Japan Stuff

Stupid Camera.

2009-02-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

This is for all you haters out there who keep harassing me to update my blog. For your info, my camera is brokener than broken. If I want to upload about two pictures, it will take about three to five hours, my camera battery will die somewhere in that span of time, and then I'll have to stop and start all over again while I wait for the battery to charge. Then when I think it's all finally finished, the second I disconnect my camera from my computer, none of the pictures have actually saved themselves to my computer. And on top of that, my computer crashes like, three times a day anyhow. So what all this is leading into is, I freaking hate blogging now because all it does is make me angry. Angry with my camera, angry with my computer, and angry with the world. And you don't want that, do you?
Besides, what's more important is that Stacey arrives in Japan this weekend, and will be coming to Tokuyama next weekend so I've got more important things on my mind.

Announcement THREE!

2009-02-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

So I can finally tell you all that I got a new job! I will be working for the same company as I am now. I'll be based in Okayama, and travel all over Japan as needed. I will still be teaching lessons when I'm travelling. So my NEW contract will extend until the end of May 2010. I've decided to take the month of October off of work and travel around Asia. Right now I've got my sights set on Nepal and China, but this is subject to change as some of these places are not safe for me to go alone. Anywho, anyone want to go to Nepal this fall? Let me know. China and Thailand? Any takers?

Avoid.

2009-01-31T17:32:00.001-08:00

I opted for the plum. ('Ume' in Japanese.)

Announcement Two.

2009-01-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

Months after first hearing about this, I'm pretty sure I'm finally at liberty to share. Currently, I'm the only native English teacher at my school...this is somewhat unusual. Well, in one month we will be getting a NEW TEACHER! Not my replacement, just a second teacher. Amazingly, this teacher will be none other than the very talented, very lovely Stacey Garcia (Chelley's big sis). I'm so happy and so lucky. Stacey, I cannot wait!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been posting for, uhhhhh, quite a while, but I decided I better get to it before everyone who commented on my last post came after me in an angry mob bearing tar and feathers in the middle of the night.

So my camera is doing something funky and it has been really, really a test of my patience trying to upload pictures. I spent about 6 hours the other night uploading pictures from Tokyo and New Year's. This included me actually going to sleep and setting my alarm and then waking up later to check the status of the upload at like 2 am.

So, there, I hope you are happy! I am going to post photos later today.

And speaking of...Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu!!

P.S. I would like to thank Chelley and Mariah for making my least favorite holiday one of the best I have ever had. And especially Chelley for travelling all this way and being the love of my life for better or worse.

Announcement One

2008-11-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while, lovely readers (I think there might be three or four of you....yessss, my following is growing). I mentioned a WHILE back that I had some exciting news. I'm ready to share a little bit now. I have decided, that I am going to stay in Japan for ONE MORE YEAR! YAY! I love it here! I went back and forth for a while as to whether I would stay or not, but a few weeks ago I just decided that if I've been here for this long already and I don't feel like I'll want to leave in 6 months, then it's the right decision to stay.
Job stuff isn't completely ironed out at this point, but I will probably stay with my current employer and have a different position. Anyhow, for those of you who were/are interested in visiting, you now have a little extra time to save up some dough and make plans to come over to my side of the world. Happy day!

Perfection.

2008-11-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

Wow. I am having major flashbacks to my high school choir years. And I think I like it. Also, vote. That is all.

Big News!

2008-11-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Okay so, for all five of you (on a good day) who read this, I have some exciting news! Yay!! I would've posted earlier this week were I not feeling sorry for myself for STILL having the plague virus after two weeks of misery and for having to work ridiculous hours during said two-week period. Basically, it's been me, in bed, with a box of tissues, a huge bottle of water, noodles from 711, and lots of tv shows on dvd.

Anywho, in the next several weeks I am going to make some exciting announcements (that I can't talk about just yet) on the blog so stay tuned.

The first of these which I AM able to share with you is that Michelle Garcia aka Chelley aka my LOVE is coming to visit for 10 days just after Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to see mountains and shrines and rice patties and the world's biggest city together! I'm happy enough that I may just be able to end my dependency on 711 noodles. I don't know though...there are these crispy bits of ginger root mixed in with the noodles.....

Nuts.

2008-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

So not that anyone needs another reminder of how scary the U.S. economy is right now but....when I first got to Japan it took about 114 yen (just think of one yen as comparable to a penny) to make 1 U.S. dollar. Today: a mere 98 yen.

Four Month Anniversary, Extravaganza : Part Four

2008-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

For the love of my life. You know that I think about you every second of every day. This song is pretty much perfect.

P.S. I just have to brag a little bit because, I upholstered that little striped sofa by myself. It was yellow plastic before (well, I don't know if plastic is the word, but it stuck really bad to the back of your knees and it sure wasn't leather) and now it is cute and is so comfy because it's the same material as a nice knit sweatshirt.

Four Month Anniversary, Extravaganza : Part Three

2008-10-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ikebana class. My teacher was so excited to have a foreigner take her class that she invited her daughter and granddaughters to come meet me. We had lunch and tea and cakes together and then we all played board games and card games. I taught her granddaughters how to shuffle cards the American way. It was a joyful day. The first picture is my first ikebana flower arrangement done in the traditional style with three main angles. FYI it's really difficult to take a decent picture of flower arrangements that are as tall as you are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana

Four Month Anniversary, Extravaganza : Part Two

2008-10-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Japan at night. Love. (First three are Kyoto and the last picture is Mijayima.)

Four Month Anniversary, Extravaganza : Part One

2008-10-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

These first two pictures are from our hotel room in Fukuoka (we died laughing trying to read the "English" hotel information). The last picture is a small paper bag that was holding some lesson props one of the Japanese teachers had made. I found it in the staff office and immediately, I broke out my camera. A (cowboy?) bucket of popcorn threatening to shoot you up if you don't eat the very popcorn he is made of? Jackpot. Click on the pictures to see the writing more clearly.

Halloween Costume Ideas.

2008-10-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

So I had one brilliant idea for a Halloween costume but since Halloween is so close I don't know if I'll have time to pull it all together by the end of the week. MJ is one easy option to use as a back-up. I found this video while looking for outfits and DANG, the VMA's used to be kind of good apparently!

Which led me to a second possible back-up: Britney Spears VMA disaster. Then I thought, no, no, I don't think Japan can handle the sequined underwear. Maybe in Tokyo, but not here. But I did end up finding this gem (it's not what you think it is):

Pictures Lost Forever. Sigh...

2008-10-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling quite a bit bummed because Kozue and I got really hyped up on caffeine and chocolate cake and took some of the most hilarious pictures that I was planning on posting today. It did include one picture which, as we went back through the photos, Kozue saw and exclaimed, "You look like Kewpie! Japanese mayonnaise character!" So I'm sorry you will never get to witness the hilariousness. In the meantime...here's the real Kewpie. Enjoy your Sunday's, friends.

On the way to work.

2008-10-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Still trying to adjust and drive on the left side of the road. I love seeing mountains and trees and flowers every day on the way to work. Especially when it's raining, there are these beautiful whispy clouds that kind of just hang out halfway to the top of the mountains. Little things make me happy, what can I say.

Dinner, Kozue's House.

2008-10-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

Me feeding Kozue's pet goats (obviously). Also, me trying to discreetly chew and swallow a slab of raw octopus. Which actually tasted good, but I just don't think I can handle the texture of this particular food. I think I chewed on one piece for like 10 minutes before I was able to sawllow it. Thanks Kozue for taking these pictures...and for eating the leftover half of my octopus when no one was looking... and for an amazing weekend...BFF's! (Although, shouldn't bff's actually be typed bf's f ? Has anyone else considered this?)

A-bomb Dome

2008-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Miyajima (from the shrine)

2008-10-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

I love it when I go to a big landmark like this and get to watch Japanese people be just as excited and touristy as I am. Also, I love the outfits Japanese girls wear (and, oh, the umbrellas and parasols!).
Miyajima is just south of Hiroshima and you must take a ferry to reach the island. It was believed to be the home of the gods and that is why this shrine (only about 1/4 of it is in the bottom picture) was built in the ocean as a pier. The Japanese believed it would be disrespectful to use the land. Even though there is a small town on this island today and it is home to about one thousand people, there is no hospital on the island and burials are not permitted there. Kozue told me that in the past (and I'm not clear on whether this still happens today) the injured and the dead were transported from the island on red boats: literally "blood boats" in Japanese.

Iwakuni and Miyajima

2008-10-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend with Kozue (of course) and we went to Iwakuni (the amazing bridge) and to Miyajima (the beautiful Tori gate in the water). Travelling with Kozue is great because not only can she help me order food in restaurants, but she actually knows the history behind the places we are visiting. I think more pictures from both locations are in order!

Kyoto

2008-10-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Heian Shrine and the Golden Pavillion. I'm thinking you'll be able to figure out which is which. I love the way the sky looked the day I went to the Heian Shrine, very majestic. The Golden Pavillion is so spectacular I think it looks fake in pictures: kind of like a miniature of itself. It was so lovely in person, though.

Sorry, to anyone who's actually visited this blog hoping for new posts. (Silly you!)

2008-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

So I think maybe, MAYBE, I'll have more luck with this if I just try to post a couple of pictures at a time. Maybe one a day and in no particular order. Otherwise it's just too much pressue to come back from a weekend trip with 600 new pictures on my camera and think what in the heck am I going to do with all of these and when will I find time to edit and post all of them?
So I'm just going to try and mix it up a bit more and explain the pictures as the come.

Sushi.

2008-09-07T01:57:00.000-07:00

So like most places, this sushi restaurant that loops through the center of the restaurant. One side is bar seating and the other is booths (both have access to the conveyor belt). If you want something, just grab it. If you want something on the menu that you're not seeing on the belt, you can ask one of the employees and they will call the order into the microphone so the sushi chef can start preparing it. There are faucets on the counter with very hot tea for green tea (which is free most places). Unbelievably fresh rice, my cucumber rolls were warm because the rice had just come out of the cooker.

I have the same cell phone as Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz!

2008-09-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

Every inch of the SoftBank store is covered in these pictures. Cameron is the most prominently featured and is dressed in a kaleidoscope of colors (a different one in each poster) to advertise this phone: http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/product/3g/812sh/. However, I opted out and got this little gem instead (you can see a perfect cartoon image of my phone if you watch this video to the end!) : http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6J8gULFM0Ks.

Last night in Okayama. The Insanity.

2008-09-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Self-explanatory pictures. I miss you all so much! I'm ready for November training!

Last night in Okayama. The Dinner.

2008-08-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

McDonald's, Okayama.

2008-08-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's not soft serve. It's softcream.

2008-08-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of the many things it will be hard to eventually leave behind in Japan. You can get your average soft serve here as well but you can also get this delightful treat. Looks like soft serve, but the texture is richer and creamier (and dreamier). It tastes more like a frozen custard or frozen pudding. I've tried mango, black sesame, vanilla, chocolate, grape, and matcha. Not all at once, though. All flavors equally life-changingly amazing. Check out the wiki entry for soft serve and there's a little snippet about soft cream in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_serve

Taco Style. Take Out Okay.

2008-08-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

Good food. Not exactly a correct culinary interpretation of taco...but we appreciated the effort.

Ice Cream Vending Maching. All-Cat-All-The-Time-Shop. Check and Check.

2008-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

I recommend the white grape ice cream from the vending machine. Avoid lemon. It made my jaw lock up from the sour.

These cats are really big in Japan. Sometimes you'll see them outside of a shop or restaurant and they're supposed to bring wealth towards the owner (that's why the raised arm). This particular shop was nothing but cats and I am not exaggerating. There were three live cats in a giant plexi-glass display in the center and the "music" playing in the shop was synthesized cats mewing Christmas carols.

Anytime I see something screech across a room and latch onto someones neck, and the guy screams and tries to get it off, I have to laugh...

2008-08-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

...because what is that thing!? Have you ever wondered what might happen if you impulsively decide to make some late night rice in your rice cooker and then you forget about for three weeks (THREE WEEKS)? I will tell you what will happen. You will walk over to your rice cooker all excited-like ready to fix yourself some late night rice and then you will open your rice cooker and get the absolute worst shock of your life because for a second, you thought there was a ferret or some other dark-haired rodent hiding inside your rice cooker...ready to pounce on you. And then you will be relieved, but only for a second, when you realize it is, in fact, horrible black mold that has taken on a life of its own, and in a way this will freak you out even more because AREN'T THOSE SPORES DANGEROUS!? and now they are in your lungs and you are frantically trying to rinse out the bowl with scalding hot water and it hurts, but now you're just laughing because the whole situation reminds you of one of your favorite Jack Handy quotes.

Halp me.

2008-08-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me how to format my blog so that the spacing between my pictures isn't screwy? That would be great, thanks.

Kurashiki.

2008-08-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

First I'll just apologize for the complete lack of posts recently. Going to try and get caught up on pictures so that way I don't have to try to upload twelve at a time...blogger is super slow. These pictures were all taken my second day in Japan (I know, I know, I've only made it to day two) in a town about 15 minutes, by train, from Okayama. It was so beautiful it was surreal. This part of Kurashiki is mostly for tourists, there are shops and restaurants, but we walked through some lovely neighborhoods as well. As usual, I made a spectacle of myself by taking entirely too many pictures. Check out the gold and red Kitty-chan in front of the one shop. This is why I love Japan.

Most restaurants in Japan have these display cases on the outside. So instead of having pictures on the menu, there are wax replicas. Sometimes cute, sometimes bizarre.

Nice, spacious yard by Japanese standards. You can just barely make out some cute toys in the yard.

Noodle House.

2008-07-25T07:14:00.001-07:00

My first meal out in Japan. I wasn't sure exactly what I was ordering, but I pointed to a picture and I must say things turned out pretty well. Even that weird leaf tempura was amazing.

Cuuuute.

2008-07-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

My students are still cuter.

Why Romaji is Worthless in Japan.

2008-07-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Found this sign on a street corner. It appears to be some sort of instruction as to what to do with cigarette butts, but for those of you who forgot your glasses (ahem, Dad) the sign reads "I threw my cigarette butt into the drain. That is to say, I hid it in the drain."

So, wait are we, or are we not supposed to put cigarette butts down the drain?! The picture is not helping at all because it says 'drop,' but then the rat on the other side is looking all startled to have found a cigarette butt in his precious sewer and I have a soft spot for rats so I don't like that. Not one bit.

Wink Karaoke.

2008-07-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, Matt...total girl dance move.

Power duet!

Passthatdutchpassthatdutchpassthatdutch.

Air drums. Classic karaoke move.

Huge phonebook-sized book with every song in existence.

Sorry guys.

Get down girl, go 'head.

I think this was that godawful Sonata Arctica crap he decided to sing.

Why this was on the map of things to do our trainers gave us we may never know. In the middle of the residental Okayama, we walked for about 30 minutes to find it. Totally bottom rung as far as karaoke bars go, but at the time we had no idea. Although the giant "window" with the Swiss Alps in the background should've probably given something away.

Still though, going to karaoke for the first time has been a highlight of my stay in Japan thus far. You pay by the hour or for the evening for your room and then you can order your drinks individually, or get nomihodai (all you can drink) which you pay for at the beginning of the night. This place was kind of a mom and pop karaoke bar. A little old lady came into our room with a tray of beers, glasses, and chilled, damp washcloths and of course she would come back periodically and clean up any empty cans.

So, yeah, ridiculous evening. Mostly due to Adam's questionable, but hilarious, song choices and lots of Asahi (I should get them to sponsor this blog.....). After about the first hour we were all singing at the top of our lungs and we finished the evening with a very moving rendition of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On.'

Don't We All.

2008-07-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

We should've stopped and gone inside, but I believe we were determined to get to karaoke.

Okayama Gardens. Random.

2008-07-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

Okayama Gardens. Lawn.

2008-07-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Okayama Gardens. Lily pond.

2008-07-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

These were about a foot and a half in diameter. So cool.

Okayama Gardens, Waterfall.

2008-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Japanese Vending Machines Rock.

2008-07-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Boss coffee comes hot and cold in many different flavors.

There's cafe au lait, midnight aroma,

and, of course...black boss.

I'm not sure if I want to consume the vitamin c of 70 lemons...

Okayama Castle.

2008-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

The paddle boats are shaped like swans.

View from the sixth(?) floor of the castle.

Okayama. Walking to the Castle.

2008-07-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Little river running through Okayama.

Underground sidewalk with a sweet fountain.

This kid couldn't figure out that he should throw the food away from himself. He kept dropping the chips at his feet and then freaking out every time the birds ran towards him.

Kawaii, neh!?

Feast.

2008-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

We decided to try what we thought were little tubes of flavored liquid. You know, like icy pops. We soon experienced a nasty suprised when we found out that they were in fact flavored tubes of slimy, watery, pseudo-jello. It was like slurping a slug into your mouth.
The image is blurry because I couldn't stop laughing.

Matcha and red bean pound cake. Amazing and delish.

Day 1 in Japan. Japanese Grocery Store.

2008-07-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Very excited about the selection of ramen flavors.

The Japanese eat these dried fish whole...like potato chips.

Self-explanatory.

Sake selection.
Our loot. Just in case you were wondering, Japanese yougurt is the best. It isn't as sweet and it has little chunks of fresh apple in it.

Getting ready to leave.

2008-07-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yen: making you believe you have more money than you actually do.

The perfect getting ready tunes. Don't judge me.

I destroyed our living room.

More NYC.

2008-07-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Poor, sunburnt Andrea. I miss you girls.

NYC, Before Japan

2008-07-21T07:07:00.001-07:00

Paddle boats in Brooklyn and Governor's Island Jazz Age lawn party. I want to go again.

2008-07-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

There's a dictionary just for Scrabble in Restoration Hardware.There was also a power outage in Restoration Hardware that day.

Coolest. Boots. Ever.

Most of our day was spent improvising songs about the people we passed on the streets. And as I recall, this statue.
"Sarah the Whale" door knocker.

We loved this spot.

More Alexandria

2008-07-12T23:51:00.001-07:00

Jordie and Caitlin went to CVS in the middle of the night to get me a heating pad. Jordie wore this in public. Nice one.

In The Weeks Before I Left

2008-07-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying the honeybrown now, but I think we all remember what happened later.