paper towels or hand driers. I gave in and purchased a sunbrella, which was a fantastic buy. Makes standing at the bus stop half-bearable. But also some of my friends who are closer to my age who are Japanese just don't care about the sun or actually want to get tan. To each his own.
Second, I have become hyper-aware of any three points that could potentially make triangles when I am walking. Why? Spiders. Spiders spiders spiders. It is the rainy season and never before has "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" song felt so true or repetitive in my life. There are spiders everywhere here and you can bet that if they can find a triangle, they will make a web. These spiders are luckily harmless, eating only bugs, but still not something you'd like to walk into...unless I guess if you're really into spiders. I have only seen two real monster spiders, at the beginning of spider season. With their legs, they were about the size of my palm. GROSS. They were both right outside my front door and within about a week of each other. Not the best welcome home from work, I'd say. Mostly though, spiders are anywhere between the size of a pinky-fingerpring to thumbprint. Maybe sometimes a print from a big thumb. Manageable though.
Third, I will point out that I have almost been in Japan for 3 (X2) months! So 6... loosely related to three, but three topics on three was more difficult than I thought it would be. Really though- 6 months. That's half of the time I will be here. Yes, I will announce it- I am officially only going to be in Japan for one year. Although there are many reasons, I think the main reason is that I have so many other places to be a gaijin. My list of places to travel and things to do is ever-growing. But Japan has been and continues to be an amazing and, naturally, life-changing experience for me.
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