Just got back from a 2 hour Harroween party with my Business English students. I got a call from my teacher last night around 7, saying we were to have a party and could I think of something to make? A little last minute, but easy peasy, I thought, until I got to the grocery store and realized how impossible it is to make Halloween themed food here. Not only is there a whole world of unfamiliar candy, I can't even get cinnamon, much less something like chocolate cake mix or pumpkin shaped sprinkles. I decided to make Rice Krispy Treats, or a bastardization of it, rather. Who wants to guess if I found Rice Krispies? Silly you. I bought bags of what looked like puffy grains of rice (but didn't look a thing like Rice Krispies). Actually what I almost bought at first was tempura flakes. Also, Japanese marshmallows are strawberry flavored, which I didn't realized until I opened the bag and caught the unexpected wiff of jam. The end result was... Kind of different. Still interesting for the kids, but I was dismayed that they couldn't experience the true American snack of childhood dreams. Anyway, we cooked pancakes and okonomiyaki, and one of the girls brought some cakes she'd made. So much food. Bleh. I feel a little disgusted with myself, to tell you the truth. But I like being around these great kids, and I felt ever the slightest warm fuzzy feeling inside, the kind that only a teacher of foreign kids (actually, I guess I'm the foreign one) can feel, the kind in every vomit-inducing essay in every JET publication. It's wonderful. Oh yes.


Yesterday a group of ALTs and I took a train to Takyo (not Tokyo) to find the mikan picking farm. Mikan are dangerously addictive little mandarin oranges, and Shizuoka is famous for them. Lucky us! For 400¥, you're let loose on the farm and can basically stuff your face with all you can eat. But, like a buffet, you can't take any home. It was a Willy Wonka-esque experience for me, as I've never been to a place where I can just pluck whatever I want off the tree and eat it. And it was a really breathtaking farm too... Whereas I was imagining a vast plain of trees, the farm was actually in a sort of valley, and the orange trees were staggered up the hills. We climbed (and ate) our way to the top of one of the hills, which commanded an impressive view of the orchard and the big cemetary next to it. Which probably contained the bodies of careless gaijin tourists. Or girls who go mikan picking wearing stiletto boots and pumps (which we saw). Anyways, I probably ate enough Vitamin C to last me a month. And we probably could have smuggled out some oranges, b/c they didn't even check for them. Sigh. Sometimes it blows my mind how trusting the Japanese are. Like, if they saw us taking oranges, their heads would blow up b/c they can't even comprehend why you'd steal.

So tonight starts the web-based research study I'm participating in. A grad student from the School of Design is conducting a study of how couples communicate when living at a distance. I'm actually kind of excited to be a part of it, since it is actually an important part of my life right now, and I would be very interested in the results. In a way, it's also nice to be at least contributing to something design-related, as I haven't been doing much for myself lately. Sometimes I get into such a routine that I forget that teaching English isn't my REAL career path. I'm also excited to be going to Tokyo Design Week this coming weekend, where I will meet up with Melissa and Jimi from CMU. It's time I get back to my roots.

Happy Harroween!

In the spirit of Halloween, and because I'm in Japan (and because real pumpkins are outrageously priced and exist solely to empty your pockets for Halloween) I decided to carve a jack-o-lantern out of a daikon radish. I had to do unspeakable things to it with a butterknife and a tablespoon, but what resulted is probably one of the more interesting lanterns I've ever made. The radish's shape resembles that of a ghost (which is what inspired me in the first place), and with the insides carved out, has a nice soft luminosity. If I had better tools I'd carve out more of the inside though. When I was finished, I lit a teeny votive candle inside for tradition's sake, even though it was kind of a lonely "carving party." But it was a hit at school, until the candle started cooking the radish. Kids thought it smelled, but it actually reminded me of soup... Still, nothing compares the scent of burning pumpkin, and that is one thing I will miss about autumn this year.

So apparently "Boo!" in Japan isn't what ghosts say. Ghosts say "Wah!" "Boo" is the sound of a fart. No wonder kids merely looked confused when I said that it to them.

Teaching about Halloween in class is a little interesting for me, since that was the question they asked me in my interview for JET. I had to ad-lib a holiday lesson in front of my judges, and I chose Halloween. I did a good job at the time, but it's funny that I didn't use that approach at all in my real classes.

So, I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. Do some laundry, make some scones, real domestic stuff. To everyone one else in the states enjoying Halloween in full force, party hardy.

Oleeee Olé Olé Oleeeee!

So this weekend I went to my first soccer game! On the top of a hill in Shimizu city, amid rice paddies and not much else, the stadium was a sea of orange, the color of the home team, Shimizu S-Pulse. I think Japanese love to be fans. Everyone was decked out in orange jerseys, and they all knew the chants and dances for each player. We were standing at the end of the stadium, where all the hardcore fans are. We didn't even notice when the game started, b/c everyone around us was so busy chanting and singing. The most memoral moment: when the team scored a goal, they rolled down a huuuge orange tarp over the entire bleachers (that included me too!), partied under it for about ten seconds, then the tarp was rolled back up as quickly as it came. Talk about efficiency.

On Sunday I painted my kitchen. From buying supplies to finish, it all fit quite nicely in one afternoon. It took me awhile to buy the paint, as I tried to explain to the saleswoman what "primer" was, but apparently it doesn't exist here. The paint job came out well without it anyway. I have to give myself a pat on the shoulder here. The kitchen looks a lot brighter; with the wood panels gone, it feels a lot less like a cave.

Monday night as I was walking up to my front door from a birthday dinner in Numazu, I ran into Kawashima-sensei, my JTE! She said she was running out ot get some drinks and snacks, and that my neighbor, Mr. Miyagi was having a drinking party at his house. House party??? Sweet. I ended up hanging out with my teachers for an hour or so, drinking beer and eating food they kept insisting I try (even though I'd just eaten dinner... errr...). It was nice to see the teachers so relaxed and friendly, as I was starting to think they all never wanted to see each other after work. And, as per the unwritten rule, no mention of the goings on the next morning. ;)

So following my kitchen improvement, I decided to get my hair cut today. A little place near the Tokura Bridge, called Crunch Hair. I know that sounds like a terrible name, and I shudder to think of the days when I had a perm and actually heard that sound from my own hair. But the place is actually very cute and very recently renovated. It also tickles me that after the girl washed my hair (twice), or had me move from the chair, everyone in the salon said "Otsukaresama deshita!" ("Good job!") to me. Oh Japanese service... Anyways, I'm not crazy about the cut, but that's been the trend for the past two years anyway. It's not bad though, and a lot better than the grown-out remains of the butchering my hair received three months ago. It was time for a change.

And I guess that is the whole theme of this past week. Change in my immediate surroundings, my appearance, the weather, and in part, my attitude. It must be the season... Though most of the week it's been grey and cool, today the temperature really plummeted and turned from sweater weather to coat and scarf weather (at least for a wimp like me). So soon? : ( I hope not. It's not even November yet! Always at this time of the year, I wrestle with the inevitable cold weather and my own stubborn denial. As if not wearing a winter coat would delay winter itself. Still, I am not ready to have my feet frozen to the shower floor, or wake up in the morning and see my breath.

PS- I watched "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" tonight. It was the new version, and it was terrible.

PPS- Japanese children either possess no fear or are very slow to catch on to traffic rules. It was proven today when I saw a little girl walking close to the road barely flinch (or notice) when a huge truck barreled by not two feet from her. And she merely meandered to the side right before I nervously passed by on my bike. Seriously. Zombie children of Japan! Wake the hell up!

Adventures in the Big City Pt.2

"Candy, kudasai!" The Japanese answer to "Trick or Treat." Kind of has a nice ethnic ring to it, ne? Sometimes even highschool kids can be too cute. This week I've been having em draw their own jack-o-lanterns, and I need to really document some! Especially the names they give them... My favorites so far have been: Yakuza, Uproarious Pumpkin, Kabo-chan, and Three-Eyed Gentleman (guess what this one looked like?). There's some inspiration for you guys at home. Carve a lantern befitting the name "Yakuza" and you've got a winner.

Anyways, back to part two of my Tokyo adventure.


So Sunday morning, I stumbled to the bathroom and was greeted by a giant golden turd outside the window. In fact, it was the famous La Flamme d'Or, the Philippe Starck designed sculpture atop the Asakusa Super Dry Hall across the river.


Around nine, we headed out to see Senso-ji, the big temple of Asakusa, which was a little anticlimactic due to some structure they're building in front of it, which, in addition to being unsightly, totally ruins the view. The temple itself is very nice though. Lining the walkway to the temple are lots of little vendors selling trinkets, rice crackers, and souvenirs, as well as festival food (like I want yakisoba first thing in the morning). We saw a giant rice cracker the size of a dinner plate, but the lady wouldn't let us take a picture. Then on our way out, we passed by a Totoro shop, but weren't let in! What's going on? That's not how you get on my good side, Asakusa. So just out of spite, I'm going to build a mega franchise out of giant rice crackers, make a fortune, and send a million photos to the vendor lady. >D


After that we took a train to Electric Town Akihabara. Many people who think of Tokyo conjure up images of this neighborhood with alleyways jammed packed with stores selling every electronic device imaginable. And there are also stores selling floors upon floors of manga, DVDs, videogames, and "hobbies" (yes, those include the over-18 kinds...). To tell the truth, it's not that interesting, unless you've got something in mind to buy. We did get lots of free tissues though, from AU workers advertising a new campaign/phone/whatever.

For lunch we headed back to Shinjuku for some kaiten sushi (at last!), otherwise known as conveyor belt sushi. It's very to the point, which I like. You just find an empty stool, sit down, grab what you want, eat, and go. The plates of sushi are color/design coordinated so that you can know the price of the sushi with just a quick glance. The sushi wasn't top notch by any means, but it was an experience. And you definitely want to sit at the end of the belt nearest the kitchen to get the first pick (make sure the sushi is coming out of the kitchen, and not going in). After lunch, a nice leisurely browse in the Kinokuniya (one of two in Shinjuku!). It would have been nicer if there were places to sit down though; my shoes were killing me!

At 2:30 we boarded the train out of Tokyo. But our adventure wasn't over yet! After some begging and jumping up and down in my seat, I had convinced my friend the day before to go to the Ramen Museum with me in Shin-Yokohama. Yes, RAMEN MUSEUM! The very same one I'd stumbled across on a website years ago, before I ever dreamed I'd go to Japan. It's hard to describe how excited I was when 40 minutes later, we pulled into Shin-Yokohama station. Even more excited than when I saw the shuttle buses for the only IKEA in Japan in front of the station.

No time for Swedish goods though, as we had ramen to investigate. 300¥ is all that stands between you and admission to the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum and Amusement Park (sic). The website calls it "Ramusement". Really, it's just a giant shop to sink your money into, but it was wonderful. On the first floor is an exhibit on how they make ramen (which I unfortunately couldn't read) and a very extensive gift shop selling all sorts of ramen and supplies and trinkets. The guide book explained the bottom two floors as a place where you could relax with a beer and enjoy a stunning virtual sunset. Virtual sunset???


What greets you after you descend the nondescript, industrial staircase to the basement (I kept thinking of 1984) is a sight to behold! The entire bottom floor of the museum has been transformed into an accurate replica of a working class Tokyo neighborhood circa 1958, complete with a spectacular changing sunset on the ceiling. There's even laundry hanging from the faux-weathered eaves of the buildings. Scattered throughout are 8 different ramen restaurants serving specialty ramen from various localities around Japan. Being true glut--er, gourmands, Jeff and I shared a big bowl of Kyushu ramen as well as a small bowl each of Shanghai spicy miso ramen. We weren't even hungry... but you can't go to a ramen museum and not try more than one ramen! While the garlic flavored Kyushu ramen broth was smooth and rich, my favorite was the spicy miso one. The broth had a delicate hint of fish, which is unusual since most broths are made with pork. A generous dollop of spicy red karamiso on top added a fiery kick. By the end, I was sweating bullets. Unfortunately, there isn't too much to do at the museum, so it's not like you can spend a whole day there, getting your appetite back to try more ramen. : ( All in all, I had lots of fun, and checked off another destination of top places to go in Japan!

One downside to going to Tokyo is, of course, coming back. From Shinjuku to Shimizo-cho, the transition can seem surreal. But that's when you write lengthy blog updates in an attempt to relive the magic.

Adventures in the Big City Pt.1

Yes, I can't get enough of Tokyo. My Tokyo experience is getting better and better with each trip. This weekend I accomplished many "firsts" as well.

Saturday morning, I actually had to go to work, as the school was having an open house for junior highschool students. Fortunately I used my extra hours to get the afternoon off, and after fourth period I raced out of school to catch a bus to Numazu, then a train to Tokyo. My friend Jeff from Fuji accompanied me this weekend.

The main reason for the trip was the Nagisa Music Festival, held in the Daiba neighborhood (district? area? whatever) of Tokyo. It lasted all weekend, but we were there only on Saturday. For only 3000¥ per day, it's not a bad deal at all. Daiba itself is near the Rainbow Bridge, and lots of big futuristic buildings and malls, all probably unreachable by foot. It's an area reserved for businesses and events (like said festival), and not very residential or pedestrian-friendly. That's just my initial impression though. We got there by a Disney World-esque monorail from Tokyo station, which, based on the surroundings, seemed very appropriate. We could see the festival from the train, a largish parking lot collection of tents, flags, and a big Ferris Wheel. Not to mention the bizarre Fuji TV building right across the street. In the light of the setting sun, it was all very impressive.

The festival had multiple small stages, mostly commanded by various DJs, most of whom I didn't know. I came to see the "Experimental" bands, like Metalchicks and Mono. We only caught the tail end of Metalchicks, but it was my first sight of Japanese people dancing. Yes! They dance! I was actually kind of taken off guard... Most of the crowd there was 20-30 somethings, all interestingly dressed and mostly good looking. And then there were some that made it look like Harajuku decided to come out to play. It was an interesting mix of hipsters, new wave hippies and urbanites. Thankfully the hippies and the stalls selling hippie merchandise weren't overwhelming, and wiffs of weed were minimal, at least where I was standing (sorry, I don't have much patience for that new age shit). But to their credit, the food stalls looked (and smelled) really good. Sri Lankan curry, Mongolian kebabs... Hippies do have an interesting taste palette. And wafts of a certain garlic shrimp dish (which, despite our hound-dog efforts, we never found) distracted us multiple times from Mono's performance.

Which was amazing. You could compare them to Mogwai and Explosions In the Sky and other bands of that ilk, but of course they bring their own style to the table. We were standing quite close to the speakers, though, which got a little intense at times. It was also great just being at a show again; can't even remember that last one I've been to.

After the set, we wandered a bit around the grounds again, before deciding to head back to the city for dinner, after resisting all the enticing festival foods. And boy, was it worth it. We went to the 8th floor of a building in the heart of Kabuki cho in Shinjuku for all you can eat sukiyaki. Oh yes. My first sukiyaki in Japan! For a mere 1620¥ you can eat all the delicious beef/vegetables/noodles you can cram into your gaping maw for 90 minutes. And believe me, 90 minutes is enough. We even got hooked up with a free drink from one of the waitresses who recognized Jeff!

At the end of the night, exhausted and straining in our pants, we stumbled out of the restaurant and took the Yamanote Loop to Asakusa where our capsule hotel was. My first capsule hotel! This particular one actually allows women, which is uncommon for capsule hotels. It was kind of a sad building though. Not really dingy or dirty, just lonely and a little forgotten. I guess that's the feeling I get from Asakusa though, which used to be the center of activity in Tokyo until Shibuya and Shinjuku were "born". However, the view from the shower, overlooking the neighborhood was quite nice.

Another great thing about staying at places in Japan is that they provide everything for you-- towels, slippers, pajamas, toiletries. Which means I didn't have to bring anything with me to Tokyo. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I'd left my contact solution and case at home, which meant I had to sleep in my contact lenses. A lot scarier to think about than actually doing. Oops.


Sleeping in a capsule isn't as claustrophobic as you'd think. You walk into the room and see a lot of separate berths, kind of like on trains in old movies (I'm reminded of Some Like It Hot). Inside your capsule is a little TV, a light, a mirror, and a shelf with knobs and dials to control all that, plus alarm clock and radio. A pull down screen covers the opening of your "room," not a dryer-like door, like I originally thought. Heh, which would actually be a terrible idea, unless there was some sophisticated ventilation system in the capsules... But of course the flap is far from sound-proof and I was woken up in the morning by someone's annoying alarm clock that they must have forgotten about. Jesus. The only other gripe I have is that the cushion in the capsule is about an inch thick, so it doesn't take long before you're tossing and turning and trying to cram the blanket under you so you don't wake up with bruises all over.

Part 2 of my Tokyo trip coming soon!

PS- There was an earthquake in my area on Saturday night! I was, of course, in Tokyo when it happen, so there goes another quake opportunity missed. It happened at 6 in the morning actually, and people have told me they woke up to their beds a'shaking. Around a 6 on the Richter scale I've been told? Which might explain why, when I got home, my kitchen light wouldn't turn on, as it had slid around in its socket. Inexplicable at the time, but now, the mystery is explained. Thankfully nothing else got shifted.

Another day, another update. I've been in Japan long enough to recognize all of the instrumental Jpop they play at the grocery store.

Today was the school's choir contest.. Yes, contest. Apparently it's kind of an old-fashioned event, and few schools do it anymore. But we got the afternoon off, and went to the Numazu Cultural Center, where each group of homeroom students performed a song. What impressed me was that the students organized their performances themselves, meaning students played the piano, conducted, worked out all the harmonies, and led practices. And they only had two weeks of 45 minute sessions after lunch time to do it all! Granted, not all the songs were great, but after learning this, the good ones seemed all that much better. Homeroom 3-4 won, which I knew the moment their song started. They actually sent chills through my spine, they were so good. At the end, the teachers got on stage and sang their as well, and received a roar of applause and cries of "SENSEI! SEEENSEEEI!!" from the audience. It was silly and touching at the same time.

This week has gone pretty smoothly for me. Not only has the weather let up gorgeously, class has been easy. I had my first years smell several covered bowls and guess what the contents were, in English of course. Lots of fun for the students, and I didn't have to do much at all.

This past weekend was another long holiday. Bless the Japanese for having a public holiday at least once every month! My friend Sonja came to visit me from way down near Kakegawa. On Saturday we had a lovely lunch at Blue Water. Not only does it have great food, but the fantastic view alone makes it one of my favorite restaurants here. It is actually in the back of a rather bourgie retail store, but the entire back wall is a window/balcony that faces the river. The decor is sort of boathouse-meets-hip-loft-apartment with a clientele of hip, well dressed 20-somethings. It's a very "take-a-friend-for-lunch" or "bring-a-date-for-dinner" kind of place. Come visit me, and I'll take you there. :)

After lunch we tried out an onsen in Numazu called Manyu no Yu. It is run by the same establishment that owns Hyaku Warai (100 Smiles) in Ohito. Not as big as the latter, but still very relaxing and enjoyable, especially the outdoor wooden bath that made me feel as if I was floating in a giant rice bowl.


The next day, after the disappointment of finding out Kamakura is a lot farther away than we thought, we decided to explore Shuzenji. Shuzenji is a town in the middle of the Izu Penninsula, well known for hot springs and lovely scenery, but not without some historical clout. In the central tourist village, you can conveniently walk to two impressive shrines, the Grave of the Thirteen Loyal Vassals, the graves of a shogun family with a tumultuous history, and a little bamboo forest. We didn't stay long, and were kind of uninformed about the area, but I might return. The river is lined with Japanese maple, which will no doubt be very beautiful in the next month or so.

And while we're on the subject of trips, I am officially going to Seoul over Thanksgiving weekend! Booked my ticket last week. Let's hope all this nuclear weapons business doesn't interfere...

And before you go thinking my life is all fun and trips... I spent three hours tonight reading synopses of "Lost" because I didn't have anything better to do. Actually, scratch that, I did have something better--actually watching the episodes-- but blasted abc.com only lets you view them if you are within the United States! How ridiculous is that? Everybody knows that the people who most desperately need to watch their shows are all located outside the US where the shows don't air.

So today I recalled good ol' Andrew Carnegie and his famous motto: "My heart is in the work." Lately, my life has been the opposite. It's as if my heart left my body somewhere along the way, and I have been a robot the past few days. Mechanically performing daily tasks, going through the day without feeling. My head is there, but my spirit is not.

Even today, the second year fitness test wasn't as hilarious as I would normally find something like that. (The photo above is actually of opening ceremony, not fitness tests. But that's the gym.) Oh, it was still amusing, but I just seemed more detached than usual. Either way, it brought back a lot of horrifying memories of middle school PE. Imagine kind of a ridiculous mix between military drills and a circus, with the PE teacher barking out instructions on a megaphone. Two hundred kids performed warm up exercises where they jumped over their doubled-over partner back and forth, leap frog style, and bent over backward on their partner's back. It was also funny just seeing the boys, who have such badass haircuts, have no problem with getting "physical" with the other boys. Seriously, there is no such thing as homophobia here. I've seen boys hold hands, sit on each others' laps, and engage in other light-hearted physical contact. I guess it's a beautiful thing.

So yeah, back to the weird daze I've been in. Maybe it's because I'm a little bit sick. I've had a sore throat since Saturday and I'm sure biking in the rain hasn't helped. Or maybe it's because it's been a slow week for once, and I'm bored most of the time at school. Even the anxiety of planning lessons isn't there (I still have to make them though). However, I don't think this one is a case of cabin fever...

Last night I went to ramen again. It's a tradition among JETs in the area, that every Monday night they congregate at a small ramen-ya in Nirayama, a town a few stops down the Izu-Hakone line. The mom-and-pop restaurant not only has great ramen, but it's run by the nicest people in the world, Yumiko and Tomo, who treat JETs as if we were their own children. For instance, last week, Tomo and Yumiko drove me all the way to Mishima where my bike was parked, and then drove me home, b/c they didn't want me biking by myself at night. Tomo drove me home again last night, this time accompanied by daughter Momoko. So there is usually a fairly large group of us crowding up the tiny restaurant, and it gets pretty lively. Still, I don't yet feel like a part of the Fuji/Numazu/Mishima/Izu crew. Don't know why that is.

Today I bought a tripod from a second hand store very close to my house. I had forgotten I was even looking for one until I walked in and spotted a cupboard containing cameras and equipment. Mostly cheap old polaroids and a couple SLRs that looked like they may or may not have been in working condition. But I snagged a brand new Slik travel tripod for ¥1200. Many silly self portraits ensued when I got it home.