For you most surely must be to still be reading these newsletters!

Well, my last month in Japan was a wonderful time. My 2nd cousin from PA came over to visit me in Japan and we toured around and were even able to be at Gion Matsuri in Kyoto for the duration—what a blast! After she left I had about 2 weeks left in Japan and it was filled with many wonderful dinners, parties, and café visits with the close friends I made while in Japan. I must admit it was all a bit overwhelming and filled with mixed feelings: sad to be leaving such good friends and yet happy to return to family and friends back home. The last 24 hours in Japan were quite a whirlwind and filled with many laughs and tears, I then returned to the U.S. after being seen off at the airport by many kind souls considering the early hour and children present! : )

I’ve been back for a bit more than a week and so I am still settling in. It’s good to be home and I am shaking off that “return funk” that one often has upon returning home after time abroad. At the moment, I am working on re-connecting with friends and family and starting a job search as well. Next month I also go back to the U of MN for my last actual class for my Master’s and will work on my thesis during fall semester and plan to defend in spring of next year.

Well, I suppose that wraps up my year in Japan newsletter-wise! Hope that you enjoyed the armchair travels and let me know if you want to be on-board in the future!

Kiyotsukette, ne?

This past month was not so exciting…with a couple of exceptions. Mostly I have just been working on my research and teaching a few English lessons a week. I’ve met up with friends for lunch or dinner or maybe to go to a café. I got my haircut short again, though the stylist just couldn’t bring himself to cut my hair quite as short as I had asked, but it’s all good. Sometimes I just watch the Japanese game shows and try to figure out what they’re all about. A few times I figured out what they were asking (trivia games) and knew the answers, though not always in Japanese!!

Around the start of the month, I went with friends to the tokasan festival to pray for a good summer. It’s also unofficially a kind of yukata festival, so many people were in yukata (kind of like a summer kimono) and jim-bei (kind of shorts and top for men). There were colors and patterns galore! We also went to an Indian restaurant for some delicious curry. It was a good time…

I also mentioned last month that I was going to Takarazuka, the all women’s revue. Well, I went and saw the Cosmos troupe. It was a good time and the show was set up in two parts. The first part reminded me of “Hotel Baltimore” (I think that’s the title of the play) and the second part was a kind of showy Vegas-style feathers and sequins event. That’s more of what I was expecting, but it was interesting. Especially how the “male” characters portrayed their “male-ness” in an over-the-top way. I would easily say that it was campy: jutting jaws, hands jauntily in the pants pockets, step-step-turn-sweep-woman-into-arms type of campy. The singing was interesting thinking back to my years in choirs, I am sure that the “male” characters were singing in a way that sounded as though it would be painful over time. I still think that it was overpriced, though it was a kind of phenomena with all of the female audience, grandmas on a day out, mother/daughter pairs, wives dragging husbands, many OLs (office ladies) in fan club groups, etc. Fascinating sub-culture, I think. As far as I could tell, I was the only non-Japanese there! For anyone interested, I did buy a program in case you’d like to learn more!

Watched the FIFA game with a friend at a yakitori shop over a few beers. I love yakitori! (ie mostly chicken skewered and grilled over an open flame with veggies, sauces, etc.)

One Saturday last month, I met the teen daughter of a colleague and we went into H City to visit with some of my friends, go to a museum exhibit, and since we’re both book hounds, to the bookstore at Sogo’s. It was a great day and we both really enjoyed ourselves. We ended up at a standing yakitori bar and just had a blast with my friends eating different kinds of yakitori and talking. Afterwards, I teased her not to tell her mom, but she assured me that as long as she didn’t drink, it’s all fine. : )

A friend of mine from Fukuyama came to HCity and I was her tour guide to Miyajima island. It was her first time there, but we had a great time. Afterwards we met up with some of my friends in HCity and went out for American-style restaurant (my first in Japan!), then to an Irish pub for a few more drinks and some salty snacks. It was a blast and towards the end of the evening, we realized that each of us was from a different blood-type group and so of course we’d have a blast. Ha-ha! It was funny! (BTW: Blood-type is a typical conversation topic and is a lot like horoscopes were in the US as far as telling you compatibility, pre-dispositions, etc..)

More recently, it’s been getting quite hot each day and I can’t begin to describe the humidity. Suffices to say it’s worse that it ever was in Florida and I have at long last fired up my heater/air conditioner for it’s diuretic effect on my room’s air. (Have been told that I should air out books in the sun so they don’t mold. How scary is that?!?!)

Well, this next month will be busy with a cousin from eastern Pennsylvania coming to visit (ensuing trips to Kyoto for Gion Matsuri/Festival, Miyajima for Kangen Matsuri/Festival, and other destinations TBD) and a few sayonara parties towards the end of the month. I am also looking for and apply for jobs now too! Let me know if you have any tips! : )

Here are a few links that may be of interest to you:

Whale & lamb burgers:
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050622p2a00m0dm013000c.html

What do you do with a drunken sailor?
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050622p2a00m0dm015000c.html

Women in Japan
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ek20050602ks.htm

Kinky kings give new meaning to fairy penguins:
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050608p2a00m0dm003000c.html

Sambo returns to books racks in Japan:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/samboreturnstobookracksinjapan&printer=1

Interesting article that touches on male “coupling” and “boys love” in the world of mangas/comics women are making popular in Japan:
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0506/18geek.html

For the most part, May was spent doing everyday stuff like working on my thesis, transcribing interviews, going to the office, and meeting friends for coffee or a meal. During Golden Week, the week-long holiday at the start of May, I went to the Hiroshima Flower Festival! It is said to be one of the top 3 festivals during this holiday week. All I know for sure, is that both days I went, it was hot and there were more people than I have ever seen. They shut down the main road for this festival and people come from all around. One of the days the news reported that they had had 1.5 million visitors. It really kind of felt like the MN State Fair at times, but Japanese-style. Day One, I met a friend and joined up with my “host Dad” to go to the parade. We were lucky enough to be able to stay under the tent for the shop where he volunteers and I sometimes help out too. Day Two, I went and decided to wander around a bit, but more specifically to see some Kagura. It was great as always and here’s a website with a bit more info, mostly accurate, about Kagura: http://www.geocities.com/dm032/kagura.html

The next weekend, I also went with a friend to Super Kagura, which was an annual Kagura performance held at a large theater. Super Kagura was excellent! We really, really enjoyed it. It wasn’t the same as seeing Kagura at a temple or shrine, but it was great in its own way. I noticed that they performances included many of the dances, masks, aspects, etc. that I love in Kagura. After the performance, we were completing surveys they handed out and one of the ushers said something to my friend. She then explained to me that he had just given her a poster for me to take home! At that I spun a 90 degree turn and bowed with a “domo arigato gozaimas!” What the topping to a great day!

I also tried to go to another Kagura in Yuki Onsen on Mother’s Day, but unfortunately the bus that was supposed to be running out to that rural area was cancelled on that Sunday. It was frustrating since I was about half-way there being at Itsukaichi via train, but still too far to walk or take a taxi. So I moped back to my place and decided to just read the day away on something not related to my research.

A couple of recent reads I have found pretty good are “The DaVinci Code” though parts of it was bogus—particularly regarding Westminster Abbey. It was a good, quick read and kept me interested…let’s just say that hasn’t been happening of recent with my usual reading! A book I just finished called “Citizen Girl” was pretty entertaining though I almost didn’t buy/read it because it’s by the same two who wrote the “Nannie Diaries” which I did not find to be of my taste. “CG” is a bit predictable, but a fun read. Currently I am reading “The Holocaust and the Book: Destruction and Preservation.” As you probably know, ‘my name is Tina and I am a bibliophiliac’ and as such I read voraciously!

Did I mention I love going to good baseball games? I met my “host parents” and they took me to see the Hiroshima Carps play Rakuten in a very close game. We sat behind home plate slightly to the right and up maybe 15 rows. They were really good tix, but we were surrounded by mostly Salaryman types. Regardless, we cheered with other “family folks” around us and ate onigiri (rice triangles with fish or pickled stuff inside) and inarizushi (sweet vinegared rice in fried tofu) along with our beers. We had a great time since the game was sooo close and were chatting & cheering throughout. I can’t wait to go to a Saints game when I get home!

I also went outside of the Hiroshima area for a day. I met a friend of mine from Fukuyama and we went to Kurashiki and Okayama. When I got to Fukuyama and was waiting to meet my friend I had another funny moment that seems to happen to me a lot. I was just looking around for my friend’s car and an ancient-looking woman about waist tall, placed her hand on my forearm, looked up at me and said “sugoi oki” (really tall). She kind of laugh/smiles in and with that walks on. Most often I understand boys (college aged and younger) talking about how “oki” (tall) I am, usually when I stand up on the train or bus. It seems to always be a surprise to other people when I stand up and often I hear a kind of pause in conversation or someone says something. Especially on the bus I seem much taller since I have to duck walking through so I don’t hit my head on the lights or handrails. It’s funny!

Well we met up in Fukuyama and got on the road. The highways were quite busy, since it was a nice day and a Saturday. Karashiki was a great place and we walked around quite a bit. It is a preserved/restored area that is kept to look as if it is from the Edo Period. Historically, it was a territory under direct control of the Shogunate and prospered with boats/barges shipping rice and cotton. Much of the preserved area runs along the Kurashiki River, kind of like in San Antonio. We also explored a shrine and temple too. The Achi shrine houses the Munakta, the female deities of traffic and trade, who helped Empress Jungu on an expedition to the Three Countries of Korea.

After the better part of a day, we went to Okayama to the Koukenkoen—it is a super huge and lovely Japanese garden. It’s quite nice as you can see from the photos. After that, it was getting late so we started back towards Fukuyama, but she wanted to show me the Ohashi (huge bridges built recently) at night. You can see three bridges kind of acting like a giant connect the dots between the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. They are lit up at night and trains run on the lower bridge with cars/trucks on the top. It was a late night, but a fun day!

Something else I have been doing recently is teaching at a jyuku (cram school) on Mondays for two hours a week and occasionally visiting elementary schools. It started out as a favor for a friend of mine who owns a juku, but has turned into a regular gig. I have really enjoyed teaching English and could really see myself being a teacher, though it’s so much of an energy exchange!

Just this past Sunday, a colleague suggested that she take me to Field Day at a local elementary school, so I got up early and we had a nice time of it. There was lots of ceremony and such. It seemed kind of rigid compared to what I remembered from my elementary school days, but the kids and families certainly look like they are having fun. I especially liked watching a game where they had a closed basket and the kids were different fruit groups trying to throw the most balls into the baskets. Afterwards, we went to her house to set up for an office BBQ. The BBQ was fun, but I was pretty tired and my Japanese wasn’t so eager in coming. I had a good time though and it was fun to be with colleagues outside of the office.

My counterpart/colleague has returned from MN and is settled back into our research offices. It’s good to see him again and in his own setting (Japan). In the same turn, I am slowly thinking about my return though it’s a few months off yet. I am both sad and eager to return back to MN, but mostly concentrating on what I need to do here before I return, as well as applying for jobs stateside.

A friend of mine back home asked me “who do the Japanese look up to?” That’s a good question…there are many people, so it seems. First off, I don’t get the impression that there is as much “hero worship” as in the US or at least not in the same way. The current emperor and empress are respected for many of the older people as are some of the Showa era movie stars (kind of like older people in the US liking Bogart in a nostalgic kind of way) and Enke singers (kind of ballads). As for younger generations, it seems mixed—there are a few writers like a woman that wrote the Tales of the Genji or Natsume Soseki who wrote a great deal of social commentary that seem to come up often. Tales of the Genji is from the Heien Period and is quite long. If you have a chance do a search for it…from what I have read it reminds me of Jane Austin or Dickens as far as recording the current social and historical aspects of the author’s life and times.

For the younger generation or those in college, it seems to be whatever bands/singers are on top and whatever actors/actresses are most popular at the moment, much like back home. For younger kids it’s probably cartoon/anime characters who are a whole host of characters unfamiliar to those outside of Japan like Nana or Ultraman or a thousand others—sometimes also Japanese league baseball players or celebrated sumo wrestlers, though this is becoming less so. In general people don’t idolize sports players much except, it seems, for those who have made it from Japan to the US Major League Baseball. Daily, I can watch a Mariners or Yankees game and get updates on the news, too. There are also a few other Japanese players the news follows, but Ichiro (Seattle) and Matsui (Yankees) are the biggies followed by Nomo (Tampa) and Iguchi (White Sox). I think I know more about MLB now than when I live in the US because of all the coverage!

At nearly all ages, things are quite clearly self-segregated by sex in many facets of life. It’s interesting, but also you see so much talent wasted too by girls and young women who walk around talking in abnormally high voices screaming “kawaii”, maybe wearing tons of make-up, and wobbly high heels. Then there are the men who are no more interesting than whatever their job might be since that seems to be their entire life because of such horribly long work hours. Oftentimes it seems that women still like a cartoon character and will dress up in clothes printed with them, etc. like a youngster in the US. That seems highly valued by men actually—to have a childlike wife, I mean. Actually, you can watch on commercials and sometimes you can’t tell who is the mom unless she is wearing an apron…of course they often show father at work or coming home from work and the family waiting patiently at the dinner table for him or the wife waiting late into the night to give him dinner…in many ways, I really feel like I stepped back in time by coming here. In other ways, I feel like Japan is so far ahead of the rest of the world that ne’er the twain shall meet. Especially with regards to communication and using non-verbals and consensus, though I am far from an expert. So, I would say it’s like the 50s as far as gender social roles and maybe the 70s as far as the Queer aspect of social roles.

Do you remember the comedy “Soap” from the 70s? Billy Crystal (I think it was him) played a gay man and was often the butt of many jokes, etc. Well, that’s about what I see here in media, though it’s not as controversial as it was/is in the US. All in all, it’s not considered a big deal if it’s a male and it’s only on TV. Gaba-chan is one person I keep seeing over and over. Apparently, Gaba-chan is a famous choreographer, biologically male, likes men, often cross-dresses, and seems well-accepted since Gaba-chan is on all kinds of the game shows that people like to watch. Yes, I watch them too… Then there is also Gori-chan who does cheerleader bits to “Mickey” and other snappy tunes and Peta-chan who used to be Peter. Recently there was a kind of “This is your life” on Peta-chan and his life journey which was pretty interesting. Of course it was done in Japanese talk-show style with frequent cuts to the celebrities on hand to hear their reactions throughout and Peta-chan was there to add commentary as well.

As for women, the closest I have found easily accessible to the public would be the Takarazuka theater troupe, though the management has historically and repeatedly denied any type of relationships among its performers. In fact, to be part of the troupe one is not permitted to have a relationship—regardless of sexual orientation. Here is a good website with some information: http://shoujo.tripod.com/takara.html and a great book is “Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan”—it’s a bit academic and I loved that aspect though others may not (http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/issue2/leoniereview.html). The first weekend in June they will be in Hiroshima City and I am going to one of the far too expensive performances, so tune in next time for the review! The only mention of female same sex relationships I have seen in mainstream media was the movie with Liv Tyler as the girlfriend of a woman preparing to marry someone else. (I don’t know the name of it and have only seen it in Japanese!) The good thing about Japanese TV is that they don’t edit the movies much, if at all, for TV broadcasting and so the on-screen kisses remained as did the “re-zu-bi”” or lesbian-related banter.

No one really seems to use the labels in that we do back home such as GLBTQ frequently or even talk about it openly at all, perhaps part of the higher-level of communication that it’s not needed? However, in Japanese they do have some terms for GLBTQ people that are used regularly that seem derogatory in nature. Even the term they use to name the kind of person Gaba-chan is a feminine term that is meant to be used against a man in a negative way—socially accepted and perpetuated misogyny at its best. I have gotten into a couple of conversations about this, mostly with Japanese women, and no one considered anything wrong with this denegration of a man through using female related adjectives. Those were fascinating conversations for me since I have never had that kind of conversational opportunity before! I wish I could meet some people who are called these names and learn what they think about naming in this regards.

Of course, I haven’t seen a thing besides Takarazuka and a Western movie regarding GLBTQ women, though I am assured via a couple of people that Tokyo, and maybe Osaka, are just the places to go…if you can find the right bars or clubs. Apparently there are many men and women who have same love relationships, but it’s often just socially considered a phase on their ways to becoming adults or as a sideline release, for example in the case of businessmen who have wife/children families which are required if a man wants to progress within a company. Then they still have male lovers. There are also relationships among girls in high school/college who have same sex relationships also called “yuri” or “Class S” relationships. “S” stands for various kinds of code words like “sister” “sex” and so on that are for a same sex relationship. One interesting tidbit is that the Japanese government has recently allowed a Male-to-Female person to officially change their sex on the family register to “female” following a long transition that included the biological surgery. When this happened I didn’t find much press on it other than it occurred. Could it be something to do with Buddhist perspective to life? I have also read about a female couple, one Japanese and one Australian, where the Japanese partner started her own family register and registered her Partner as such on the family register and it was permitted. This is up to each jurisdiction and much like the state by state laws/enforcement in the US, but it’s a really positive!

Well, I think that’s more than enough for this month…I thought this would be a short message, but there you are!

Trippin’
Early April was more trips and the such. I went to Onomichi with a friend of mine from Fukuyama to see about half of the 25 temples/shrines there. We had a really nice time and enjoyed all of the different temples/shrines. I’ve also been trying to go to the museums and such in and around Hiroshima that I haven’t been to, but want to be sure to get to before I return to the U.S. After all, if I am to be back in time for classes in September that means I return in August or in about 4 months! I also met more friends of friends this month at a luncheon and party and am really going to miss all of the interesting and kind people I have met. Time flies…

Spring in Japan and Hanami
So many flowers, especially wild trees & bushes, are blooming all around—not to mention the sakura or cherry blossoms! So many of the trees and bushes have flowers and blossoms before they get any leaves and look so pretty just sticks and flowers, so to speak. I’ll send a photo of some of the cherry blossoms I have seen…sometimes they seem to look like clouds of pinkish-white fluff—much like clouds outside of the plane when you fly. Hanami or the parties under the cherry blossoms are fun, but mostly because it’s a picnic with friends and apparently it’s very important to be under a tree…or so a colleague tells me. My “host family” and I had set April 8th as our big trip to Iwakuni to do hanami (cherry blossom viewing). We ate under the cherry blossoms then walked around a bit. Iwakuni is considered to be “THE” place to have a hanami party according to a colleague of mine. The area is lovely—a large river valley with a broad, but shallow river bridged by the famous (& huge) 5 bow bridge, Kintaikyo. According to a book I have, it was only permitted for samauri to cross the bridge and that commoners had to use a boat between town and the other side. It was constructed without the use of a single nail. It is an art of bridge building that has since been lost, partly in a typhoon in 1950 when the original bridge was destroyed. Besides the beauty of the bridge and area in general, the cherry blossoms of over 3000 sakura trees were in full bloom. It was an incredible site! It was too sunny to get a good photo from under the trees (by far the prettiest), but from the bridge you can see it looks like clouds of pink. Lovely!

We walked around Kikko Park a bit. It had previously been the residence of a feudal lord, Kikkawa. We also walked around an old samauri-type house and I took a photo of the garden since it seems so nice and serene.

Two of us also went in and saw the white snakes that are famous for this area. They are the only wild albino snakes that have white (normally a recessive gene) as a stable (dominant) coloring characteristic. The first white snakes were captured in 1738 and they still live around the Imazu River. They are considered bearers of good fortune and people are often happy if they find one in their home or on their property. There is a long-held tradition that regards the snake as a tutelary deity that brings good fortune.

Of course there were more hanami parties with colleagues and other friends, but those are maybe not as interesting and exciting as Iwakuni…not to mention, Iwakuni was my first hanami! : )

Takoyaki Party
This month, a group of us decided to have a girls’ takoyaki party and so we made all kinds of food, including takoyaki AKA small balls of batter with bits of octopus cooked in a special kind of pan that roughly looks like a muffin pan, but it’s electric and so you turn them over as they cook up. They you sever them with a bit of sauce and bonito flakes—YUM! We had a really good time and ate and talked all day!

Birthday
My birthday was this month and I had the pleasure of celebrating it twice. The first time was with a colleague of mine’s family. We meet at their house every Thursday for a kind of cultural exchange and the Thursday before my birthday they had a surprise birthday party for me. The kids were so cute....they had cut up ads to make colorful confetti and threw it at me when I came back into the room after washing my hands for dinner...then after dinner, we put it all back in the little box and played again with it...it was silly, but fun! I really had a nice time...they even made a kind of beef stew and had "cheese" (sour cream?) and homemade bread “like what [I] may have at home.” The cake—I wish I had a photo—had chocolate whipped cream frosting and was yummy! The 4 year old helped decorate it and from playing “cake shop” the last few weeks, he knew what I ordered on my cakes....I even got choco balls on the cake! I had kept teasing him before that I wanted a Chocoball [kind of like malted milk balls] cake, but he didn't have those in his little play set. I also received a picture from the kids that they each drew and the parents gave me a really nice chopsticks set with rests and cloths. Very nice and very small/pack-able, which is good so I can bring them home!

For my birthday, after bringing me a bouquet of flowers that my Partner had arranged with her and a whipped cream frosting cake from a friend of mine, she took me to Fude no Sato in Kumano, Japan. It is a museum of the Shodo or Japanese calligraphy brushes. The museum is great and the setting is lovely, with a pond, a dock and even many Koi or large goldfish/carp. It all even overlooks a valley. Then we decided to go in a Pachiko hall to waste a bit of time before dinner. It’s like pinball, but it’s upright and is a kind of gambling run by mostly Yakuza (Japanese mob) and Korean families apparently. It was interesting to see and try to figure out, but we really weren’t serious about it at all—it was just that neither of us had been in one before even though she is Japanese. I think it’s quite boring—and too smoky. Then we went to a yakitori or stick-food cooked over open coals called “Yakitori ii, ne.” It was food like chicken and spring onions (negi-ma) or quail eggs or tender chicken breast with sour plum paste and shredded chrysanthemum leaf or thinly sliced chicken wrapped around asparagus—it all was parts or products of a chicken (think of the quail eggs as honorary chicken eggs). It was all so delicious and I even had my favorite soda, Ca-ru-pi-su! I have decided that I am also a yakitori junkie and need to find a danglie for my phone that is yakitori to join my okonomiyaki one! Hee-hee! I had a really nice time and it was all so perfect, but also really missed everyone back home!

Firewalking
I had been looking forward to this for a while: Mid-April I went to Miyajima to see Hiwatari-shiki or Fire-walking Ceremony at the Daishoin Temple. It is a religious rite performed by the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. It started with a purification offering to the alter and the chanting of Buddhist sutras. Then Buddhist monks circle the area with swords, acting as though they are chopping at the pyre. Then they repeat the circling with seven arrows which they then shoot into the crowd. Everyone tries to catch one. Finally, the mountain monks blow their conch shells as the pyre is ignited. While the fire is burning, everyone moves around in the body to body crowd putting their sick body parts towards the fire. One old lady kind of explained to me that if something hurts or is sick, I should put it towards the heat of the fire. Since I was quite close, I could feel the heat on all of me anyway, but I did turn around, just to be sure my back might have caught a bit of it. She seemed satisfied that I understood her once I did this since before I did she kept explaining it to me again and again, just in case I suppose. Once the fire burns down and there are only red coals, the head Buddhist monk, followed by the mountain monks and worshippers, walk barefoot across the coals while chanting a prayer for good health and fortune. I decided not to do so since I did not know the sutra/prayer to say and I really don’t want to intrude on another’s religion. Unfortunately, that thought didn’t prevent some apparent U.S. military types from acting like idiots in the crowd (acting like they were punching the old people around them for moving too slowly) and while walking across the coals for overt photo-ops. The more I run into people from the base down near Iwakuni the less and less respect I have for these jerks the U.S. sends around the world without an ounce of respect for the people or countries in which they are living. I mean really—the temple gave out information in English about how this is a religious ceremony, etc.—probably because of this type of behavior in the past.

Noh
I also went to Miyajima the next day as well to see Noh theater at the “floating” Noh stage at the Itsukushima-jinja. It was interesting to see and watch, but since I didn’t know much about it, it seemed really slow and kind of odd. After a while, I didn’t mind though…next time I want to know a bit about the piece I am going to see though.

Office & Golden Week
Around this same time the university started up again and so I am back in the office on a nearly daily basis with my colleagues. I have started my interviews for my research and might even end up with more than I expected (but within my IRB approval) due to some contacts I have been given. We’ll see how that all goes…I get to work on transcriptions over this long “Golden Week” holiday, yippee…hmpf. “Golden Week” is a cluster of holidays, for example, this year April 29th, May 3rd, 4th, and 5th . Many people take the 2nd and the 6th of May off this year and people go home to visit family or to spas or to Aichi for the world expo—whatever. My big plans, besides transcribing, are to go to Onomichi Port Festival with a friend of mine from Nigeria and then to join my “host family” in Hiroshima City for the Hiroshima Flower Festival on the 3rd for the festivities that include parades, dancing, food, music stages, etc. It’s the second largest festival in the country during golden week and they expect something like over 2 million visitors for the festival—they even shut down Peace Blvd, which is a huge thoroughfare in the city! Rock on!

Teaching
Additionally, a friend of mine who owns a juku and for whom I have occasionally volunteered to fill-in when English teachers are sick has asked me to work for her, so I got the work permit paperwork approved by one and all and will be teaching 4 lessons a week at her juku. It’s a good experience for me since it’s an extension of what I have been doing at the local elementary school—except at juku it’s only 1-3 students per class for an hour per class. I like that and feel much more effective.

Here are some fun links for you to explore:
Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima-style savory pancake YUM!)
http://www.joyful.gr.jp/box3/english/tukurikata.html

Saijo (photos around Saijo)
http://www.arch-hiroshima.net/arch-hiroshima/arch/seto/saijo_e.html

Brewing Institute (anyone wanna work here?)
http://www.nrib.go.jp/English/English.htm

Just so you know, I’ll send the photos in three or four sets since some folks have small storage capacities…the first set are attached to this e-mail—ENJOY!

BLOG CONTEST: Attached is also a photo of something I have found here and find very interesting! The first person outside of Japan to tell me correctly what this is will win a prize!

Well, I wish you the best and hang in there!

A little later on in the month, a group of my colleagues, a professor of ours and a few of us internationals (two Indonesians and me) went to a junior high school for an interview/marketing kind of exercise as a kind of public service our department does with the school. Shortly after we arrived and had tea with the principal, we went to the classroom we’d meet the students in. While waiting for classes to change the Indonesians were talking with a couple of girls and invited me over. The one girl looks right at me and says loudly “You have a nice body!” and her teacher chided her that in English they do not say that. At the same time her teacher was talking to her, I just kind of tilted my head in that “Japanese” way and said “Thank you?” I really wanted to bust out laughing and make a joke about hitting on the people you’ll be interviewing. I found out later in talking with her after the class that she is keen on basketball and would love to be as “big and powerful as [I] must be.” Oh, if she only knew me in my basketball days—height and strength were my assets, since I certainly wasn’t flight of foot! : )

After that lovely day at the school, we went out to lunch sans our professor and the strangest thing happened: I couldn’t finish my delicious meal. I just wasn’t feeling right and felt I would feel worse if I tried to push it. I relaxed and rested a bit, but low and behold, it seems I was sick again. As it panned out, this time I have laryngitis and some ear blockage (my eustatian tubes) thing going on. My Partner arrived safe and sound, and for her first excursion, she went with a friend and me to the doctor’s office. She said she’s glad that she went, since it is quite different, but I could have skipped the whole thing. After having a camera up my nose and down my throat and a tube on the same path to “pop” my ears from the inside, I kinda never wanna get sick again. Thus we started her visit out slowly and she was quite fine with that.

A couple of days later, we started in on the sight-seeing in HCity since we were both feeling better. Hondori (a covered arcade/shopping area), Peace Park, and Sogo’s were our sights to be seen. Then we went to meet a friend of mine’s father at a shop at which he volunteers. We visited and chatted with many language dictionaries and electronic translators between us. Once he closed up shop, he invited us for coffee. It was a really nice time.

The next day, we went to visit a colleague of mine and her family at their home. They decided to have a BBQ and we talked about nearly everything under the sun and ate ‘til we were full and tired.

We also went to visit my office and meet some of my colleagues. A couple of colleagues, my Partner and I went out for okonomiyaki. It was her first real okonomiyaki and she seemed to like it, though it was too much to eat in one go for her. That afternoon, we went back to Peace Park, since we ran out of time for that earlier. Finally, we went yet another time to Peace Park so that we could take our time at the big museum, then we went on over to Hiroshima-jo (castle) since it was drizzly.

Then it was time to go to Kyoto! We took the local trains with a special ticket we had that lets you ride as many trains as you want in 24 hours, as long as they are the slow trains and it’s during a school break. We got to our hostel and were quite impressed. It was a very nice and clean place for only about $25 a night per person! We were off to walk around and walk we did! We ended up walking far more than we should have that first afternoon/night, but it was good weather and we were having fun. We saw the lovely Ponto-cho area with the narrow roads and “inu”/dog fences, slatted windows, etc. We also ended up in Gion and walked along the Shijo-dori a bit to an area where there were some temples and a festival of lanterns and ikebana or flower arrangements. The lanterns and flowers weren’t quite our taste, but it was fun to be where there was an energy to the place and just walk around—even in spite of the bad comedian/juggler.

Our second day in Kyoto it rained all day—but we had a great day. We took buses everywhere since we bought a 2-day pass. After trying to find a tourist info place that must no longer exist, we visited Nijo-jo (castle) It was a lovely building and some of the paintings on the walls and internal sliding doors were incredible. It was also fun walking around in the slippers on the veranda while it was a good downpour of rain. I always enjoyed sitting on a porch during a good rain, and at this place you had such atmosphere! We rested a bit at their canteen/gift shop area afterwards, then decided to head on up to Kinkaju-ji or the Golden Pavilion. It was simply lovely as were the grounds around it and the smaller shrines and temples in the area. Again we took our time looking around and in the gift shop since it was still raining. It was around dinner-time, so we decided to take the bus back to the Shijo-dori area and walk around looking for a bite to eat. Knowing that good meals are to be had in department stores we ended up finding a nice restaurant and had some good Udon and hot tea. It was just what the doctor ordered after a rainy day. (Luckily, the whole time we were in Kyoto the temps were quite warm and we needed little more than a sweater—and an unmbrella!) We decided to walk on for a little while in the Gion area and then head back to our hotel. It seems everyone had this idea and because of the rain made the buses worse than Tokyo-rush-hour busy. At one point I was pinned between a chair and a few people on my bad knee, as the crowd shifted, I could feel my knee not being terribly happy, so when the loud American moved to get off the bus, I plopped right into her seat without hesitation since I was nearly pinned to it anyway. Course a couple of pushy businessmen looked at me with disbelief, but I figured I had been on the bus longer and somehow was quicker than they were, so hard lumps! After I plopped, the one guy even tried to push my Partner out of her seat for his obviously higher status colleague, but she held her ground and the higher status guy just told his pushy-junior to stay where he was. It’s funny how nasty most of the men seem to be in basic, public (key factor, I think) situations. I once had a young college student ask me what I thought of Japanese men and I had a really difficult time being positive at all from what I have observed and experienced, let alone what I have read about or heard from friends. It’s true there isn’t the same ueber-macho attitude expected which is a relief, but much of what I see exhibited is worse and so completely sexist that it’s no wonder women are waiting longer to marry and marrying foreigners seems to be big business. Of course much of this is perpetuated by the society and culture from whence it comes, so who am I to complain, still I really didn’t think it would disgust me quite so much when I first came to Japan.

Our last morning in Kyoto and we decided to do a bit of shopping, but specifically sought out the Nishiki-kojo to see the freshest catches of the day and such. We walked along and saw much of what can be pulled from the sea, some of it still partially alive—talk about fresh! After that we mosied on to Shijo-dori and the Gion area for our last few purchases. We took the slow trains back since were traveling on the Seishun 18 Kippu and stopped off at Okayama for a brief respite from the trains and some non-bouncy squatters (toilets). I never knew they had such a huge shopping area at that train station—it’s just crazy!

On the way back, we got a text-message from a colleague about a party for another colleague at a Japanese restaurant. Although we were both tired we decided to go anyway, our joint suitcase and all. It turned out to be a quite new place, but also quite Japanese. We ordered all kinds of things for dinner and so C was able to try many things she had only heard about or saw that morning at the market like raw octopus in wasabi sauce and soft chicken bone. We had a great time just talking and listening. It was great that it worked out that she could meet some of my colleagues and come with us to the party. We had a great time! After saying good evening, we were on our way to catch the bus lest we get stuck taking a taxi.

The next day, we took the train to visit a friend and her mom for lunch. We had a great time, delicious food and just talked and talked. It was really nice to relax and feel so welcomed. Her mom even offered to make Matcha for us, so we kind of had a mini-tea ceremony, very informal-like to just see how things are and to try the delicious tea. I really like Matcha tea a lot and enjoy the texture of the tea—it’s kind of frothy and thick, certainly not sweet at all. We rode back to town with my colleague then decided to bum around HCity a bit.

C’s last full day, we reserved to go to Miyajima for the festival/dance that was planned at the main shrine. Miyajima is the famous image that you often see advertising Japan—it’s a large, vermillion Torii or gate in the water with a “floating” shrine beyond. It was on this shrine we stood and watched the “bugaku” or the ancient musical court dance of this shrine. The dance is performed only 9 times a year and it has been handed down for generations since the Heian Period. It was accompanied by Gagku music played by other monks of the shrine and the colors of the orange costume, the red torii, and the blue water were glorious to see. I’m glad that C was here to see it. Afterwards, we walked around the shrines, and then took the ropeway to the top of the mountain where there were…MONKEYS and deer! I am obviously much more excited about the monkeys. Well, after having two live in your parents’ backyard and convincing your uncle of it, you’d be excited about monkeys too! The vistas were beautiful from up there, but it was a bit hazy. We wandered our way back through down and took the ferry back to the tram to the train to the bus to my room. We then got everything pulled together and went to the airport hotel since her flight was far too early the next morning.

Since doing some cleaning and major laundry, I have decided that since it’s still university break, I should go to more of the regional sights I haven’t quite gotten to just yet. After too many days of rain and an overnight snowstorm, the days have finally been just hazy or even nice out. Last weekend, I decided to go back to Miyajima for a children’s Kagura festival, since I love the Kagura. In Miyajimaguchi, before taking the ferry over, of course I had to stop and get some warm cheese momiji manju for the ride. The Kagura was held in an old chanting temple on the top of a hill. When I got there, a very old man led me up to the very front, center apparently he worried that I should see everything. In the morning, it was warm with a cool breeze and clear. So, after a couple of hours my legs and b*tt were getting sore from sitting on the floor of the temple on a thin cushion and so I thought of going to walk around and come back, but then I talked to an old man near me (who kept giving me little dried fish mixed with a savory, crunchy snack during the performance by poking me in my side then motioning to his bag of snacks) and he said that it was raining. Sure enough, and it had gotten quite cold too. I didn’t notice it within the crowd and so I decided to stay put, which was fine with me. The performances ranged from excellent to good and I really enjoyed seeing kids doing this—especially since it girls were allowed to dance and play the instruments. There was even a taiko group at the very start (opening ceremony) and four of the seven taiko drummers were girls! Traditionally, this would never happen—taiko were soley the territory of boys/men. There is a big push in Japan that Japanese traditional things are worthy of being saved and performing arts die out so easily—at least by allowing girls, that doubles the number of possible people to carry on the traditions. At the end, I high-tailed it to the ferry and managed to stay quite dry too. I had a hot lemon tea on the train trip back just in case.

Since then I have also gone to Matsunaga and visited the Footwear Museum and Antique & Folk Toy Museum. That same day, I also went to Fukuyama for the Hiroshima Prefectural Natural History Museum. After that I tried to go to the F. Art Museum, but they were closed for the day. So, I went over to the Fukuyamam Castle and went inside to see the museum of samuari stuff, etc. I also walked around the grounds a bit since they were pretty with a nice small garden.

I have also gone to HCity to visit the H Prefectural Museum and met up with a friend for the rest of the day. We had a great day, just walking in the lovely sun and 60F temps while doing this and that. One of the places we went to was quite interesting. It is called Fukuro-machi Elementary School Peace Museum. It was and still is an elementary school about 460 meters from the hypocenter of the A-bomb. Because the building was ferro-concrete, the walls of the building survived the blast—badly damaged, but survived. At the time of the bomb, nearly all of the students were assembled outside in the yard for morning assembly and were vaporized to death. The principal was in the building looking out over the students in the yard from his 3rd floor office and was thrown to the yard by the blast. He somehow got up and ended up walking home to look for his family. At the same time, there were two boys that were running late for school and they went to the basement to change clothes and shoes at the time of the blast. They survived because they were running late and were in the basement. The shell of a building almost immediately became a relief station. A female doctor (a rarity at the time) trained in ophthalmology ended up treating people with radiation burns and worse at the school with little more than meurochrome (sp?) and gauze while they had it in supply. There is one aspect of the school that is incredible to see and learn about. At many relief stations and other places people would write on the walls if they are searching for someone or if they are moving from one station to another or if they are just trying to gather their family together after the bombing when there is no home to go to. Many of the walls in the school were plastered over, but in March of 1999, they discovered that many of the messages were still to be read on one of the walls. Later they also found more writing behind a blackboard as well. It’s amazing that the writing was preserved since most of it was in chalk and the bit that was plastered over is unique. As you may know, after the initial blast there were horrible fires that burned all that could burn—in the school that meant the wood floors, stairs, etc. The fires created soot on the walls on top of which people used chalk to write. When the walls were plastered, the chalk was absorbed and so was most of the soot—but not the soot underneath the chalk! When this was discovered, they went back through photos of the school right after the bombing, and discovered that Japan’s Ministry of Education actually had made photos of the writing and so the photos helped decipher what was written.

I mentioned earlier that we went to Peace Park, but didn’t go into too much detail. That was because it is an interesting place, but it was such a museum-y and sterile place I did not feel much of an emotional response, except for reading peoples’ memoirs. Visiting this school was much more of what I anticipated and have experienced at Dachau, etc. It helped a great deal to be with a friend, who was so gracious as to help translate our impromptu guide. Rather than let us go through the museum at our own pace, he ushered us and explained everything point by point, mostly what was written on the displays in Japanese and English, but he did have some really interesting insights and was so sweet. He asked all about me and what I was doing in Japan. He is a volunteer at the school museum, but was 17 years old and in the Imperial Navy at the time of the A-bomb. He told us about how, the day of the blast his ship was sent to HCity to pull the dead bodies from the rivers. They were badly bloated with water and so it was not possible to cremate them, as is the usual custom. The bodies were then buried on Innoshima Island and just recently some of the bones are being discovered and they are a strange color, kind of a brown and not white at all. After letting us stay after “closing time” to watch a video he walked with us to the door and as we were saying goodbye he stuck his hand out to shake hands with me. Shaking hands doesn’t happen much here and almost never with the older generation, but like I said earlier, he was so sweet and wanted us to learn everything he had to tell.

(BTW: We had Flat Stanly (just call me Flat) along on our trip and you’ll see him in a few photos. It is a project for a friend and an Illinois school to learn about the world and where Flat might travel.)

So, that’s a wrap up of March…it’s a bit long, but no worries, I think! April holds the rest of spring break, a brief trip to Onomichi to meet a friend, Hanami or “cherry tree viewing” in Iwakuni, and then the university is in session again. Mata, ne?

I have been going into the office and meeting up with friends off and on this week and it’s really good to reconnect and be out and about as usual. Yesterday (2/27) I went with a colleague/friend to lunch with her host family and little did she or I know what was in store. For me, first off her host family is the former mayor of over twenty years and his wife. He was largely responsible for bringing the University to this town many years ago. As it panned out, my friend and I were going with her host mom to lunch. We were picking her up, but since I had brought her an omiyagi with chocolate, I asked if I could give it to her before we left so it wouldn’t melt in the car while we were away. She was a bit surprised at this (maybe) faux pas in etiquette, but quite gracious about it. It was curious to me why she would wear fancier clothes like a mink-trimmed poncho to a casual lunch…I chalked it up to being a beloved former mayor’s wife and keeping up appearances.

Once we got to the restaurant, my colleague/friend and I were surprised to learn that it was a group lunch with various host moms, their friends, and the hosted international students. We were running a bit late and so the three of us had the pleasure of walking into the room of about 20 or 25 people all seated and looking at us as we opened the door. Of course, now the clothing made sense…my colleague/friend typically dresses to the 9s and I decided to dress up since I wasn’t biking today in a skirt and all, talk about a stroke of luck.

As is the case with many Japanese events there was a program. We met each other, had a short opening speech about the host family organization, then we all got a glass of beer and hear a toast from Obaasan (“Grandma”), then started to eat. Once again, the eating style was buffet and it was like other program buffets to which I have been. Everyone plots a spot somewhere around the food tables in the center of the room (it’s a tight squeeze) and while talking and cajoling, you pick and grab whatever you’d like to try—of course all the while trying not to eat too fast to be rude though I am amazed at how fast others can eat while all this is going on. In most cases there are multiple trays of things so whatever you want is in reach. Just be sure when you leave your spot for soup or oden, that you whittle yourself back in, lest you loose your plate or your beer while getting soup or oden. That’s another recurring theme. People are very keen on keeping your glass full of whatever you choose to drink. In the more “grown-up” settings, it has been with beer, sake, shochu, or something alcoholic, otherwise it might be iced tea, juice, karapisu, or water. I think part of it is to show their hospitality towards you and to help “bond” a friendship or colleague-ship. Unfortunately, when you don’t want any more, you often end up leaving a full glass to be discarded. But I digress…

My colleague/friend and I, being probably the youngest/newest people in this group, tried to be sure that Obaasan had what she wanted to eat and drink, as she doesn’t walk so well. So after some eating and talking, the program continued. They had a pianist (a student from the University) play a few light pieces, then we played a version of “Red Rover” in Japanese. After that, we all sang a few songs in Japanese with her accompaniment, including a version of “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands” and “Okina kuri”—that one I know too well thanks to Chillin’ Jill and very kind colleague. Then all of us international students had to introduce ourselves to the group, in Japanese of course. By this time, it was clear to me that these were mostly longer term international students and my Japanese is no where near their levels, still I asked if I could introduce my basics (name, nationality, “happy to be here”, enjoying Japan) and then my colleague/friend added a bit more for me. She mentioned to them that we are colleagues in our research group and that I had only arrived in October and that is when I started learning Japanese. People seemed to be excited about that since a lot of people talked to me about it after the program while we were eating yet more food. Then all of a sudden, well to me it was all of a sudden, it was time for the international students to perform. The Bangladeshi woman, danced to music from Bangladesh, but the rest of us seemed surprised at this instant performance request. One of the Chinese women, sang a Chinese camp song that sounded a lot like a military dirge to my ears. A couple of the host moms kept asking me to sing something American, so I thought about it and asked if we could do a song/game. Of course that was fine, so I asked my colleague/friend to help with a bit of translation and we all learned the abbreviated version of the “Hokey Pokey!” (Hmmm, let me see, that’s four continents where I have taught that one—to think it all started at the Thanksgiving dinner on December 5th, 1994 in Eichstaett!) Afterwards one woman asked me where do we do this dance and I explained usually at birthday parties with children.

Before you knew it, it was time for the closing remarks and Obaasan spoke again about international friendships and how the chrysanthemum plants they gave us international students along with the smiles we shared, though fleeting, are gifts to each of us. After her remarks, we all helped clean up. While us students put chairs away and took the trash away, the host moms wrapped up the tastiest meat leftovers (pork-chop sandwiches, teriyaki-style meatballs, battered chicken chunks) and gave us each a small package to take home (this was a catered party, so taking home leftovers is apparently ok, unlike in restaurants). I want to mention that this is a very kind gesture and I certainly appreciate it because meat is very expensive in Japan—maybe one reason that Japanese diets are considered lower in protein but higher in fish & tofu—and also they so didn’t need to do this since we were all there as their guests. The rest of the leftovers they packaged up and took with them.

While my colleague/friend, her host mom and I were getting our coats, the Obaasan came over to talk a bit more with us. She had my colleague/friend ask me if I knew of her family’s business near campus. I did and she had my colleague/friend explain to me that when I come to her family’s business, I should tell them that “Obaasan knows me” and that they’ll treat me right. It was one of only a couple times this has happened to me in Japan, but she took my hand and squeezed it to emphasize her point and was smilingly encouragingly while my colleague/friend translated for her. I get the feeling that after 87 years, she has many interesting stories to share.

After such a luncheon, we went to my colleague/friend’s host family’s house to have coffee, then to take tea and sweets. It was really a nice time to talk and get to know them a bit. One thing I just have to mention was that in 1994 the Emperor and Empress of Japan came to town for the Pan-Asian games held at the local sports arena built for the events. Since her host dad was mayor at the time, he hosted them throughout their stay, including entertaining them in their home. We saw a couple of the photos of their visit and such, but then her host mom started making more tea. My colleague/friend told me that she wanted to make tea for us so that we could drink it from the same tea bowls in the same seats as the Emperor and Empress! The bowls are from Kyoto and were bought especially for the royalty’s visit for a very dear amount. It was very nice of her to do that for us and it seemed to make her day to do that for us too. It was a really nice day and finally another “full language immersion” type of day!

So, that’s what I have been up to this last week. I wanted to get this missal out before the end of February since March promises to be busy. I will be traveling a bit and hope to have more stories and a few photos to share.

BTW: Props out to my garbage-can-grouch friend for the MP3s from Avenue Q—especially “What do you do with a BA in English” and “For Now!” So, tell me, was Gary Coleman really in the production of it you saw in NYC? Somehow the music and voices really remind me of “Sesame Street”—hee-hee!

Enjoy the attached comic, as well as the maybe southern-influenced floorplan (course, that’s how I used to talk before I was able to “pass” as a Minnesotan), and the curious initials for the chocolate company. I bet it’s natural! I think that my partner’s mom might get a kick out of that one! : )

Keep on truckin’!

Valentine’s Day was nice with cards from my partner and my parents. It was nice that they arrived on the right day and it was good to receive some mail, since I am going stir crazy being sick for so long. There is only so much I can do in my room and now I am done with all of the English language books I had brought back with me—had to do something when I can’t sleep at night because I can’t breathe right!

I did go into the office Monday since I wanted to get out of my room and had a few things to take care of. (Also the weather was clear and warm for a change. It’s been cold and rainy most of the time I have been sick.) I didn’t stay so long though since I was still not feeling very well. I also went back to the doctor’s this week and he referred me to another clinic if I wasn’t doing better by Friday.

Friday a colleague of mine was so kind and insisted to go with me to the doctor’s. His examination of my nose, throat, and ears was quite thorough. (If you really want to know how thorough, e-mail me!) He sorted out that I have a bad cold and a sinus infection. So, now I am on medicine for four days and need to go back if I am not feeling better in four days. Apropos: They are super tight on medication/drug control here so you can only receive 3 or 4 days’ worth, then you have to go back again to the doctor’s. Here’s a bit of perspective, Robatussin Cough is controlled as a prescription and Sudafed is absolutely illegal here.

The good thing is that the medicine let me sleep the whole night through, so I ended up sleeping nearly 14 hours last night. I haven’t slept well for the last several days. Well, I’m still lying low and looking forward to getting better. I am also getting super antsy since I am supposed to meet a friend in Onomichi one Sunday this month and then next month my partner is visiting, so we’ll be traveling all over!

February and I arrived on the same day—in Japan. After an eternal trip from MSP to ORD to KIX, I was finally in Japan. But, oh, the adventure was just beginning! After I shipped my suitcase ahead for a mere $15 or so, I was on my way to take the train to catch a super express train (AKA shinkansen)! I had no problems figuring out how to buy my tickets, etc. and was on my way. (BTW: it travels in excess of 300kmp or about 200mph on longer streches!) Once I got on the shinkansen in Osaka, I settled in and met my neighbors. It was a mother/daughter couple and they were returning from a shopping trip in Osaka. That was when I first heard of the “snowstorm” Kansai/Chugoku regions were grappling with. You have to remember that much of this area is mountainous, so the several inches that we had in Saijo, for example, was much worse higher in the mountains and for driving. Course part of the issue is that it doesn’t seem that they clear the streets or sand anywhere other than right in front of certain buildings/doors. Regardless, I got back to Saijo in good time and even made it to catch the bus to campus. However, an older woman overheard me ask a student-looking girl in Japanese whether I had missed the bus. Then when the older woman’s husband came to pick her up they insisted on giving me a ride to my building. They live near the university, so hopefully I’ll see them again some time.

The next day after unpacking and organizing, I went into the office to say “hello” to everyone. Folks were pleasantly surprised that I stopped by since I just got back the night before, but I haven’t had any problems changing times besides waking around 5am when I didn’t mean to. (I’m an early riser anyway, so I don’t squawk about this one too much!)

Other than that, I was just getting settled back in and now I have this cold/cough/ear thing hit. I have a feeling I went through the “Saijo Cough” I have heard about when I first arrived back, but now I it’s the sinus and ear part I can’t get rid of. No worries! It’s gotta break soon! The sad part is that I had to cancel a trip to the mountains for a “Snow Day” my first weekend back and I also had to cancel a visit to an elementary school since I don’t want to get the kids sick, let alone I feel awful. I have been in the office occasionally even though it’s the University’s long vacation (mid-Feb through the start of April). Luckily, friends here know what’s up and have been very kind to me and yes, I’ve gone to the doctor. Of course, I study the vocabulary before going and so things with the University Health Center doctors have been no problem. They are quite patient and one of them speaks some basic English, though none of the nurses do. (The nurses are much more friendly though and they are so patient when I don’t understand their Hiroshima-ben/dialect initially.) Here’s the awesome thing: they have the instructions for medicines they commonly give out on little slips of paper in Japanese, but also in English. (The international student population at the University is something like 20% and most speak Chinese [many of whose characters are quite similar to Japanese] or English as their native/lingua franca language.) I was initially worried going to the doctor on my own that I wouldn’t understand any instructions they gave me.

After the initial round of medicine, I thought I was about done being sick and so went with a couple of friends to the Kaki Matsuri (Oyster Festival) on Miyajima Island. On our way to the festival, I got a call from my parents that my dad had been in a pretty bad car accident. Luckily, he was ok, all in all, though quite shaken and the truck was totalled. I was upset, but I really couldn’t do anything from here, so I decided to still go to the island. Talking with my friends in the car was interesting when I got off the phone since ways of speaking with one’s parents and expressing affection are quite different in Japan than in the U.S. They were especially surprised that we verbally express emotion rather than assuming it. I think it has something to do with the whole American perspective of ‘if it’s not said (or written down), then it never happened’ and the fact that Americans (and especially Germans!) are much more direct than people typically in Japan. Of course there are many other perspectives on this, but that’s my topical read on the deal!

We had a great time though the festival wasn’t much to look at, just a bunch of food stalls with really long lines. We decided to walk around the town a bit. We ended up eating oysters and okonomiyaki at one of the shops and wandered to the shrine. All the while we were trying to avoid the overly friendly wild deer that inhabit the island. They are considered sacred on the island (thereby are not killed or “controlled”) and rule over everything it seems. They apparently also eat ferry and train tickets frequently since on the local map, it specifically says to watch that deer don’t eat them! (Nelson-like: ha-ha!) After taking a couple of photos and walking around the shrine, we stopped at a tea-shop for tea and sweets. We then slowly worked our way back to the ferry and were on our merry ways. It was a really a nice time and a fun girl’s day out.

Well, after that lovely day out, the first day I had really started feeling very healthy, I ended up the next morning feeling sick as a dog again. I guess it was a bit early to go out for the day. So, I have been lying low since and went to the doctor. So, I guess that’s my big adventure since returning! : )

A friend and I went to HCity with the intentions of seeing the Weather museum, Shukkeien Gardens, and the Hiroshima-jo. Well, we got up & on our way early, made it all the way to Eba and then found out that the weather museum was closed for the holiday, although the info we had from this year said they were closed starting on the 29th. So, we took the trams into City Center and had lunch at an okonomiyaki shop. After that, we went to the Gardens. On the way, we decided that if it’s not open (although our info said it was), then we’ll just go shopping since all the stores are open…instead of shopping right away, we met a friend of mine for a coffee and to chat. Then the three of us went to Sogo and split up. The two of us perused the books and then just walked the Hondori a bit stopping here and there. We got home at a reasonable hour, but were quite tired from the false starts.

Real Okonomiyaki!

Yesterday was a nice day. I had e-mailed with a colleague to meet for lunch for the last time this year, so I went into the office for the day. Most folk were there so it was nice to see them and chat a bit. My colleague had a particular idea for lunch and even drove to campus so that it would work out. I didn’t realize this and was just “ok, whatever you want to do” since I was just glad it was sunny and folks were around. So, we drove out to a small residential area outside of Saijo and campus. He parked the car and at first I thought we were going to visit someone on our way to lunch—sometime I don’t quite follow all that is happening around me and don’t really mind not understanding it all. But then we went up a walk to a house, and just inside the sliding doors is the smallest & best okonomiyaki shop I have ever been in. It had four seats tightly together for the customers, and you eat right off the griddle. Yeah, I burned my tongue a little because I was enjoying it a bit too much, not to mention it was my first time just using a metal spatula to eat the okonomiyaki with—don’t lay it on the griddle then eat! The woman who runs the shop had made 14 okonomiyaki that day and we were her last two. (We saw seven or eight of them leave while we were there, then we had two of them.) The best way to describe it is that it is a small kitchen in what might have been built as a small garage and you eat in the kitchen. She was so nice. While we were waiting she gave us a sweet potato that was cooked on the portable heater in the shop and after our lunch, sweets. It feels like you are visiting someone’s grandmum and although the language isn’t coming just yet with the heavy dialect she was speaking, y’all can communicate and be friendly and everything. I plan to visit again and again, though it’s a ways out! On the way back to the office, my colleague was explaining to me that sometimes it gets so busy (and the food is so good) that people will wait until they can get a seat. Apparently, she’ll sometimes have people sit in her living room while they wait so they can watch TV and read Manga (comics) until a spot is available. Other times, she’ll make the food up and serve folks in her own dining room and kitchen.

“Hi, I’m in Hiroshima!”

So, I got a call from a Japanese classmate of mine from the U of M, that she and her husband were in town to visit her family in HCity. We decided to meet up and she also told me that her family wanted to invite me to spend the New Year’s holidays with them. (A couple of weeks ago, I had met her Dad by chance in a shop where he volunteers.) We decided to meet and did a little shopping together. With it being around the end of the year, everything has adjusted hours—like the bus from the train station to campus. Well, I ended up missing the train that would have let me take the last bus and rather than take a taxi from the station to campus, she suggested that I just stay over with them starting that evening. The next day I was to get my stuff from campus and stay on for a few days.

After a late night, we went to see a friend of hers from high school and a professor (& family) she knows from another university in town. It was a really nice day and I went to get my things while she & her husband visited with her brother’s family. Then her brother was so kind to drive us all back over to her parents’ place. Her Mom had to work that night, so the three of us made nabe (table-top stew/fondue) with her Dad. We all had a bit to drink with the meal and really had a nice time talking and then her Mom joined us when she got home. It was a good night, but a late one!

The next day, once we had breakfast and got cleaned up, we started preparing stuff for New Year’s. I peeled the fish eggs while Mom made some of the other Osechi things. All at once, it was time to Osoji (big cleaning of the house). We all pitched in and it was done very quickly indeed. We hung the Shimenawa (twisted straw decoration above the door to the house). Once that was up and photos were taken, we (except Mom) went to the grocery to pick some things up. When we got home, we put away what we had bought and then her brother and his family came over. We had oyster rice, yellowtail fish, mussel soup, tea, shocha (too strong for me!), beer, and much more I cannot remember. At one point, someone noticed it was snowing, so I went out with my classmates niece and brother to play in the snow with one of the neighbor girls. It was getting too cold so we all came back inside, but also made a few yuki daruma on the mail box!

We tried to go to a shrine or temple at about 11:40, but none of them were “gonging” yet, so we went back home with the little ones since they were getting sleepy. We had soba noodles (for a long life like the soba noodles are long) and watched the NHK TV show with the Japanese singers and the scenes from around Japan, including Miyajima, to ring in the New Year.

On the 1st, we got up and had an oyster soup with mochi balls(I had three!) and ate Osechi all for breakfast. It was delicious and I especially liked the mulberry sprouts (for new growth in the new year). It had snowed overnight and so once we were dressed, my classmate, her niece, and I went and made more “yuki daruma” or snowmen on the front steps.

After that we went to the family cemetery site and cleaned the stones, as well as left incense since there were already flowers there. Then we went to the family shrine, Gokoku in Hiroshima-jo. It was like a matsuri or festival with food stands along all of the walkways and so much good food and hot sake to be had. We followed up waiting out turn in the sea of people and at last could throw in our offering, clap twice, and say a prayer before moving on to the side to purchase a fortune for the new year. We each got one for hyakuen and eagerly opened them. I was “reading” mine seeing what I might be able to decipher with my hiragana, but most of it was in kanji. Then my classmate came over and asked to see mine and she smiled and said “oh, you got, dai-kichi (great good fortune), the best one you could have picked.” From what she told me, overall everything looks pretty good. This year I should, however, watch out for pick-pockets while traveling and a man will help me to find something I am missing. Sounds good to me! As we left the shrine, those who didn’t receive dai-kichi tied their fortunes to trees or the strings near the shrine to allow other spirits to worry about them. Then on the way back to the cars, we ate and drank a bit, while also buying other food for Dad and her brother who went to get the cars since they had to park so far away.

Once we got back in the cars and ate a bit, we ended up at a conveyor belt sushi bar. It was fun to eat there and I really like that I was able to try a bunch of different things in small portions. We ate our fill, I even had mango ice cream since there was a plate for it and we returned home. We had some tea and talked a bit, and then her husband decided to make curry for dinner.

Over the course of this evening and the others, my classmate’s parents made it very clear to me that I am welcome and her Mom even made me promise that I will visit again. Of course I will, they are dear, dear people. It was such a nice visit and they are such good people…it was sad that this was the last evening together.

Well, all good things come to an end and on Sunday, Mom was up and off to work, just as I was getting up, so luckily I was able to bid her adieu. Once she was off, my classmate and her husband hurried to get all in order since they were on their ways that morning via shinkansin (bullet train). All of us, except Mom, saw them off and helped with all of their luggage. Then they saw me off too. Once I got settled on my train with a hot drink, I realized that it was kind of lonely to go from a big, loving family back to my cold dorm room. I dumped my things off at my room and went right out to buy a mini-heater since it had snowed and was literally much colder than just before New Year’s. The room has an air conditioner/heater, but is old and take so much energy to just warm up. DeoDeo was having a New Year’s sale so for less than $20 I got a really handy model that kicks-a**! Overall, I have to admit this was one of the best New Year’s I’ve had.

Dog Tired, but Still Truckin’

Needless to say, after several days of nearly only Japanese, I was so mentally fatigued, it is not funny! I slept and relaxed as much as I could the next day or two. It was the best I could do since school is still on holiday until the 10th and nothing really opens up again (except shopping) until close to a week away. I have been meeting friends for lunch, or saying goodbye to a colleague headed to Europe for a while and bummed around Saijo a bit. On the day I went to Saijo, I needed to stop by the train station to take care of a few things. I asked at the window when the office would be open, and one of the fellows from the window met me at the doors to help me. He is youngish and might even be a university student, though I don’t know. He told me that my Japanese was quite good, though I laughed and said what I could in Japanese about my bad Japanese. I was trying to do the entire conversation in Japanese, but he kept answering in English. It was kind of funny, but it all worked out. At the end of the transaction, I told him he has lovely English and he said he has been studying English and that’s why he wanted to be sure to use it. Then I went to the Youme Town store to get some groceries. They were having some kind of a bingo promotion and so I thought it would be a good way to practice my numbers in Japanese and it was free with my “Youme Town cardo”—besides what else would I have to do that day? It seemed that I was the only non-Japanese person in this huge mass of people and no one seemed to care. It was kind of funny since I could follow much of what she was saying and I am sure the others didn’t think I could.

Good Movie Alert

If you haven’t seen it, you may want to watch “Erleuchtung Garantiert” in German. It’s quite a good movie.

Friday & Saturday

Firday I met with the daughter of my classmate’s professor since she and I hit it off when we initially met. They had me over for a visit and we talked over tea and mochi. She’s a very nice girl and quite smart. We talked and talked a mix of Japanese and English about high school and friends and life in general. Then I figured out that between her and the woman who helps with housekeeping, they were sorting out what to have for dinner and that I was staying. I had to bow out since I was planning to meet a friend for dinner. Once I realized this I let her know and asked her to apologize to her parents for me since they weren’t home. It was a really nice time and I look forward to meeting her again. She was kind enough to drop me in town so that I could meet up with my friend.

We walked around a while to see what we were in the mood for and decided on a Japanese-style restaurant. The food was great and I really liked the place in general. Small cubbies for people to eat in and kind waitstaff. After dinner, we went for Starbucks and talked a while. Over coffee she asked me to stay over so that we may go to Cloud 5, her friend’s bar. We went and had a great time, there are really some characters that seem to be regulars. She told me later that it was a relatively quiet night. Once it quieted down, three of us went to Churi’s for some late night chow. It’s a great falfel and pita kind of place. I had a whole one with lots of habenaro sauce—it was excellent after having beers that evening! There are certain food that compliment each other: pizza and Coke, spicy and beer, fruity or red wines and Italian foods, ice cream and sprinkles. This was one of those times! It was late, but we were still having a good time, so we bid one adieu and went to another small Jazz & Soul bar for a nightcap. It was surely a place visited by many the tourist, but it was a small crowd that late on Friday night with only maybe 10 people including staff in the place. They got to talking, while I was talking with an overly drunk Japanese guy. It was funny, I understood everything he said, but then there were parts I couldn’t comprehend and since the one bartender was kind of chatting with us, she would sometimes help out describing something more in Japanese. Thing is, when I couldn’t understand him, neither could she—that made me feel quite good! We even ended up shaking on it, laughing our heads off because it wasn’t the Japanese that was difficult for me to understand. There’s something to be said about the slowed speech of a drunken fellow for me to be able to converse in Japanese! : )

We ended up taking a cab together back up to my friend’s place. Her friend dropped us off and went on home while we walked on to her place.

Saturday was pretty low-key. We slept in until we woke up and slowly started getting cleaned up, etc. We talked and while, surfed the net, just kind of hung out. Then we decided to have pizza for lunch and so while we were waiting for the pizza, I went to get a few photos developed and pick up some Coke and ice cream. We had lunch and kind of hung out talking, etc. Around 4:30pm I went to Sogo to pick up a couple of Sazaesan books and then went over to meet a friend at the shop where he volunteers. We had a lovely evening. It was funny, we both brought each other a “hotto” drinks and he even brought me a snack of black sesame crackers. We talked and talked the best we could. It was nice. Then a bit after 7pm, we closed up the shop and said goodbye. I got back to campus around 9:30pm.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=2027&e=1&u=/chitribts/20041219/ts_chicagotrib/islamshapinganeweurope

Osoji (AKA: the big year-end cleaning)

So we cleaned our offices from top to bottom, since in Japan there aren’t cleaning staff that do anything in any of the office. We even take out our own garbage, etc. throughout the year. I don’t think much was cleaned during the year considering the muck we got from the shelves, windows, floors, etc., but we got it clean and even had a bit of time to work before our office party. I also did Osoji at home since I figured “why not?”

Bonenkei (AKA: “forget the year” party)

Oh man, it was a blast! We had many wonderful courses of food and drink (an-zhu-shu [apricot wine] & kae-ki-shu [flower wine] were my favorites) at a Chinese restaurant called Aberdeen—don’t know why it’s called that and the sign is in English, but it was good! After having a fun time at dinner and being amazed at how much some people could drink, some of us decided to go to Karaoke!

So, we got there and got into our room and people were still drinking strong. I was done by then, but decided to have a bunch of ka-ru-pi-sus (AKA: sweet, carbonated, citrusy drink that has milk) since I wanted to drink something to stay hydrated. Oh, it was a blast! I was so happy that some of the people in the office I don’t know so well came so we were able to have some fun with them as well. Man, the photos don’t lie, we were being as silly as can be and enjoyed every minute of it! At the end of the evening, one of my colleagues had had more than I thought was possible…I kept anticipating he’d be sick or something, so when we left everyone was on there way and he was kind of lingering in the parking lot with his bike just waving bye-bye to everyone. It looked kind of funny. When I got home, I phoned him to be sure he at least made it home ok. Needless, to say, he did.

Okonomiyaki, Onsen, Oh my!

Ok, I should tell you now that I have become a greater Foody that even before! I have decided that I need to try all I can and also try every Okonomiyaki shop I can find in the immediate area. I even got a phone charm with a lil’ Oko-buddy! : ) Fortunately, I have also met others with this sick disposition and we have formed a loose group to compare cafeterias, restaurants, cafes, etc. Earlier this week, I met two women from Russia and Uzbekastan of this new-found group for okonomiyaki at one of their favorite places, I had not previously visited. We had dinner and over dinner, I learned that they had both been in Saijo for several years. They are also big fans of onsen or the public bath-houses in the area. When they heard I hadn’t been, they just about jumped out of their skins planning for when I could join them to go sometime. Now, I am not an especially shy person when I know what I am getting myself into, but I had heard much—good and bad—about onsen and was still not quite sure about checking it out for myself. We tentatively set Sunday as the day we would go, which was fine, until I later found out that besides us, there would also be a bunch of colleagues joining us for the co-ed onsen. I think I would prefer to go alone or with only one or two other people, not a whole office for my first time at onsen. Un/Fortunately, it didn’t work out time-wise, so maybe next time… Regardless, I imagined going to onsen with my whole office and that just seemed odd to me—but then I have never been, so what am I talking about?!?

Shopping

I decided to go to H City for a bit of a wander-about, people watching, and to do a bit of shopping for a few items I couldn’t find at prices I wanted to pay in Saijo. So, I took the bus to the train, the train to the tram, and the tram to the Hondori or covered shopping arcade in city center. It was hopping like mad since it was only two days before Christmas and I enjoyed watching all of the people wandering about. There were buskers and barkers and beggars in addition to all of the shoppers and store-keeps. Definitely a vibrant time and place. I took my time and slowly found what I was seeking. A little later I met some friends and had coffee and conversation. All in all it was a nice day away from the norm.

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve was a busy, but nice day, all in all. I met friends for lunch at an Italian restaurant. Then a colleague picked me up to help her with some research. We took our time and had some teas/hot drinks I had never tried before and one of which I fell in love with. After a quick stop by the grocery, I went home to prepare some rice crispy bars for the potluck later that evening.

I was joining another colleague and her family to go to their Catholic church for mass and then a potluck dinner. The mass was quite the same as in the US except entirely in Japanese—I only heard a couple of words of Latin even. However, it was also a very Japanese mass. What I mean by that is that folks would bow a great deal. For example, rather than shake hands during the sharing of the Peace they would bow. Also as part of prayers, blessing of the wafers/wine, and the such. I expected it for the sharing of the Peace, but not in all of the other places it popped up.

After the service, everyone set up for the potluck in another building near the church. When everything was set up, there was a kind of opening remarks (like at most functions I have attended), then everyone could eat. During the remarks I looked over the foods on the table thinking of my Lutheran church potlucks from my high school & college years and this was quite different, but quite the same. It was the same in that there was: too much food for everyone, bowls of fruit, a lot of basic foods that are yummy and eat well in such a setting, and plenty of kids about. It was different in that much of the food was quite Japanese. What I mean by that is that to see sushi rolls on the table wasn’t so odd since I am in Japan, but when I had the potato salad, I hadn’t expected the spicy little fish eggs that was part of the mayo sauce. I loved it, but didn’t realize it initially.

I do need to say here that the first thing I dove for once someone told me “dozo” [please take something] was tacos that I had spotted. I have missed very little beyond the people from home, however Mexican food has been hounding me incessantly in the recesses of my mind. I could break down and buy the stuff at much higher prices than at home, but it’s no fun if it’s just me. Hmmm, I feel a taco party coming on…

After church, we went back to her house and visited with her family for a while. They are really nice and I like them. Before we knew it, it was midnight and so the evening came to a close.

Christmas Day

December 25th is like any other regular day—even my Japanese class was in session, though I chose to skip it since I really didn’t feel it right and realized that there were many others that would also not attend due to the holiday or traveling. I had plans to meet a colleague for lunch and she ended up treating me since it was my first Christmas in Japan, was here on my own, etc. She took me to a restaurant I had seen often enough since it’s very close to campus, but I thought it was too dear of a place for me to afford. In fact, it is nice and the prices are quite reasonable—the food was stellar! The meal was “Viking” style or a buffet/smorgasboard as we call it at home. It was the first time I had seen such a buffet in Japan, but it was nice to be able to try so many different foods at the same time. We had our fill and decided to go to the movies. Here, we both like movies and hadn’t been for a long while. We saw “Man on Fire” with Denzel Washington and it was a great movie, though a bit grisly. It was my first time in a movie theater since arriving and it was all in all the same as at home. The film was in English with Japanese sub-titles and people were absolutely silent for the duration of the movie. Even at the really funny parts, nothing…until the end, it seemed as though everyone in the theater was all weepy. After the film, we decided to wander the mall a little bit before heading back to our studies and reading. It was a nice way to spend the holiday.

Christmas

I am getting the feeling that Christmas in Japan “is a horse of a different color I’ve heard tell about” as the mayor in the Wizard of Oz put it. This year it’s on a Saturday and on Christmas Eve, I am going with a Japanese colleague to her Catholic church. So far, she is the only Christian I have met who is also Japanese besides the ones in H City that prostheletize to shoppers in the Hondori. Oh, and the Jehovas’ Witness that came by one evening when I was with a colleague and his family at their home—though I didn't really meet her. As far as decorations, much of what I see is simply like at home, but much less serious and less overall. For example, I saw a glass figurine of Santa lying on the ground with bottles laying around him…I’m guessing it’s his Christmas day pose.

New Year’s

I am looking forward to New Year’s though I don’t know what I plan to do. I am thinking of going to temple for the first prayer of the New Year with the rest of the masses. Of course, I am eating myself silly on o-mochi since it seems to be a seasonal kind of thing…with azuki or sweet red beans or plain or with a soy-syrup or toasted or however they come along.

New Year’s is the big holiday here. From what I have heard and seen here, people are preparing for the New Year early on. There are mochi-tsuki events like in my e-newsletter and there are even small and large mochi figurines that people have in their homes with good luck charms—kinda like the marizpan glucksbringer treats in Germany. The difference is that these always have two balls of mochi (or wax since it sits out so long) on top of each other kinda squished a little bit (so they don’t roll away & can hold the other decos) with red or gold ribbon, and also maybe a beckoning cat or a kind of a red character/god? or a mikan or tangerine/mandrin orange on top. I have also seen some other decos with bamboo and many of these different luck items. It’s all really quite pretty in the stores—maybe I’ll try to remember to take a photo sometime. Another part of NY’s is that instead of Christmas card, folks mail New Year’s cards to people—often postcards. On the side of the card near the address there are two kanji that basically tell the post to hold the cards until January 1st and then they are delivered on the 1st. A big part of NY’s is also the first visit of the New Year to the temples or shrines. I have seen photos of this and it’s incredible. Finally, I have learned from a friend that there are various kinds of food eaten from the 1st to the 3rd and each item represents something specific, like longevity, harmony, fertility, happiness, solid foundation, etc. (If you are close enough to MSP, I have sent my parents and Courtney some flyers that have pictures of these special holiday foods. It used to be that people would prepare these foods themselves, but now they are usually ordered. I think it’s because much of it seems to take a lot of preparation for such a variety of and small portions of said foods.)

Sing, Sing a Song…

I go to elementary schools occasionally to help with the “Extra Long English Conversation Lesson” and it’s amazing how some familiar songs are done differently or there are songs I have never heard of. For example, they have a song in English about fingers. The thumb is the daddy finger, the pointer is the mommy finger, the middle finger is brother finger, the ring finger is sister finger, and the pinky is the baby finger. So we sing our way though this song sticking out our fingers at each other as we sing that verse…needless to say, brother finger is a bad, bad boy and I have a tough time “flipping” my group off singing about him…no such concept here about that particular gesture and the teachers gleefully try to get me to be as energetic about that one as the others.

Cooking…

I do more of my own cooking than maybe I should since I could eat at restaurants for the same or at the on-campus cafeteria for even less than cooking at home. Still, I like learning how to make new foods and experimenting, so I cook probably about half of the time. For one person, cooking at home (buying food, paying for gas to cook, then gas to heat the water to wash the dishes, and the water itself) is about the same as eating out economically. For more than one person, it’s is more economical, so a friend or two or three and I sometimes cook together or we each make a dish and then meet in one person’s room to eat.

A bit of info to help with the entry that follows:

Mochi: Glutinous rice, which is steamed, pounded and shaped into small cakes/balls for consumption. Fresh mochi is often eaten as it’s made, warm and still quite soft. Other varieties about, oftentimes quite hard until toasted or broiled. In either case, accompaniments often include nori (seaweed), shouyu (soy sauce), or azuki (sweet red beans). Though eaten year-round, the food is of particular significance during New Year’s.

Shimenawa: Often seen at entrances to shrines, Shimenawa are large (sometimes quite large) sculptures of twisted rope, often times with zigzag cut paper dangling as pendants (gohei). These works symbolically indicate sacred grounds where Japanese gods (Kami) are thought to dwell. They are particularly present during New Year’s. Although New Year’s Shimenawa decorating the entrances to homes often go under a different name, (Shimekazari), their fundamental meaning is similar.

Soba: Known commonly in Western countries as buckwheat, once hulled, the seeds are ground into flour of various grades. One very common use of the subsequent flour is the creation of Soba noodles, usually a ratio of buckwheat flour to standard white/wheat flour for binding purposes. The resultant noodle is uniquely flavorful, eaten both hot and cold with a variety of broths/dipping sauces.

Kagura: A performance or ritual with origins based in Japan’s native folk religion, Shinto. Although the ritual aspects may be somewhat lost in the modern interpretations, Kagura is essentially an invocation of the Gods, followed performance of song/dance. Varieties in Kagura, like variations of Shinto, are diverse. Historical traditions combined with regional variations make broad statements meaningless, as each region invariably has its own styles and traditions. Kagura has been documented from as early as the 9th century and, within Hiroshima Prefecture, is particularly prevalent in the northern regions.

Sunday was a fun day! After having a relaxing chat with a friend over some juice & tea, I went to the train station area where I was to meet the bus and the rest of the group for a trip to Miyoshi City, Sakugi-Cho, Monde District. We got off to a great start and I recognized a few of the people on the trip. I decided to sit with the Iranian family I had met before and it was a nice time to talk with the wife/mom of the family. Once we got to Miyoshi, it was incredible and NHK was there to film it. It was strange, but I jut ignored them when I realized they wouldn’t talk to me since I don’t have sufficient Japanese skills.. We were halfway up the mountainous Chuugoku region in a narrow valley and there were probably 50-60 people waving different country flags to welcome us. As we got off of the bus, they waved and cheered as we walked through the path they created for us and we said “ohayo gozaimas-“es to everyone.

Once we were all off the bus, they lined us up on one side and the folks of the Monde District on the other for some opening remarks. After the remarks, everyone started in with mochi-azuki, making shimenawa-zukuri (luck/holiday decorations), and making soba. I did the mochi-azuki again and watched the shimenawa-zukuri, but there were just too many people for everyone to do it. I also watched others making soba noodles too.

Before I knew it, it was time to start making our international cuisines. I was able to recruit a few Chinese friends to help as temporary Americans to make rice crispy bars. We whipped out two huge batches using up three big blocks of butter, six big bags of marshmallows, and four boxes of Kellog’s rice crispies and one can of beer—for me. : ) As it turned out, as quickly as we could get them to cool and cut, they were gone. It was great fun and I have to admit, I laughed my butt off seeing people eating still warm, gooey rice crispy treats with O-hashi or chopsticks. It ended up that our table was the first one to run out of food since it seemed everyone was attracted by the strange combo of ingredients (all others were various Asian foods), plus the “boom” of the trays as we flipped them over to get the treats out onto the wax paper. It really worked out quite well and though we ran out, I think everyone who wanted to have some was able to.

Once we cleaned up a bit, we walked around and tried some different foods and what was left of the Japanese foods too. I went to try some soup and instead of the small bowl I grabbed, the fellow serving it up put that aside and gave me a big ol’ bowl more than twice what I had intended to get since I didn’t know what I was to eat. Well, he scooped his best and gave me the piping hot soup. The broth tasted really good and thought maybe I could eat all of what he had given me, but then I used the O-hashi to stir up things and grabbed something to put in my mouth. At the last minute I realized it was the fish spine that I almost mow-chowed on. Oops, so I was more careful and opted to not eat the larger fishbones, but enjoyed the soup. (I don’t know why, but spine and neck bones have always kind of turned me off…I think that it’s because when I was a kid, I was fascinated with spinal cords and brains, and all that and for some reason, just cannot imagine eating them knowingly—of course to have the bones makes me think it’s all in there.) Some might be surprised since I was never a fish eater in the U.S.—I wouldn’t say I have fully converted, but the fish here is so much better and I like that most of the time you can get fish that is “meaty” for the most part. And sushi is completely different than “fish” in the US sense. So I guess it’s nearly three months and I still haven’t found anything that I don’t like and I know that I can’t get most of it in the US so I eat away…hee-hee, I suppose that I this will mean that I won’t loose as much weight as when I was in Germany! : )

After the fish soup, kim chee, Filipino & Indonesian foods, O-mochi, and such, it was time to see Kagura. The performance we saw had the following plot outline: “Jinrin” In the reign of the 14th Emperor Chuai, tens of thousands of troops from a strange country came to conquer the land of Japan. Among the invaders was the great devil general Jinrin, who with the wings on her back could flit about the sky, riding on black clouds bringing strife and warfare. Thus, the Emperor, together with his retainer, Takamaro, accepted the challenge, fighting back with a bow and arrow that contained the teachings and the power of the God that created Japan, Amaterasu Oomikami. The Emperor ultimately vanquishes the fierce god Jinrin in this tale of peace and protection. Although in Kagura, a female devil such as Jinrin in relatively rare, she is an eerie and menacing character of the highest caliber. So that’s the plot. The story was incredible! To watch the dances and chants and movements of the characters was unbelievable. I have never seen such good, strange movements with masks that really made me suspend reality. The movements were so different from anything that I have seen in other dancing/performance styles. I really was sad when it was over…it is something I will see again and again, if I have my way about it.

After the performances, they let us look at the costumes up close and even let us try them on…they are so very heavy since there is so much intricate embroidery, horse(?) hair fur, and batting to make the reliefs on the garments. Incredible! Towards the end of the try-on session, one of the performers seemed quite keen on my trying another one on again, so I did and he tied the mask on me and got me all put together. He wanted to show me to some of the other people from Miyoshi, how the costume fit me well since I am so tall apparently.

That was one thing I noticed—probably 90% of the people from the town hosting us were over 60 or 70. Many were in their upper 80’s or so. It was interesting how so many older people when they would meet each other would ask how old the other is. (Sorting out how to address each other maybe?) It was done very nicely, for example an older fellow was standing near the barrel fire, and another older fellow brought him a chair. As he offered it to him, he just asked how old he is—the compared ages and chatted onward. The one thing that was really nice about so many older folks is that I really got a Nihongo workout. Although I really can’t speak Japanese yet, it seemed we were able to communicate some basics back and forth. I am starting to feel like I am using my language in a constructive way rather than parroting stuff like “kore wa nan des ka?” “sore wa nan des ka?” “alle wa nan des ka?” Still, I need to cram some more vocabulary into my head since I just don’t have the words yet.

Another item I didn't really notice until one of the HIC staff mentioned it, was that the older folks were much smaller in stature than the generation I see most often on campus—probably due to different nutrition and hard, laborious work. One of the fellows I sat next to while watching the Shimenawa was a riot. He is 87 years old and a real smarty-pants! When the older women would walk by and say something to him like “move your foot” to get by since we were sitting on the tatami mats, he would let her by then throw a sheaf of long rice grass at her or act as though he were going to pat her bottom. He would giggle and say something after that—a few of us never could quite understand what he said. Later on, an Iranian friend and I were talking with him about how he stays so genki or healthy and he explained to us that he goes to bed each night and embraces his wife tightly, hence he remains genki. I am not sure of a double-entendre, but I’ll be damned the way he explained it, he was looking for a bit more of a reaction than we gave him which was a kind of “oh, that’s sweet” kind of reaction.

Once everyone was together, they had us make two circles—one with the internationals on the inside and then one with the Japanese hosts on the outside. They explained the steps and we learned a new dance. It’s kind of a square dance style dance, but as the chorus of the dance ends, each circle takes a step in opposite directions, so you keep getting a new partner. So we did this twice and at the end, we exchanged the lovely cedar nametags they had for us and addresses with the person we aligned with. The women who is my address exchange is very nice and doesn’t speak much English, so we communicated on a basic level, but are planning to meet in Hiroshima City in January for coffee and something else I am not sure of.

After a few closing remarks, we were ushered onto the bus as all of our hosts made a semi-circle and waved at us until we were out of site and we did the same. These trips by HIC are really a nice way to have a quick exposure and get to know people I wouldn’t otherwise meet. (One of the women I met on the last trip to Tomonoura and I e-mail and we are planning to meet during winter break for example.) After we were dropped back off at the Hiroshima City train station, a Chinese friend, the Iranian family, and I decided to eat something quick at the train station. We let the kids pick and ended up at McDonald’s. I had a Bi-ga-ma-ka-va-lyu-set-to and it all tasted exactly like at home. 1st time to a Japanese Micky-D’s and it was just the same as at home…though they do carry a few different fish items that we don’t have, all in all it’s the same, just a bit more expensive.

Have a great holiday season and I wish you the best in the New Year!

Friendly Fungi!

Ok, so it’s fall (winter to some) and the mushrooms are in season…not just plain mushrooms with the white caps or shitake, but all different kinds--some I have seen before some I have not. Some of them look like the parts of the others I am supposed to cut off and throw away and others are ready to be eaten right away. The good thing is that there are so many and they really don’t last long, they go on discount pretty quickly. Man, I have always loved mushrooms, but this is making it a passion…the last three nights I have had mushrooms in large quantities as a part of my dinners. I just can’t help myself. Usually I boil some broth (water and bouillon cubes) drop in some soba or udon noodles, pull those out and toss in the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are kinda blanched I pull those out and toss in some cabbage to blanch. Finally, I have it all tossed together with a bit of a couple of sauces I like. Then I save the broth for the next night. What a meal!

Kindergarten & Mochi-tsuki! (also known as the hammering of rice into paste)

Saturday I was invited to join a colleague to go with his family to visit their youngest son’s kindergarten. The kindergarten was making mochi-tsuki and then making the rice paste into mochi which are rice paste balls. It looked like it might rain all morning, but luckily the rain held off. When we got there, we went inside of this great kindergarten compound and went to the child’s class to put his things in his little cubicle, just like on a school day. We looked at the room and walked around the compound a bit. They started to call everyone to line up with their class, parents & kids alike. All of the kids were so very cute. This kindergarten is quite large with about 230 students and ages 3-6. Each of the classes has a different color hat and the teachers also wear the same color hat as their classes. (The hats are mostly worn while playing outside and protect from the sun on the face and neck.)

Once we got all lined up, they did a demonstration of mochi-tsuki. Once that was done, we all waited patiently until it was our turn to go in and make mochi or rice paste balls. We went in and the kids lined up on one side of the table with the adults, siblings, and me on the other. (This is maybe the only time I have felt noticeably the “other” compared to when I was in Tanzania and it was the “norm.”) After we made the little balls, we put them in a baggie and went back to the classroom. In the classroom, the teacher talked about how mochi-tsuki is a tradition and this was part of many fall festivals (like Sake Matsuri, if you recall). As we were getting things together after story time, the teacher approached the mom of the family I was with and told her that I could try my hand at the mochi-tsuki too, if I wanted. I asked if it would really be ok and she said it would be. So they took me over to the tents where the action was and introduced me to the director of the school who was kind of a ringmaster of the event. He was more than happy to oblige and after gathering some info from my hosts and me, he announced who I was, etc. and let me have at it. It was quite fun and not as heavy a hammer as I thought. The thing is, the head of the hammer is not even since you are beating it like a pestle into a large stone bowl, so to speak. That makes it a bit uneven in wielding it. Still I got the hang of it after one or two blows. The trick is that you have to be careful of is not to hit the person’s hands turning the dough in between the two people hammering in tandem. We didn’t hurt anyone, so by my accounts it was a success—and a lot of fun! We took the mochi we made back to my colleague’s house and after seeing two original PowerRangers shows, we had the mochi warmed with some soy and wrapped in nori or dried seaweed. We also had it with soy flour and azuki or sweet red beans. The latter was my favorite—the older son and I also just love simply the soy flour and azuki mixed together as a treat. I was told a couple of times that it’s not how the Japanese would normally eat it, but I figured eating it like that since it was already in my bowl is the best thing to do. Of course, after a nice morning festival and a good lunch, then the rain just pouring, what was there to do other than go do karaoke with the kids and other colleagues from my department!?!?! We had a good time and half of the fun is watching the youngest get excited about singing the theme from his favorite cartoons then part way into the song get so engrossed in the visuals on the TV, he stops singing and just kind of watches TV—then there’s my colleague from Ehime and he sings & dances his way through some Ehime-locale songs like a Backstreet Boy when they were still revered. What a riot, I haven’t laughed so hard in a long, long time! In case you care, it turns out that the most favored of my songs seems to be “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” I have no idea why—NOT! (FYI: I’ve seen the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell more times that you will breathe in and out today!)

There was also another trip I made to Tomo no Ura coordinated by the Hiroshima City’s international center, rather than the university’s. That way it had people who live in HCity as well as some students…good mix really! The day was a blast and I got to know some new people from Indonesia and from the US, as well as one of our Japanese volunteers from the local area. On our trip, we first went to a fish factory to make “fish cakes” or Chikuwa at the Uonosato fish factory. These cakes were actually fish tubes made from ueber-processed fish paste wrapped around a piece of bamboo. Regardless, it was fun to do and also to see the inside of a fish factory. They were drying octopus outside when we were there. It was fun to watch…they were all in a tray stacked up at a slant and spinning around. The women from Australia thought they were wind generators until I pointed out that they were drying racks. They had been in Japan for over three years and refused to learn any of the language—the whole trip they were complaining that nothing was in English…I avoided them as much as possible. After the fish factory, we walked around the town and up to a shrine on the hill called Nunakuma. It was a great place to get photos and we took plenty. On our way back to the town, we went to the Bingo Ankoku-ji (temple) where there is the Amidasanzon and the Hattokokushi, wooden statue of Buddha. These statues are considered national treasures. After that we walked around in the town a bit and to a homeishu brewery, where we sampled some homeishu. It was very tasty—probably my favorite of the day since it was sweeter. We continued to walk around and went to a Japanese tea-shop called Shiomachi Chaya for lunch. The shop had formerly been a shipyard, where they build ships. Some of the decorations were actually old equipment from the building’s former use. During lunch, I met and talked with an Iranian couple and their young boys. A while into the conversation, they told me that they thought Americans did not like Iranians. I felt a little hurt, but explained to them that actually I have a friend who lives in Tehran and that the US government and media doesn’t really always represent the US people. Also that many Americans would love to meet people from Iran, but all we ever seem to learn is negative from our media sources. After lunch we walked around a bit more and went to some more shops and another homeishu brewery. It was good, but a bit mediciny in taste. After that we walked around a bit more and went up a huge hill/mountain to the Ioji Shrine and graveyard. It afforded a lovely view and there was a large bell to normally be rung by monks calling people to prayer, but some in our group thought it was a toy. Once they settled down, it was really a nice place to be. We went back down into the town and to the lighthouse near the ports. After that we went to another homeishu brewery. This brewery let us come in to see how it was made and watch them bottle it with corks, the old fashioned way. We also were able to visit a small museum they had there and look at the whole place pretty much on our own. After that we went up a hill to the Tomo no Ura Museum of History and Folklore that had a lot of info about Tomo and the history, including festivals and so on. It was quite well done and a good museum. On our way down the hill, we were able to look at the Taigashima-Jo ruins. We also were able to see the Ota-ka house Chosotei as well. It is designated as a National Important Cultural Property and it is clear to see why. The building had been built in the mid-1800s and is simply a wonderful representation of building of long ago as is the whole town really. We then went on to a temple and to listen to the story of Tomo no Ura from a monk there. This temple was called Kaiganzan Senju-in Fukuzen-ji (temple). We were all brought into the Edo era reception hall that is designated a national historic landmark. It was spectacular—it has been considered “Japan’s more scenic beauty” by writers since 1711 when a Korean writer first penned the phrase. It was in this hall where we listed to the monk tell his story of the town in a strong dialect that most of our Japanese volunteers didn’t even understand. His is a true storyteller though and interpretation wasn’t entirely warranted. After his lesson, we all took photos of course, but I also stayed behind a bit to thank the monk as well. He thought I was German and showed me a figurine that Dr. Siegbold from Germany had presented his grandfather with decades ago. It was clear that he appreciated someone interested in the history he had to share, but unfortunately, we were far behind the rest of the group and had to excuse ourselves. We caught up with everyone else and walked to the seaside. There were many people fishing since it was a holiday and so we wandered about a bit. We found a fellow who was willing to show us his catch and here he had several small fugu in his icebox—that is to say, blowfish (also known as globefish). He said that these small ones are not poisonous, but the Japanese women I was with said they didn’t really believe him. He also had two small, slender fish—all of them no bigger than pike bait. Shortly after that the bus arrived and we were on our way home. It was a great day, but I was pooped!

A friend of mine in NYC sent me this song and said I should find out what it means and have someone sing it to me:

O kina kuri no kino shi ta de
Ana-ta to watashi
Naka yoku a so bi masho
O kina kuri no kino shi ta de

As it turns out, it’s a child’s song and roughly means:

Under the chestnut tree
Just you and me
We’re playing friendly
Under the chestnut tree

A colleague of mine was more than generous to sing it for me with the actions that go along with the song. I am planning to learn it and he’s even agreed to sing it so I may tape it to get the tune down too. I really like this song, especially when my other colleague’s kids sang it to me the other night. UPDATE: My kind and generous colleague taped it for me—now I can learn the tune and sing it to myself when I need to keep my head in Japanese or to amuse others, like y’all when I get home! : )

This weekend is a conference for my colleagues and they have been really working hard all week, but are still stressed. That’s something I have noticed here. It’s not necessarily that people procrastinate and then rush at the last minute. Rather it seems important to act as if you need to rush at the last minute—like if one person is, then we all should be in the same boat. It’s kind of funny, but I caught myself getting into it this week with the conference coming. So, I decided to work against stress and made everyone peppermint tea and brought in some treats I picked up in Tomo from my trip to calm folks down. One colleague actually thanked me for caring about everyone so much.

I believe certain things and one of those things is that there are spirits among us—no this isn’t some spook story, but do skip it if you want or if you’re going to be a smart-aleck. Ever since sometime while I was living in the 1BR in our current apartment building (in MN), I have sensed a cat and even seen it out of the corner of my eye at times. It moved from the 1BR to the 2BR with us…I’m quite sure it has come along with me to Japan too. I have had the sense a few times that it was here and then earlier this week, I glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye. I also think that this is a cat that I know well and is a kind of a companion/guardian. I have some ideas, but that’s enough for you to hash over as it is. Or I’m just going mad….ha-ha-ha!

The weather here has been non-exciting to say the least. It seems to have gone from humid and hot to humid and windy, with a touch of chill in the night air since we are in the mountains. Still, I haven’t had to wear more than a sweater and gloves in the evenings for biking. I hear that it may snow a bit, but it’s not so bad and usually melts quickly, which is fine with me since I am biking it everywhere unless it’s raining. I noticed today that all of the trees are really without leaves and things are starting to look like it wants to become winter soon. I’ve heard from folks here that although there isn’t much snow and the landscape looks dreary, often the skies are bright blue and sunny in the winter time.

So you think there’s a man in the moon, huh? Actually, in Japanese myth and story it is a rabbit or hare. Here are two versions of whence this comes:

"The Rabbit in the Moon." by Florence Sakade

Once, the Old-Man of the Moon saw a rabbit, a monkey and a fox all living in the forest as very good friends. He wanted to know which one of these animals was the kindest. He changed himself into a beggar and asked for some food. The monkey brought him back some fruit, the fox brought him some fish, but the rabbit did not bring anything back. Instead, he offered to
have himself cooked over a fire. Just as the rabbit was about to jump in, though, the beggar changed himself back into the Old Man and declared the rabbit to be the kindest. He then took the rabbit up to the moon to live with him.

Rabbit on the Moon Myth

In China and Japan, the rabbit is connected to the moon in a myth. The moon is supposed to be inhabited by the Moon goddess, Heng-o (Japan) or Ch'ang-o (China). She is the wife of Shen I, the "Excellent Archer." He had been given the drug of immortality, and his wife drank it while he was away. When he returned, he became so angry his wife fled to the moon. Her husband persuaded her, and she asked the Hare for protection. The Hare fought with her husband and made him give up his intentions of punishing his wife.

How to see the Rabbit in the Moon:
http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/~pignut/see_hare.html

Well, I think that’s good for now and I think I might end up sending this in a few messages…didn’t realize it would be so long! Next time I’ll try to send it periodically rather than waiting to the end of a month!

I have begun going over to a colleague’s house once a week to chat in English and have dinner with his family. It’s kind of been like a cultural exchange, so to speak. Initially, they offered to pay me for English lessons, but I don’t especially like that kind of arrangement with colleagues/friends. We talked a bit more and sorted things out and it’s been a really nice time ever since—I think for everyone involved. We take time to talk only English one-on-one with his wife and oldest boy for a little while about whatever is of interest and then we have dinner. So far it’s been huge traditional meals like okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) or nabe (stew) and some kind of a drink like beer or sake or shochi. They also always want to be sure I have a beer or such and were concerned that I didn’t drink very much or very often. I explained that I am on medication for my allergies and so I am careful about drinking much, if at all. Once I explained that it could hurt my liver and makes me very tired, they offered that I could stay overnight occasionally, if I’d like and so that we adults could drink together and talk. My poor little liver quivered at the suggestion. I think if I sip on a beer each time, all is good. Regardless, I really appreciate that they offered this arrangement because I am learning a lot about Japanese foods and home life not to mention it’s just nice to be in a home rather than a dorm setting. I really like talking and playing with the two kids as well. They are both boys and are 3 & 10. It’s so cute, their mom told me that the youngest one was so excited last week that he wanted to prepare my ohashi or chopsticks in anticipation of my visit. They are very good boys and quite fun to play with—and learn from. They have been teaching me more Japanese with their toddler toys and the bug and animal books, too. Every evening after dinner and playing or singing/dancing a bit, a timer goes off and that means it’s bath-time and on Thursdays, that Tina has to go until next week. We all say “see you” and “bai bai” and I get home all happy about what a nice evening we had.

Washi, or the torn paper designs, has always been something that I enjoyed and here I can actually afford some of the paper. I have also been working on my New Year’s cards as well. People typically don’t send Christmas cards, but rather the new year and new lunar year seem to be the big celebration.

One Saturday, I had a spontaneous spaghetti party. That means that I didn’t plan to have a party in my quite small place, but we did and it was fun and funny! I had a ton (actually a kilo) of spaghetti that was given to me and so I invited a friend over, then two, then one friend wanted to bring a friend. Ultimately we were only three, but more than that and we would have not been able to walk past each other in my place. After eating far too much spaghetti, I made a kind of banana’s foster without the actual flambet. We had plenty to eat, so we just sat around talking and then decided to have the bottle of wine that a friend brought. Well, I don’t have a corkscrew…so we improvised. After trying a few things and the same friend insisted that we should be able to just push the cork in without a mess. We tried that…after using some of my art tools, we were able to get the cork to go inside the bottle, but it certainly made a bit of a mess! It was funny though.

November 16th I woke up from a dream that was a mix of English and Japanese…it was reminiscent of what I am currently learning in Japanese and included speaking and writing in Japanese…the writing was hiragana and I was especially writing and reading something with “Neko”—means cat…

My counterpart/colleague on the exchange was in Japan for a conference and we met a couple of times during the week he was around campus. It was good to see him again! He looked about the same, but with shorter hair. His English is so much better than when I first met him in the US. It is interesting to see him in his own classes and office. He doesn’t seem nearly as nervous or shy. He even brought a bag of stuff over for me from my roommate although he was traveling light. I look forward to his return to campus in April so that I can get to know him on his territory, too.

I also went on a trip to pick mikan (tangerines)!! It was a fun day though I was dead tired by the end of it. There were four of us who pretty much spent the day together, only one person I knew. It was a fun day and we went from HU to the Shimanami Highway which runs along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea and through some really lovely and also some heavily industrialized areas. On the way we stopped at two nice rest stops that had all the stuff of US and German rest stops, but also nice views of the mountains and valleys. Once we arrived near Setoda, we drove by a small grove of tangerines and grapefruit…I joke that that was were we were going, sure enough it was where we were going! So we got off of the buses, by now we only had three buses, not the ten we started out with. I think that maybe we went to different groves since they are quite small and then just ran in tandem the rest of the day. I all that I could since those were free—lost count after 12 and then also picked and paid for a bag of them to bring back for my colleagues.

While we were picking fruit a couple asked if I could pose with the wife and the fellow from Romania. She was amazed that we were so tall and especially that I am taller than her husband. They were very friendly and all giggly about it. It was fun and apparently, I’ll be interesting to their family back home in India because of my height. Only time this has really come up in Japan unless I brought it up…

After the “fruit picking” we went to Sunset Beach for lunch. We brought our lunches and the four of us (a Chinese girl, a Chinese guy, a German guy and me) found a table so that we could eat together. After lunch two of us found some toilets then went walking along the shore. I found two jellyfish and we had to call the guys over to see them. As they were coming over, I spooked her very good indeed! She was poking at it with a shell and the third or fourth time she did so, I went “boo!” She jumped half-way up from squatting and fell right on her bum! It was funny, but I felt sorry that she probably got her trousers quite sandy. The four of us decided to walk out one of the piers and take some photos. It was fun. We were acting like we were on a catwalk and stuff…just being silly.

Eventually we were all back on the buses and we went into the town of Setoda. Our first stop was the Hirayama Museum. It is a museum of Ikuo Kirayama, a living artist, whose main goal of art is to bring peace to the world, while at the same time preserving the World’s Cultural Heritage through what he calls the Red Cross Spirit for Cultural Heritage. He was a junior high school boy when Hiroshima was destroyed by the A-Bomb and he has suffered from radiation poisoning and side-effects ever since. They have artwork from his toddler years through to the present. In the early works, it is clear that he has a gift in drawing and painting. Some of his works from when he was 14 or 15 are simply incredible—in some cases, I like them better than some of the later works he has done.

Two things that really left an impression on me were a painting of the A-Bomb Dome he had done recently and also two paintings of the Buddas in Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban. The Buddas were done in 2003 from memory after the Taliban destroyed the original huge effigies. It is really interesting to me that first of all, he did not paint them previously, for example during his travels there. They are also interesting to me because he took the time to paint them from memory once they were destroyed to preserve them further. Good for him to have the consciencous to do so. The other painting that really caught me was of the A-Bomb Dome he had done recently. It is a simply picture with a red that will “make you cry” as Lee-san described it. On the very bottom maybe 1/10th of the picture is the rubble and the Dome standing midst the red of hell. In the upper right corner is XXX, or the god of the underworld, as a colleague described him to me. He is sitting upon what appears to be a red cloud within the red sky and is looking down menacingly. I really like this image and actually missed it the first time I saw the picture. It makes me think that the aftermath of the A-bomb was a hell on earth. I can’t imagine any better imagery that what he has portrayed.

Personally, I really enjoyed the pen and watercolor paintings he has made best overall as a genre. His younger brother was actually at the museum and talked with most of the Chinese students that I was with.

After the museum, we walked to the Kosanji Temple and looked around for a while. It was an amazing temple and area. Most of the design and architecture seems to be very similar to Chinese temples, according to many of the Chinese students. I especially liked the dragons on the corners of the temple, as well as the stone deities along the natural walls of the areas. They were all very detailed and beautiful. I also was intrigued by a painted wood relief on the side of the temple of a woman dancing in front of other women and with women sitting behind her as well. There was a male child to whom she was dancing, but he just seemed to be in the middle of the picture…the real action of the relief was all around him. I liked it so much I took an up close photo of it that looks pretty good. We also walked up to the Colle della Speranza on the hill of hope. It reminds me of two people preparing to kiss, but only of the lips and chins. I like the anonymity and intimacy of it all at once.

During the course of the day a bit of slimy guy kept talking to me about learning English and studying English theory and stuff and so I was polite, but clear that I really don’t want to be his English teacher. He also mentioned something that everyone knows me on campus as the “tall western girl” and I checked this out with a friend who is also Chinese and she said that people were talking about how tall I am and that most everyone apparently recognizes me. What can I say to that?

After we got back on the bus, headed home, we stopped once at a rest stop, just in case, I guess. I wanted some ice cream, but couldn’t find it, so I got a kind of jellybeans instead. As soon as I turned around, I saw the ice cream coolers—bummer!

On November 22nd, I woke with the remnants of a dream in my mind. There was a hand reaching through an open window as I slept stealing a wallet and keys, etc. It wasn’t here and it wasn’t mine, but rather at my parents’ house in the spare room. At first, I thought it so strange and thought maybe I was dreaming of a youth hostel or something since it wasn’t all normal, rather it was all so surreal and nothing seemed to fit.

I also got the chance to visit a Juku or cram school where a colleague of mine works in teaching English for the national exams. At first, I was quite uncomfortable since we were early, but after a little while, it was just fine. They gave me some tea and had me eat some mochi (rice paste balls) in azuki (sweet red beans) like a soup. Ooooh, I love that stuff! Once the class started, I took the drill/exam too. I got 168 out of 200…yeah, and I’m a native speaker. At least I was on the high end of the curve. I realized that a few of the questions, just weren’t good questions or didn’t give good answers to choose from. My colleague who was teaching had me say several of the sentences and words over for the student to hear and figure out how they may have answered differently. At the end of the lesson, he let me have ten minutes to talk with the students about anything. I started off asking them about school compared to juku, but realized that was a bit much for their conversational levels. So we talked about hobbies and sports. They are quite nice students, just a bit shy at first. I’ve already been invited back for a visit and to observe again.

Initially, going into visit the juku, I had a negative impression of them. Mostly this was because basically they are studying to the test and taking drill/exams to get their timing down. After actually seeing one (only one time), I think it’s more than just that. It’s actually a good way to have a small cohort (under 10 students in this particular class) to commiserate with and with whom to prepare. It’s not such a bad idea and it seems quite a friendly place. I think that my negativity should better be placed at standardized testing as the end all to entrance to particular universities…though this too is changing in Japan.

Recently, I was working on an acquaintance’s introduction to their thesis. I am realizing that I have been very fortunate to learn all that I have by my age. The person I am helping with his thesis is from Southeast Asia and it’s becoming clear to me that although he has a M.A. on paper, some of the basics of setting up and executing a thesis were not part of his education. Fortunately, I am in the process of doing the same myself and have along many resources to help me out. So out come the handouts from my May and summer classes and the notes and the books and the references and the charts….it’s kind of funny. He looked at me at one point and asked me why I have all of this info and if I really used it for mine. I had to explain that, indeed I have been referring to the info I have and that I had classes that help me do just what he is wanting to do—an evaluation of a project.

Chinese Party (as the person who invited me to it called it…)

We had a party at a friend’s place and ate until we were more than full. Have I mentioned that I love real Chinese food? Oh yeah! After a delicious spicy start to the meal, we all worked together to make a course, Chinese dumplings (or potstickers as some may call them). It was a riot with about eight or nine people in a studio apartment making balls of dough or smooshing dough or rolling dough or stuffing and crimping them shut or cooking them up as quickly as they could be made. Each time we had a plate full of cooked ones at the table, we all stopped what we were doing and dove in. A word to the wise, those puppies are hot on the inside right out of the pan. One fellow and I both burned our mouths and hands upon impact, so to speak. It’s ok though: we made everyone else laugh by running to the kitchen faucet for some cold water relief.

After our delicious dining endeavors, most of us headed out for karaoke at one of the other karaoke places in town. This one had a broader selection of English songs and songs in general, it seemed. We rented one of the rooms (turned out to be a big one) and sang until our voices were hoarse. Acquaintances of friends met us at the karaoke and they happened to be new students on the intensive language and culture program. It was interesting how things played out. We all had a good time, but a couple of people asked me how old these American girls were. When I explained that they are probably about 20 or so since they are in college, they had thought they were much younger. I mentioned that perhaps they had something to drink at the other party they were at since they had just come from a costume party. It reminded me a bit of other Americans I’ve encountered overseas, except these girls were acting much less capable than other instances I recalled.

The first group of us ended up leaving a bit after 2am. I felt so bad, the fellow who had offered to drive us home in two shifts was just exhausted—they party had been at his place, so he had been working on that all day too! We offered to walk or take a cab, but he wouldn’t hear of it. So, after we were dropped off near one person’s apartment, I picked up my bike and made it home…although I couldn’t quite get to sleep until a little after 4am.

November

I bought a hair dryer—I know it doesn’t sound like an interesting purchase, but besides blow drying my hair, it’s perfect to warm me a bit when my fingers are cold while typing or if I need a bit of a warm boost while studying. Hey, it’s not my idea, thank my college roommate, Sara, for this strange idea.

I also made a visit to an elementary school. Here are some impressions about the school:

The children are very well-behaved and the teachers are quite good at dealing with students that are excited by visitors. One thing that I was surprised by, but perhaps should have expected was that it appeared all of the students we encountered were Japanese students. I did not see any visible racial diversity.

I was impressed to see some ability diversity in that there were a handful of students 1-6th grade in a special education room, however all of the grade levels seemed to receive the same lessons. I understand that in most cases students visit special ed for an hour or two a day and are mainstreamed with the general population the rest of the time. I saw one boy who was confined to a wheelchair and seemed to possibly have a type of palsy on second floor and he was also at recess when we were outside. I did not see any elevators besides the dumb waiter that is used for the meals carts. I am not sure how he got around. Each time we saw him, he had a teacher’s assistant with him and during recess while other kids played dodgeball, his assistant and a few other kids ran around the yard with the assistant exercising the boy’s arms. I think that this attention and care through the use of touch is very important and I hope that it extends beyond open school days.

The artwork and music ability of the students we observed is quite high comparatively speaking for the 1-6th grades. I was particularly impressed with the students while practicing for a coming assembly. Every student had an instrument (recorder, blow piano, bell) and they seemed to all be trying their best.

In general, the resources I saw at the school were amazing! They had instruments as well as art materials, classroom decorations and health education posters. The nurse’s office was very well outfitted with 3 or 4 beds for sick children and in a large space. There was also ample space in each classroom for the class and I was impressed that there were only 28-35 students in most of the classes. Class size is in good proportion comparatively speaking. I was impressed by the science rooms/labs for the students. The equipment I saw would normally not be available to elementary students in the U.S. They would first encounter it in middle/junior high school (ages 12-14). The only aspect that I thought may be lacking, is the school library. Perhaps, the students/parents utilize the public libraries more in Japan than in the U.S.?

Some perspectives that I found especially “Japanese” through my American eyes, were the many different footwear a child must wear during the course of a school day. I also noticed that the students have so many bags and so many things that they must bring to and from school—I wondered how they find time in the day to use all that they have in and around their desks and still learn! I was quite impressed with all of the “Ohaio gozaimas’” and “konnichiwas” I heard from the children. They were quite willing to say hello and I was surprised by how much they defer to older people—it’s part of how well they behave, I think. I also noticed the uniforms, of course. Personally, I think that uniforms are a good idea, assuming that the parents can afford them or they are provided for students. After noticing all of the same book bags for students, I was aghast when I noticed how much they cost at the store. It is an outrageous expense that has no apparent benefit—not to mention that they are quite heavy. I would be concerned for my child’s health having to carry such a heavy backpack also made heavier with books, etc. (I know for a fact that there have been studies regarding back problems for children with packs too heavy for their frames during their growing years.)

I found the school impeccably clean and no graffiti on the walls or in the toilets. I also really appreciated the list of duties that students must do on a rotating basis--everything from saving energy to handing out papers and so on. I think that this is an important aspect and helps students learn a community-focused way of living. It shows that their actions can have an impact on others, positively or negatively. I feel that this is lacking in some regards in the U.S.

The meals demonstrated on the hallway poster looked quite nutritious and to be plenty of food for active kids. Other hallway posters I noticed that seemed to be promoting learning English phrases were a nice reminder of students coursework, but I noticed a couple of errors. I cannot remember exactly what they were. I also appreciated the posters and artwork made by the children and displayed in the classrooms, hallways, and so forth. All in all it was a really nice trip and I really enjoyed the opportunity.

Internal Culture Clash

I have noticed that each time I have encountered a German here I have been amazed at how rude they are. I think I have kind of adapted myself to interacting with Japanese people and to try to jump to interacting with a German is tough for me. I know that when I moved to Germany, it really took a good amount of time to be able to handle how low context Germans are, although they are similar to Americans in that way. I think now I am trying so hard to understand the higher context Japanese, that when I encounter a German, they seem so out of place. It’s not to say I don’t like the Germans I’ve encountered, it’s that I have a tough time interacting with them in mixed groups. I am often encouraged by others to speak German because they want to see how good my German is, and then I interact the way I would in Germany/US, I feel that I am being quite rude in my actions compared to others, mostly Japanese, around me. Yeah, well, it’s just an observation…

I also got my haircut. Yeah, it’s humid here like the belly of a hippo. I think I am going to go real short in the spring and for the summer…I am just hoping that I survive the summer heat and humidity. People have asked me what the humidity is like: it’s Tanzania, Florida ain’t got nothin’ on this, kind of humid…looking forward to the summer. “Ha-ha-ha” al a James Early Jones.

Ah, yes, my colleagues and I decided we have to have a party since one of our colleagues was returning to Viet Nam. We decided to have a big ol’ BBQ over at one colleague’s place. It was a great time, but a bit different than at home. We were primarily in their front yard and near “patio doors.” I quote those because they were like our patio doors, except they step in and out of the garden, which was their front yard, about 10”x10”. We set up three good-sized grills and at first I wondered why we needed three…well, we only ended up using two of them any way. We, the women, got the food prepared in the house and once it was all sliced up for the grill, we went outside where the men were trying…emphasis on trying…to start a fire. It was funny…a scene from around the world. Of course I had to take pictures. Once they were able to get the charcoal (real charcoal, not briquets or something) with some help from the women and kids, we started grilling stuff. I have noticed that all of the meat are sliced small and thin and have wondered why. Well, I am slowly realizing that it is because it takes more energy to cook thick meat—something that is very expensive here in whatever form. It was also good news since as we put food on the grill everyone just kind of crowds around and grabs at stuff they think is done. It was funny, and made me think if creating a Monty Python skit about human crows—ok so that’s just my mind working away on a scene that was not familiar to me!

One thing that I noticed that seemed very Japanese, as I’d imagine, is that at one point, most of the women were inside handing the food out the sliding doors and passing drinks out and empty cups in and the such. Then those who were tending the BBQs were passing them food from there. Not a bad deal since it was cooler and out of the sun in the house, but the space of the doorway is so small and your meal depends on the wills of others. Still, it struck me as a unique action.

At one point, we ran out of charcoal, so two colleagues along with the kids ran to the store. They were gone quite a while and of course without charcoal we just sat around talking and the such. At one point, one poor colleague from China shifted on the little table that I was afraid of sitting at, at it collapsed with her legs pinned in it—all of the food slid onto her and the ground. Oh, it was a mess. Fortunately, I was next to her and she is small, so I was able to help pull her upright and that allowed her legs to come out of between the table and the seat where they were being leveraged and pinched by her body weight. She was fine, probably with some bruises, but I think she was so embarrassed she just wanted people to forget that it happened. She also kept apologizing for breaking the table, more than I could imagine someone doing at home. Probably a cultural difference…I’m guessing maybe more so Japanese than Chinese.

Once the folks getting charcoal returned we ate ourselves silly and just stopped at some point. Of course, we were nearly ready to send out a search party since they had been gone for so long. During that time, one colleague started playing catch with the kids in the street. They were all having a great time. A bunch of the guys, including the German visitor, all took turns playing catch.

We decided to clean up since it was getting late and as I overheard something like “the family is getting tired” was explained. So we all dutifully cleaned up and cleared out the front yard. Once that was done, they invited us inside…to sit down and talk a bit more—so we filled their living room and spilled over into the tatami room. I like Japanese homes. The rooms can be expanded or contracted by the sliding of a few doors. There were about twenty-five or so of us and we all had a spot to sit on the floor and kids and a few colleagues tried odd human tricks in the middle…of course, then the food came again. Whatever we couldn’t finish outside was made into a yummy hash and everyone got a small plate of it. Although we all grumbled at how full we were, we ate it up and had a few more drinks. Leaving early didn’t seem to be on anyone’s mind now that we were inside. So we talked and laughed and played with the kids and whatnot. At last, a colleague’s family was there and she wanted to get her kids home early-ish for bed, so she offered to give a few others rides and me a ride to or near campus. I really appreciated that!

Some of the grammar-focused classes I have been attending are just becoming more of a pain than helping me with functioning. That and the fact that I am in three Japanese classes of some sort at the same time, has me spending a bit too much time on a peripherial focus of my time here. So, I am planning to drop the written/grammar classes and concentrate on the spoken classes of “Nihongo Model Class” and “Elementary Japanese” that moves along quickly with verbal learning—these are both much more Freire-friendly learning environments.

I also had a health check this month. It was like a conveyor belt, first an x-ray of the chest. Apparently, all students have to have one each semester!?!? Too much radiation, if you ask me—unfortunately, that means in April I have to have another. They are so paranoid about TB because it’s been on the rapid increase the last few years apparently. Then you either used a “Pee Pole” or dropped yours from that morning off. You get weighed and measured (down 12lbs since departure) and then you are off to blood pressure check. Of course, by now I have been successful using my limited Nihongo and even the words I looked up last night to memorize for this occasion—but that also means that my BP was a bit higher than normal. Then I go to the eye check, where I am supposed to say in Japanese up/down/left/right for which way the “c” is facing. Then to wait a little while until I may see the doctor. During this wait, I met a student from the U.S. She’s an art student from Florida and is in the language & culture intensive program. She is frustrated that all of the other students are drinking their scholarships away and doesn’t really seem to hang out with them much other than in classes. She seems nice enough, but I am realizing that I am a bit older than the traditional student, aren’t I? : ) Well, we talked for a bit and plan to meet sometime for coffee, it might be good if she is having a rough time finding folks not keen on drinking. Once I got in to see the doctor, he explained everything in English and all is normal and fine, no worries, problems, etc. He even had the x-ray and everything. The whole check-up was a bit less than an hour. I took this time to ask about my swollen ankles and he said it could me many things (hmmm, where have I heard that before…), but that they look fine and I shouldn’t worry unless it gets worse or there is pain.

Wouldn’t you know it, the week after a health check, I got sick! Yeah, well, I think I have determined that I kept scallops in the fridge a little too long and was too much of a tightwad to throw them away when I realized it….

Here’s and interesting website about things made in Hiroshima: http://www.pref.hiroshima.jp/shoukou/shousei/original/S10-e.html

One day this past month, on my way there some girl on a bike hit me from behind—I mean really, how daft do you have to be!?! She clipped me good and although I didn’t go down, something with my wheel and brake isn’t quite right now. She didn’t even stop, all she did was ride past and yell something. What a B! Then I saw her just about 10 meters ahead then run into two bikes head-on, this time fully colliding. By the time I got there, she was gone and the two guys were kind of shell-shocked like I had been. We just looked at each other and tittered since neither of us knew what to say or do. I hope whatever she was rushing for was worth risking life and limb. (And I secretly hoped that she would be late for it!)

Hey, it seems that I am the in-house English assistant. Naw, there have been some journal deadlines and so many colleagues are asking me to proof their abstracts. It’s not a problem since the majority of the folks who ask are already friends and I am happy to do so. It’s interesting though, there are all of these Japanese journals and they only have abstracts in them based on the research one is working on or preparing for presentation/paper at a conference. It’s really a different way of doing things. I especially learned this when I asked what style they were using, the response was “whatever is in this journal.” I looked at it and there wasn’t a perceivable standard style, nor did it say anywhere the style requested. Must be nice…