This moment brought to you by....Japan

As I was walking to get lunch today, I watched a white crane fly past a row of cherry trees in bloom, with Mt. Fuji in the background. And I thought, "Is this a quintessential Japanese moment or what?" Then a ninja attacked me from behind, but I fought him off using my Kendo moves. Afterwards I went and bought tempura and rice for lunch, which I washed down with green tea. And I thought, "You know you're in Japan when you get cherry blossoms, ninjas and tempura all in the same hour!"

Ok, so I made up the part about the ninja and the kendo. But everything else is true! I really did see a crane fly in front of a cherry blossom tree with Mt. Fuji in the background as I was on my way to get my tempura lunch. This moment brought to you by Japan! It reminded me of another recent "Sponsored by Japan" moment I had a few weeks ago - My friend and I were at the local public bath, sitting in the tatami room enjoying soba noodles, mandarin oranges and tea while watching Pokemon. Seriously, is that Japanese or what? And then the samurai showed up!

It got me thinking though - There are so many concrete images that we come to associate with other countries - the parts of the culture that make their way across the oceans and borders, whether carried by books, television, photos or immigrants, and take hold in our imaginations. They are the things that come to mind when you hear the name of a foreign country you have never visited, and what you hope to see if you do ever go there. But how much of it is really accurate? Or at least alive and well in the modern era?

Try this - what comes to mind when you think of India? I recently asked my students the same question, and I bet you came up with the same things they did. Elephants, curry, Taj Mahal, turbans, chai, Gandhi, naan bread, bindis, Bollywood. I went to India recently, and yes, experienced all of those. Even Gandhi, but only in statue form.

Traveling is one thing - as a tourist, you seek out those images, foods and experiences that have taken hold in your imagination, because they are often the reason you where fascinated by the country in the first place. (In fact, there are a lot of people in the tourist industries that make their living because they understand this, which is why you can still get your picture with a "ninja" at Himeji Castle.) But living....living in a foreign country is a different story.

When I was living in Korea, a friend asked me, "So, do you eat kimchi every day?" The answer was YES, because Koreans really do eat kimchi every day, with every meal. But if you were to ask someone living in Mexico if they ate burritos every day, they would think you were a steteotypical idiot. So then comes the question - how accurate are our images of life in other countries? How much of it is just stereotype, or outdated, or simply wrong?

Is anyone out there wondering how often I eat sushi while living in Japan? Afraid to ask for fear of looking like you are making stereotypical assumptions about the Japanese diet? Don't worry, you aren't - they really do eat a lot of sushi here. Not every day of course, but it is sold in plentiful amounts at every grocery and convenience store, and each town has several sushi restaurants. As for myself, I eat it about once a week. It is, however, quite different than some of the sushi you get in the US!

All of this got me thinking about the popular image of Japan that prevails in the US, or at least the image I had in my mind, and how much of that I actually experience while living here. And I have to say that my foreigner's expectation for Japan IS alive and well. When I really examine my life here, a large part of my life is "sponsored by Japan. And much of it is exactly what I expected - no, hoped for, when I decided to move here.

So I made a list! This is based on MY idea of Japan before I came. It was actually really fun to think of all these. Maybe someday I will make another list of all the OTHER "sponsored by Japan" aspects of my life that I didn't expect (like brushing my teeth every day in the teacher's room or becoming intimate with the small of kerosene.)

My So-Called Japanese Life

I eat rice every day, often 3 meals a day.

I make miso soup, rice and sometimes fish almost every morning for breakfast.

I ride my bike through rice and tea fields when going to and from school. On clear mornings, I can see Mt. Fuji.

I go to the public bath about once a week.

My car is tiny and very fuel efficient.

In the Spring there are cherry blossoms everywhere, including, I'm happy to say, right outside my bedroom window.

I drink lots and lots of green tea.

I sleep on a futon.

Soba, mochi, tempura, gyoza, udon, tonkatsu, edamame, seaweed, whatever other Japanese foods you know, I eat them all the time.

I drink sake, but not much.

I take off my shoes before entering my apartment, and I have a separate pair of indoor shoes for work.

My apartment has tatami mats and sliding doors.

I own a yukata, which I wear around the apartment when it is warm enough.

I carry my own chopsticks (this is NOT very Japanese though, people here use the disposable wooden ones unfortunately)

I have seen live Sumo, and I understand it.

When I can afford it, I travel by bullet train.

I go to Karaoke, and love it.

I probably rub shoulders with yakuza all the time without knowing it; apparently this region is a "hotspot" and in the summer you can spot them at the beaches because of their huge tatoos.

Most of my neighbors prune their trees bonsai style.

I bow a lot.

I say "HAI!" all the time.

Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, old castles, yes, seen my fair share of those.

I have accumulated a small collection of paper cranes.

And as a contrast list, I'll tell you what I DON'T get--

I don't have a koi pond in my yard.

I don't watch Anime or read Manga, but only because I don't like them. If I did, I would be in heaven here.

I haven't learned taiko, ikebana, kendo, judo or tea ceremony, although I probably could if I wanted to.

I don't see geisha - have to go to Kyoto for that, but I do see women in kimono pretty often.

No ninjas, sorry.

I have never seen a square watermelon.

No samurai, sorry.

I don't do Radio Taiso every morning.

I don't wear geta - the wooden "clip clop shoes." But I have on several occasions, and they are actually really comfortable.

That's all I can think of now. Anything I'm missing? Now is the time to ask those burning questions :-)

The Story of Stuff

Instead of reading my blog today, please watch this video instead.

www.storyofstuff.com

It will only take about 20 minutes of your life. Watch it while you eat, while you file your nails, or when you are wasting time at work. Whenever, just watch it! The message is really important. It is something I personally came to understand while I was in college, and need to be reminded of everyoneandawhile. It may be totally new to you, or simply a reminder as it was for me. Watch it, and if you think it is important, please share it with everyone you know!

Ok, watch it!

Cleaning

Just a few random shots I wanted to put up before I put them away forever on CD.

Japanese wedding ceremony at the Meiji Shrine, Tokyo. They guy on the left is the groom and the girl next to him is the bride.

Izu Peninsula Lighthouse

Beach BBQ, Japanese style, Yoshida Port

Build a charcoal fire on the ground, set some bricks next to it, put a grill over the top, and you are ready to cook! It was boiling hot that day, and these poor girls (who are student teachers at the neighboring high school, if you can believe it) got stuck with all the cooking in the sun while the boys drank beer.

"Schoolgirl," Akihabara, Tokyo

She probably is not really a schoolgirl, but she gets paid to dress like one and hand out flyers while posing for pictures. Akihabara is the techo-center of Tokyo, mecca for anime nerds and manga geeks. Home of the infamous Maid Cafes, and THE place in Tokyo to buy anything electronic. Outside the subway, girls in skimpy outfits or school-girl uniforms distract the men on their way to do their shopping. It is rather weird actually.

First houses completed!

Good news from the KI Village - the first of the houses have been completed! Ravi sent out these photos of the first house being "dedicated." Here is Ravi's message included in the email:

Most Loving Greetings from Association of Relief Volunteers (ARV)

I have great joy today to share with you that ARV has been completed 10 Dalit widow permanent houses with the help of local Government and International Volunteers.

All the widows are so happy to see their new houses which they had never thought. It is great achievement in widows lives, which gives protection and dignity, their children are also so happy to see their comfortable houses.

I am thankful to all the volunteers and local government for their valuable support for Dalit widows in GP village, Andhra Pradesh, India.

The first widow house was opened by a volunteer, Isoko – Japan

Thanking you with kind regards.

Ravi Kumar

Secretary

Association of Relief Volunteers

Andhra Pradesh

India

This photos shows the widow's old house next to her new one.

This news made me so happy - to know that some of the houses we worked on are finally being moved into. We had been told that May was the estimated completion date, so it was a surprise to know that some are ready now. You can see from the photo above that the villagers were living in huts made of mud and straw with dirt floors and no windows - the new houses are brick and cement, with roofs made of tin. Each house has several windows and is divided into two rooms. The will have cement floors and a door with a lock. There will also be proper bathrooms attached to each house - previously the villagers just went and squatted in a nearby grove of trees.

A few weeks back, I spent some time with some friends from the volunteer group, and we kept getting onto the topic of how our time in India had changed us. I personally had never expected it to have the impact that it did - I look at the world through different eyes now. I won't try to put it all into words; in fact there is much of what I experienced that would be futile to even attempt to explain.

But I can say that it has made me much less materialistic and much less consumer-minded. It has made me more grateful for the life I have, and I am less prone to taking things for granted now. India toughened me up physically, and that has started a chain-reaction of lifestyle changes which has drastically improved the way I feel on a daily basis. It has deeply impacted me emotionally and spiritually as well and it will probably forever change the way I chose to travel.

Trust me, I could get *really* long winded on this topic, but I will resist, resist!! For now I will just leave it at this - India changed me, and I am thankful for it.

Thank you again to everyone who donated to the ARV project on my behalf. Our group ended up surpassing our fundraising goal by a lot - in the end we had about $13,000. And yes, I was the top fund-raiser in the group. A lot of people asked me how I managed to raise so much money. My answer was simple -- I have a lot of generous-hearted people in my life, and all I had to do was ask.

ARV is constantly raising money for various projects, so if anyone is looking for a worthwhile organization to donate to, please keep them in mind! I can vouch first-hand for their professionalism and effectiveness! I know personally, I'm hesitant to give money to organizations that I'm unfamiliar with - but take my word for it - ARV is the real deal.

In addition to the India housing project, they also have an educational project going on in Ghana. All their work is described on Longitude's website:

http://www.golongitude.org/www/Home.html

Worshipping at the ｶﾗｵｹ-神社

I just got back from an incredible weekend that spanned 3 days and 3 prefectures. It was such a good weekend that it actually merits THREE separate posts!

1) The Penis Festival
2) Festival food
3) KARAOKE

Karaoke comes first, because the pictures from that night had me laughing so hard I probably scared the neighbors. They're probably not nearly as funny for anyone that wasn't there though, sorry :-)

The karaoke session that these photos came from just may be the measuring stick by which all future karaoke nights will be judged--!! We were in the city of Nagoya, at a fund raiser being held for a future BC India trip - people paid a flat fee for all the beer, karaoke and arcade games they could cram into 5 hours. Great idea for a fund raiser, right?

My friends and I headed straight for the karaoke rooms. It started off mellow enough, as most sessions usually do, and slowly warmed up. About an hour and a half after we started, a few more people joined us, and then it got wild. There was line dancing, there was hip-hop dancing, there were no more attempts to sound good - in fact, I'll be honest -- at times it pretty much just a screaming contest. (I haven't gotten so enthusiastic about Alanis Morrisette since high school!!) Come 11:45, it was all we could do to drag ourselves out of there - motivated only by the fact that we were going to miss the last train.

These are two friends of friends that helped fuel the wild karaoke maddness. They guy, whose name I forget, wins the award for best pose and expression in almost every photo.

My personal history with Karaoke, which, by the way, is called Noraebang in Korea:Just hearing the word Noraebang used to make my heart start thumping in anxiety. I can't sing, and I don't like to embarrass myself ..... so ..... why would I want to sing in front of others? The problem was - I was stuck in that Western notion where Karaoke means one person singing in front of a whole room, where it actually matters if you sound good or not. I heard repeated assurances from my friends in Korea that Noraebang was totally different from back home - just a group of friends in a small room having a good time. But nothing really convinced me, and I managed to successfully avoid going to Noraebang for my first 8 months there! QUITE A FEAT!!!One night though, I finally went, and realized that everything people had told me was 100% TRUE. Noraebang/Karaoke is FUN. A lot of fun. And now I am a full fledged devotee!

Hong picks a winner with Livin' la Vida Loca.

For those of you that have never lived here --In Korea and Japan, Karaoke places are literally everywhere. It works like this - each group of people gets their own room with a TV, a sound system, couches and two microphones. The fancier places even have voice activated strobe lights and tambourines! Most places will bring food and drinks to the room. There are books with the list of songs available - usually in Japanese, Korean, English and Tagalog. Most places, even in the sticks where I live, have an incredible selection of songs, and we are never at a loss for things to sing. Once someone decides on a song, you punch the number into the remote and let the fun begin. The lyrics appear on the screen along with ridiculous videos that usually have nothing to do with the song you are singing.

Bonus points if you can name that song!

Karaoke sessions can be really different depending on who is there and the mood of the moment. Sometimes it's mellow, and people actually try to sound good when they sing. Other times it can be.... well, absolute craziness. (These session are usually fueled by large amounts of alcohol.)Many sessions progress from the former to the latter.

Nasri, Jessie and Jeff in one of the more mellow moments on our "warm-up" session Friday night.

There is, believe it or not, an *fine art* to picking a good karaoke song. It isn't an exact science though, sort of like teaching. Some fortunate people are born with this talent, but for others, like myself, it takes experience and careful study to learn. LOL, you think I'm joking don't you? I'M NOT!! (This is an off-shoot of my previous fear of karaoke.)

I will spare you non-believers of the long winded explanation of the fine art of Karaoke song picking, and those of you that have already converted already know what I am talking about. Factors that must be taken into consideration include: pitch of song and how your own voice can handle it, how well you know the words, the mood of the moment, the mood you want to create, people present and whether or not they know the song - this will also depend on whether or not you want to be singing alone -, length of the song, difficulty of the song....and so on.

Here is some of my own personal karaoke wisdom--
--Sometimes you THINK you know a song, but you don't! Listening to Manic Monday countless times in the 80's does not mean you will remember it 20 years later.
--Beware songs with "sneaky difficult parts." Sweet Child of Mine starts out easy, but is really hard to sing at the end when Axl just starts screaming. Note that this is not a problem once everyone is drunk.
--Beware songs with really long extended endings, like New York New York.
--If you are going to pick a looooong song, be sure that others in the room are on board with you - good examples are Bohemian Rhapsody or American Pie.
--Those songs that were hits when everyone was drunk may not work when everyone is sober -- Pour Some Sugar on Me, Its Raining Men for example.
--Well-known pop songs are always a hit, because everyone knows the words, and if they don't they can pick it up as the song goes along.
--Sometimes you surprise yourself and are really good with a song that you thought was too hard. With good friends it is a good time to give these songs a try, and if you suck you can cancel half-way through. Shockingly, I can do a totally decent version of Bust a Move, but I only discovered that because I knew Caroline and Mike were understanding friends :-P

Over time, everyone gets their own personl "sure-fire" songs, the ones they KNOW they can sing and wouldn't mind singing alone. As of now, mine are Lucielle by Kenny Rogers, The Boxer or Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkel, and Take Your Mama by Scissor Sisters. Oh, and Yesterday - this is the all-time Karaoke classic. Everyone can sing it. And of course, over time, everyone knows which songs are sure-fire drunken hits!!

Inspired by the power of Ricky Martin.

Jeff and Jessie, two friends from my prefecture, in the only posed photo of the night.

Jessie getting in touch with her Alberta roots, with the help of a little Shania.

This is Simon, who hosted the entire event. Here is is doing a song by Korean super-star band H.O.T.

In light of last post, I have to add that NO THEY DO NOT HAVE BABY'S GOT BACK!!! I know, I know, it's an absolute shame.

You will also notice the lack of embarrassing photos of myself singing. Trust me, they exist, and as soon as someone sends me any I promise I will put them up. Promise!!

My New Grandpa

I forgot this picture on the sushi post, but I just had to share it because ISN'T HE THE MOST ADORABLE SUSHI CHEF EVER?? I especially love the bits of fish clinging to his Victory sign!

More Buns!

I have to write an update to the previous post --

After talking to the girls, I wandered around the school for a bit and observed a few other student groups practicing their dance routines. When I came back to my desk, I found that the two girls had tracked down one of the Japanese English teachers, and were making HIM explain the song to them. And the poor guy was having a hell of a time with it.

To fully appreciate this, take a moment to read the opening lyrics to Baby's Got Back:

"Baby Got Back"

[Intro]
Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt.
It is so big. *scoff* She looks like,
one of those rap guys' girlfriends.
But, you know, who understands those rap guys? *scoff*
They only talk to her, because,
she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay?
I mean, her butt, is just so big.
I can't believe it's just so round, it's like,
out there, I mean - gross. Look!
She's just so ... black!

If you haven't heard the song, I should also point out that these lyrics are spoken by two extremely white-sounding valley girl types - and also that this song is an absolute cultural icon of my generation. Anyone who grew up in the US and was in middle school or high school around 1992 can pretty quote this part of the song verbatim. In fact, just last Saturday at Karaoke we wanted to do this song, but unfortunately they didn't have it. I must have listened to this song hundreds of times when I was in middle school, but I NEVER thought that 15 years later I would find myself explaining it to Japanese students.

Anyway, back to the story. Picture this - a middle aged Japanese teacher who has very minimal experience to American popular culture, pretty much as geeky as they come - after one recent class he expressed his disapproval of a girl telling a story about the time a bird pooped in her bag, because he thought it was inappropriate. And here he is, trying to figure out the above lyrics and explain them to two 16 year old students. He was not only explaining the meaning, but the finer points of the grammar. Actually explaining the use of pronouns in the line, "They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute." Again, oh my god!

The part that was giving him the most trouble was "rap guys girlfriends." He simply didn't know what a "rap guy" was. Luckily he did have some familiarity with hip-hop music because it is really popular in Japan, so I was able to help him figure it out. And yes, he did ask me about the last line. I will let you use your imagination about how interesting it was to explain that one...!

I am not making this up, nor am I embellishing the story. This actually happened to me today, and it will go down as one of the most memorable moments of my time in Japan.

Luckily for me, the students only wanted to understand the intro lyrics, and not the entire song. It sort of seemed like a fun thing to do at first, but I really wasn't looking forward to explaining lines such as:

"Ooh Rump-o-smooth skin, you say you wanna get in my Benz?" or "My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun!"

Castles and Buns on a Monday Afternoon

What an unusual afternoon....

After a totally uneventful morning of no classes, which I spent planning my Spring Break trip, I was pretty much resolved to an afternoon of boredom while I waited until I could go home. But things got rather interesting.

First, I *finally* got around to walking up to Koyama castle, which perches on the hill next to my school. A castle you say? You mean you work within walking distance of a historical Japanese castle and you haven't bothered to go yet? I know .... but seriously, it's a small castle, and a replica, and it can be seen perfectly fine from below, so I never went out of my way. But I had a lovely time up there today! The weather has gotten warm, the flowers are in bloom, and there was hardly anyone around to disturb the peace (except the groundskeeper with a leaf blower, just my luck.) You cannot go inside the castle, but there are numerous gates and shrines around it that made for a really enjoyable stroll. The REAL undiscovered Japan - it is silly that whenever I visit a major sight I gripe about all the tourists, yet there are really cool places right in my own backyard that I never visit. Silly silly silly....

When I got back to school I was immediately bombarded by one of the English teachers and two students, saying, "Ah, Nikoru, we have been looking for you!" I got this brief sense of embarrassment that I had been off wandering around at one of the rare moments where my help was actually needed, but it turned out to be pretty minor - they just needed me to identify a song for them. They two students were part of the school dance team, and they were putting together their routine for the upcoming school festival. They had found their song, but wanted to know what it was about. One of the girls had saved it on her cell phone, so she played it for me right then and there. I couldn't figure it out for the first few seconds because of the poor sound quality. So I leaned closer to the phone...and then I hear it loud and clear: ".....look at her butt, it is like, so big! I know, she must be one of those rap guys girlfriends..." I just about died laughing.

So, if you are reading this and don't recognize those lyrics, it just means you were not a teenager in the early 90's. But those of you who DO know the song can understand how funny that moment was for me - AND the girls wanted me to explain the song to them. Oh, wow..... finally something to do! Does this qualify as a teachable moment?

I grabbed a paper and pen and sat down with them in the other room. By the way, these were *not* English course students, so their English ability is really limited. But I managed to explain the basic premise of the song using a fair amount of gestures and my bad Japanese. (Sounds embarrassing, but it is the sort of thing that I am actually used to by now.) I was able to get across that the song was by a man singing about how much he liked big butts, and the talking part in the beginning is two girls shit-talking about another girl with a big ass. Needless to say, they thought that was pretty damn funny.

They asked if I could write down the lyrics of the song for them, so I went to the computer room and printed them up. They gazed at the pages swimming with unfamiliar English words, and then made a good attempt to figure them out. One of the girls seemed pretty intent on having me explain what every line in the song meant - we got to the 3rd line before I had to just tell her that it would be waaaay to complicated for her to understand because the song is almost all slang. Even if I sat down with one of the English teachers, it would still take hours to explain everything in that song. And given the nature of the lyrics, I don't think I'd really want to do that...

It got me thinking though - what an amazing way to teach Japanese students about a very interesting part of American culture. Think about it - in order to fully understand Baby's Got Back, a person has to first know about African American culture and how it contrasts with "white America." The conversation in the beginning of the song is two white girls talking about a black girl with a big butt. And then Sir Mix A Lot comes in a reassures all the black girls that he LIKES big butts. He is essentially suggesting that black women reject the idea that skinny = attractive and be proud of their curves. (It could *almost* qualify as a female empowerment song if it wasn't for the fact that it still completely objectifies women as sexual objects.)

It might be hard to appreicate this if you have never lived in Japan, but a song like Baby's Got Back is an absolute treasure trove of cultural insight. The vast majority of Japanese have no clue about race dynamics in the US, so there is actually a lot you would have to explain in order to fully explain the song. Not to mention the slang - now that would be educational!

Well, I know what I am teaching in my listening class next term!

Here are some pics from a recent weekend out in the big city! The main point of the trip was to met up for dinner with a group of girls from my India trip, but since Tokyo is sort of far away for me, it is only worth going if I stay a few days. So I put on my tourist shoes and did some solo sightseeing the rest of the time.

The highlight was the Tsukiji Fish Market - the largest wholesale seafood market in the world.

From Wikipedia - "The market handles more than 400 different types of seafood from tiny sardines to 300kg tuna, from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar. Overall, more than 700,000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year at the three seafood markets in Tokyo, with a total value in excess of 600 billion yen (approximately 5.5 billion US dollars). Tsukiji alone handles over 2000 metric tons of seafood per day. The number of registered employees varies from 60,000 to 65,000, including wholesalers, accountants, auctioneers, company officials, and distributors."

Cool...I am fascinated by things from the sea - they are beautiful when they are alive and delicious when they are dead, so I had to go. And good timing too - as of next month, they will formally request that tourists stay away. Apparently there were so many people showing up that it was interfering with business operations and even posing a threat to sanitation. So I wanted to go before I was officially no longer welcome!

But let's be honest, the real reason to go was the sushi- it just doesn't get any fresher than this! I eat plenty of sushi here, but I usually get it from the grocery store or the conveyor belt restaurant. But the best way to eat sushi, which I experienced for the first time at Tsukiji, is right at the counter. You order directly from the sushi chefs, they make it for you with incredible speed and 30 seconds later you have a beautiful piece of heaven slapped down in front of you. IT TASTES SO MUCH BETTER THIS WAY! The rice is warm and the fish is cold, and ... I know this sounds gross and maybe weird ... but the energy from the chefs hands still clings to the sushi - a whole different experience when you put it in your mouth. I can hardly describe it, but damn, is it good. I know there are places with proper sushi counters around here, I just have to find them.

The one on the right is salmon, my fave, and I forget what the other is.

Slicing maguro tuna in between orders.

It is also super fun because you get to chat with the chefs - they were actually impressed by my painfully limited Japanese. And of course, watching them work is absolutely fascinating. They are so fast!! Becoming a proper sushi chef takes years and years of training - it is a lot harder than it looks. Watching these guys in action made me realize just what an art form it really is.

A confession - I had breakfast twice. Raw fish for breakfast? You bet! So good I had to go back for more.

The sushi counter where I had Breakfast #1 at around 8:00 am.

In between eating I wandered around the market. Check out the size of those fishies!

A theft deterent perhaps?

The market is full of dudes cruising around on these motorized carts that can turn on a dime. But you have to watch out for them - I almost got hit several times :-/ I know, bad tourist!

Here is my favorite sushi chef from Breakfast #2 at around 10 am. He was such a crackup!

Moving so fast that the picture blurred without flash.

My absolute favorite -Salmon with lemon and mayo, and a massive pile of pickled ginger.

I will spare you all the photos from Yokohama - fun place, but not that picturesque. With a few exceptions.....

Neato sculpture in Yokohama. I love this!

Temple in Chinatown - the best part about Yokohama - again, for the food ;-)

The next day I did more sightseeing around Tokyo - the Asakusa area and Kappabashi, which is the street with all the restuarant supplier shops. As tempting as it was to get some nifty gadgets for my ever growing kitchen, I didn't want to carry anything home, so I resisted. What I really wanted though, was some plastic food. Kappabashi is the place that restaurants go for all that plastic food they put in their display windows - a uniquely Japanese thing I think? Wouldn't it be cool to bring home a realistic plastic tempura plate? But that stuff is EXPENSIVE! Most of the plastic food was upwards of 5o bucks ... not worth it for me!

The Asakusa tourist circus. This is the historical district of Tokyo. It is nice to get a taste of the old traditional culture, but waaaaay too touristy for my taste.

A couple doing "mekuji." If I understand, you pay your money, shake the in full of sticks until one falls out. The number on the stick corresponds to your fortune, which are inside all the small boxes. If anyone knows better, feel free to correct me!

Cherry blossom season is almost here by the way....

Roller Coaster!!!

For you roller coaster lovers out there, if you really want a thrill ride of ups and downs, you should forget the amusement park, and try living aboard. I swear it is the craziest roller coaster you will ever find.

I am happy to say that currently I am on an upswing. I love Japan! I love Japanese people, I love Japanese food, I love my apartment, I even sort of love my school. I even feel like the Japanese language might *not* be entirely impossible to learn! Wow!

And just last week, I was hating this place. When I left my apartment, I was annoyed at the fact that everyone was Japanese. I was annoyed that they were all STILL SPEAKING JAPANESE. Every time I heard someone go Yada! or Sumimasen! I wanted to scream. I felt like I would never fit in here, and I didn't want to. I had given up completely on ever learning Japanese, I left work feeling like crap, and was counting the days until I got to leave.

Sounds shitty, huh? But the roller coaster always goes back up again.

Actually, they have done studies on this stuff, and 3-4 months is the lowest point for most people. When you first live in a foreign country, everything is new and exciting, but then all that becomes common place. That is when the annoyance sets in. And that part isn't fun, let me tell you! You start hating the place, resenting the differences, and it's really easy to get depressed. I went through that in Korea, so I was prepared for it when I came to Japan. But it's funny, in the midst of my lowest "Japan sucks" time, even though I knew full well from prior experience that things would get better, I still had a really hard time believing it.

But it happened. I love Japan again. I expect I'll go through another low phase before leaving though. For though, let me just say that this place is the best!

I only have 5 months left in Japan. When I was at a low point, 6 months felt like an absolute eternity. And now, 5 months is not nearly long enough! If I had to make my re-contracting decision now, I might have chosen to stay. (Or perhaps I only say that now because it is the weekend, ask me again after I leave work on Monday!) But do you get the point? It is friggin roller coaster!

Right now, I'm just doing my best to enjoy Japan before I leave; soaking in every last bit of Japanese-ness that I can. Ok, well not exactly - I'm NOT watching anime and I'm NOT clipping my fingernails in the teachers' room. But, I AM digging on the fact that I actually get the recommended 7-8 servings of vegetables every day, not to mention that living in farmland means I eat the freshest, yummiest vegetables in the world. Instead of finding Japanese people annoying, right now I think they are cute and funny and tremendously nice. I'm appreciating the little stuff that makes Japan Japan, like taking off your shoes when you enter a room, getting a hot towel to clean your hands before meals, drinking copious amounts of green tea every day at work. I'm even loving the fact that I am a foreigner here, a unique person, something you have to experience firsthand to understand how it can be special and frustrating unlike anything else in the world.

I'm getting a kick out of the fact that people dress their dogs up in full outfits, or how teachers have pot leaf air fresheners hanging in their cars. 3 employees screaming Irrashaimasse! in high pitched nasally voices is actually rather charming at the moment, believe it or not. The heated toilet seats, drivers who let you pull in front of them when you need to turn into traffic, buses that run on time ... how could you NOT love living here? Tell me again why I am leaving?

What I come back to again and again while I ride this roller coaster of life abroad is this - in spite of all the ups and downs and the difficult decision of how many years to stay, in the end it boils down to one tremendous experience. Sure, getting through the low points was rough. And leaving will be even harder. Here is the ironic part - if I stayed, I would go through more low points where I hated Japan, and I would regret the fact that I didn't leave when I had the chance. Yet, when I leave, I will go through a totally different experience where I regret the fact that I didn't choose to stay. I will have to say goodbye to a ton of people I have grown to love and a life that I have gotten rather comfortable with. For the rest of my life, there will be things about Japan that I will miss. I will lament that fact that America does not have Karaoke, onsens or ridiculous game shows. For the rest of my life, every time I encounter something Japanese, I will feel that pang of nostalgia, which is sometimes strangely pleasant and sometimes indescribably painful. And there will be lots and lots of moments where I will wish that I was still living in Japan.

How do I know? Because that is what happened with Korea. I still can't watch Korea movies without getting terribly sad because they make me miss the place so damn much. Little flashes of Seoul come back to me now and then - the taste of the food, the sound of the subway, the unique smells, whatever. And don't even get me started on how much I miss my Korea friends! But I know that leaving was the right thing to do. Korea was a great place for year, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It is the same with Japan - My year on JET will take it's place alongside my year in Korea as AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE, but I still know that one year is enough. And I have to keep that in mind as these next 5 months wind down.

So that being said, I am happy to report that I have done a very good job this weekend of "soaking up Japan." Last night we went to the local izakaya (pub) and enjoyed simmered tofu, edamame, and fried potatoes dipped in sweet ketchup and mayo. I managed to have a very enjoyable and lengthy half Japanese-half English conversation with a 20 year old eye candy surfer boy who looked like he stepped straight out of a boy band video, but was as polite and humble as they come. And today, Caroline and I had the ultimate Saturday afternoon - 4 hours at the local onsen (public bath). We did it right too, loooong shower, loooong bath, and then chilling in the common resting room, drinking tea, eating sashimi and soba and watching Pokemon cartoons alongside all the local Japanese families. (Could have done without the Pokemon though!) I even treated myself to a massage, which felt fantastic. What a nice day, something you could never do in the US. If I was grading myself on how much I have enjoyed Japan so far this weekend, I would give myself an A+. Whoo! Maybe tomorrow I'll take up sumo wrestling!

And just for the record, I SWEAR that I started this blog entry with the intention of only writing a few short paragraphs. I just have too much to say.

Strawberries

It is いちご (ichigo - strawberry) season here in Japan, which means that baskets of bright red strawberries are always the first thing to great you when you enter a store. And strawberry flavored everything - the Japanese are really into flavoring everything with whatever fruit happens to be in season or locally grown, and luckily strawberry lends itself well to that. (Cherry blossoms, not so much - I had cherry blossom flavored potato chips before, and wouldn't recommend them.) My personal favorites are the Mejii strawberry chocolate (taste JUST like real strawberries) and the mochi with a whole strawberry inside it - yum!

The local farms also do something called an いちごたべほだい, where you pay a flat fee and get to go in the field and pick and eat as many strawberries as you can in 30 minutes. The only thing is you can't take any home with you. As much as I love strawberries, I am not going to pay 20 bucks to stuff myself with them.

Ok, but the real reason for this post was to share this -- my friend learned this from a strawberry farmer -- the best way to eat them is to cut off the tops, then eat from top to bottom. The reason - the tip is much sweeter, so if you do it this way, you are left with the best taste in your mouth when you finish. Try it, it's true!

No Applause, Please

Yesterday was my school's graduation ceremony - a veeeeery different affair in Japan. My memories of graduation are tied up with thoughts of hot weather, looking really nice, robes, throwing hats, cheering, celebration, rows and rows of seniors who can barely contain themselves, teachers running around to confiscate beachballs and of course, plenty of parties. But graduation here is really different - equally important, just with a drastically different tone.

Ours took place in the school gym, and thankfully they set up a few heaters because that place gets freezing this time of year! The grads sit in the front, organized by homeroom and student number, the teachers off to the side. The parents sit in the back, also grouped according to their child's homeroom number (The Japanese are VERY group oriented). Because it was a Monday, it was mostly mothers and only a few fathers.

The part I found the most odd was that the students were wearing their regular school uniforms, complete with sparkling white gym shoes. It just didn't seem right! I like the idea of graduates proudly wearing their cap and gown, with a dressy outfit underneath. Graduation is symbolic of the transition to adulthood, it is a dignified occassion; so why make the students wear those same ugly childish uniforms they have worn everyday for three years? But that is the way it is done here.

Before I describe the ceremony, I need to point out a few details. First of all, the ceremony itself is actually pretty solemn - there is no applause whatsoever until the students file out of the auditorium. Which also means that it is pretty boring, especially if you don't understand Japanese! Also, the whole thing is incredibly regimented. Each time a person comes to the stage to either take the podium or accept an award, they follow this exact procedure - walk to the front of the audience, stop. Turn to the side where the school principals sit. Bow. Turn back front. Walk up the steps to the stage. Bow towards flags of Japan and Shizuoka Prefecture. Give speech/accept award. Bow again. Turn around and walk down stairs. Stop at front of audience and face front. Turn to principals. Bow. Turn front. Turn around and walk to their seat. EVERY TIME! And in the case of speeches, the entire audience stands while the person is walking to the podium. When they get there, everyone bows in unison, and sits back down. Same exact thing when the person leaves the podium. So yea, lots and lots of bowing!

So the ceremony goes like this - The grads walk in while the school band plays a song (not sure what song it was.) Then everyone stands, bows, and sings the national anthem. The principal makes a speech, then gives a few awards (not sure for what.) Then each homeroom teacher comes to the podium, and reads the names of every student in their class, in number order of course. As their name is called, each student stands, says "Hai!" and bows. When they are all standing, one student goes up to accept the graduation certificate on behalf of the entire class. Then they all sit down. No applause. Repeat for all 4 homerooms. Then, there are several speeches from PTA members, and two student speeches.

After the speeches, we sang the school anthem, which I can *almost* sing along with now, and then the grads filed out of the room while everyone appluaded. The second year students left, and then the teachers of graduating classes gave a short speech to the parents, followed by a parent giving a speech to the teachers.

Afterwards came the smaller, more festive ceremonies in the individual homerooms. I should mention here that Japanese high schools are organized by homerooms - a group of about 40 students who stay together pretty much every class period of every day for their entire 3 years at high school. They ideally also have the same homeroom teacher for those three years. So needless to say, a pretty tight bond does form!

During this ceremony, the 2 homeroom teachers makes a speech to the students and parents (Micah and I gave one in the English course homeroom), and then each student comes up and recieves their actual diploma. The students present bouquets of flowers to the homeroom teachers, and in our case they also made cards for myself and Micah. Then there is another speech by the homeroom teacher. And then it is time for pictures and yearbook signing!

I didn't have my camera, but Micah took a lot on his and was kind enough to share them. All of these come from 34 homeroom - they are the English course at our school, and the students that I know the best. They also happen to be my favorite class - not just here, but one of the best classes I have ever taught. They are just an extremely special group of students - smart, sweet, funny, enthusiastic, and really good-hearted people. They are fantastic, and I always left their classroom on the biggest high, thinking, "That is what teaching is meant to be!" So saying goodbye to them was a little sad :(

This is me with Kayoko Yagi, the 34 Homeroom teacher who I do a lot of team-teaching with. She was one of only two women who wore a kimono for graduation.

Yumi, Kaori, Daimu and Kaori.

Ok, I don't know the names of all of these kids, except Yuka on the far left and Keiko who is leaning on me. Both of them were actually born in China and speak fluent Chinese. Keiko is one of my absolute favorites - she is tremendous student. When I was first teaching them, she raised her hand to answer a question, and I didn't know her name when I called on her, so I just pointed. And she said, very sweetly "My name is Keiko." VERY out of character for a Japanese student to do, believe it or not. And of course I never forgot her name after that.

Me and Micah with Honami and Rie. Rie is the tiniest student in the class, and Micah is 6'4". I'd also like to point out that Micah and I did not plan to wear almost matching suits, that is a coincidence!

A whole class picture.Happy Graduates

Me with Ayumi. She was one of the first students I got to know, when I coached her for a speech contest. A super sweet girl. Also please take note of our fingers. Ayumi is demonstrating the proper V formation. Compare mine, clearly inadequate. I am pretty certain they actually train their fingers to be held in the proper position. Try holding your fingers close to your body and making the V face the camera. And make it wide. Maybe it is my hands, but it is really difficult to do.

Micah and I with our favorite JTE's (Japanese Teachers of English). Kawashima, Yagi, and Haraguchi-sensei. I really love all three of them! Haraguchi, on the right, is my supervisor, and one of favorite people in Japan. He is one of the most dedicated teachers I know, always helpful no matter how busy he is, and NEVER gets in a bad mood.