Natalie Goes to Japan

Well, This Is It!

2007-07-07T21:39:00.000+09:00

Hey everybody. Thanks for all the kind words about the blog. Wow, this has been some week. So many goodbyes. And as I am a person who has moved a lot, I know the truth is that it is highly unlikely I shall ever return. And the truth is I have spent this week in an emotional coma. Most of the time I couldn't feel anything. I was just numb. I've had a few tears, but they haven't lasted long. I had a Farewell party with Skyland last night. I said goodbye to Hiroyo on Wednesday (she cried). I've been given so many gifts by my students I would need an extra suitcase to fit them all in if I was keeping them all. One of the moms cried yesterday after class. She just kept saying how her son, Jidai, had known me his whole life. Tomorrow the girls from Sony are coming to pick me up to take me to the bus station. And them when I get off the bus I shall be met by Yuma, Yoko and Mikio Suzuki, Yoko's mother Miyoshi, and Miyoshi's boyfriend a.k.a. Puppy. They will have taken an earlier bus (why they aren't driving is beyond me). They are making a day of it to visit the airport. This is not uncommon. Many Japanese head to the airport as a destination in itself and have a spot of dinner. Go figure. But tonight was the biggest goodbyes. After saying goodbye to my last class (which was very difficult) I headed to Foo-Rin for another Going Away Party. Junko, Toshi, Hiromi, Kayo, The Suzukis and O'Goody came for a private party. We laughed and shared our favorite memories. And all to quickly it came to an end. They attempted to start suggesting we do something else after the dinner. And we almost went bowling (even though O'Goody has a broken arm and Mikio has a broken finger), but some of the others nixed the idea. And I decided it was best just to say goodbye. So we took some quick photos, the Foo-Rin folks gave me a t-shirt, we made some jokes and hugged with tears in our eyes. And then I got on my bicycle and rode off into the night. Goodbye.

Blog Going Away Party

2007-07-04T06:27:00.000+09:00

Thanks for coming to my Blog Going Away Party. Here, have a drink. Have you met my mother, she makes the most comments on my blog. Or have you met An Englishman in Osaka, he's a blog neighbor.

Okay, all you lurkers, and non-lurkers. This is your last chance to make a comment, as I leave in a few days. I'd love here what your favorite part of my blog was - a picture, a story, my witty descriptions of life? No need to tell me your least favorite bits, as blogging is soon to be a thing of the past for me. Blogging was a real experience for me, and turns out I am not a writer. I always liked doing the photos though, so maybe I'm a photographer. But writing it not easy, nor particularly enjoyable for me. This actually came as a surprise to me. Nonetheless folks, let's here from you. I'm a little on the bummed side, so I could use some uplifting of my spirits.

Meeting Teo

2007-07-02T14:39:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I got to meet Teo for the first time. Shosei was kind enough to drive me out to Iwata, where Yukie and the new baby are staying for 6 weeks. It's traditional for a daughter to return to her parents house for a month or two after the birth of a baby. Yukie and Teo got off to a rough start. He made her sick for the entire pregnancy, and he demands more milk than her body can provide, and he came a month early (while her parents were out of the country). But given all these problems, Yukie still beamed the whole time I was there. And her parents were adorable and so sweet, I wanted to take them home with me. Yukie and Shosei are going to try and see me again before I leave, but with Teo now in charge, it's not definite. So, it might have been a hello and good-bye meeting. Who knows?

Unexpected Invite

2007-06-30T05:31:00.000+09:00

Out of the blue the mother of one of my students handed me a note, inviting me to dinner at her house. Her English isn't great, so I think someone else wrote the note. But I was so touched, and her little boy is so adorable and sweet that I couldn't resist. It turned out to rather pleasant. She invited her neighbor, who speaks English quite well, and her husband's English was pretty good. When I arrived at the house her husband was hard at work cooking (another Japanese man who cooks). Shoukei, the 3 year old student of mine, went around pulling out every toy to show me. They cooked 3 times as much food as we could all eat, but it was delicious. Then afterwards we lit some sparklers. The whole night was really sweet.

Odd Combination

2007-06-27T21:15:00.000+09:00

The pic above is of an interesting old factory/warehouse that was along my route to work when I first got here. But just over a year ago they started tearing it down. Now the picture below is what has been built in it's place. It's now a pachinko parlor and physical fitness center. Yes now you can lose weight and lose money all in the same location. Only in Japan.

Other Side of the Mountain

2007-06-25T09:31:00.000+09:00

I had visited one half of Akiha Shrine a while back, and had hoped to hike to the other half, but I fell quite short on that plan. So this time I just drove to Akiha Part Deux. And it was quite different. The bottom shrine wasn't much, but this was quite lovely. And it gave me a good excuse for taking a billion pictures. After visiting the better half I drove up the "Super Woods Road" to Misakubo. But it wasn't exactly Super, I liked the other drive to Misakubo through the Myojin Gorge better. But, there was a little surprise when rounded one corner. Up on the rocks were some critters. The area is known for antelope, but these didn't look like antelope. At one point I thought they were boar, but I eventually settle on some very stock mountain goats. Then the long drive back. But I'm glad I did it.

The Five Seasons

2007-06-24T20:10:00.000+09:00

I don't quite understand "Rainy Season", when rainy season is just a rainy month - June. That would be like saying that March is the "Windy Season". But here in Japan, they say they have 5 seasons. But I'm used to "Seasons" having to do with the length of the day, and the position of the Earth being in orbit around the sun. And rain has nothing to do with that. But, my confusion not withstanding, the Rainy Season is in full swing. And I can't tell you how many times I've left the windows down in my car during this month, only to go outside and sit on wet upholstery. And when it rains, it's not no nice cleansing 1 hour storm, but minimum 12 hours, and maximum 3 days. But, at least it means it doesn't get hot for too long. As a matter of fact it's kinda chilly today and I'm wearing a sweatshirt to stay warm.

Sunday Brunch

2007-06-24T17:32:00.000+09:00

Junko and her new husband invited Hiromi and me over for Sunday Brunch. They were
trying out some recipes of things they ate in Spain on their Honeymoon. And they made Sangria, which was excellent. We just spent the afternoon chatting and laughing. Although I had a wonderful time, I do look forward to the time when I will understand the entire conversation, and not just when people are willing to change languages. The best part was watching Toshi do most of the cooking. I hear that it's highly unusual for men to do anything like that here. Happy to see that Junko caught herself a good catch.

Free Market

2007-06-18T18:09:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I harassed Mikio and a mother of one of my students to help me take my stuff down to the flea market to sell. But since the Japanese can't say flea they think it's a free market, and of course nothing about it is free. I had to pay 1500 yen in advance to reserve a space. Mikio came the night before to tell me more about what to expect. We would be given a spot 2 meters by 2 meters. No overflowing the spot. All merchandise must be in place by 9:30, even though it doesn't start until 10. Well, that was gonna be a problem. And be prepared that nobody was going to buy anything, so don't expect to make any money. Mikio was completely freaking out. All my stuff would not fit in that space, we couldn't make it by 9:30, and we couldn't bring anything from the cars if we sold some stuff and we had room for it, and it wouldn't all fit in the cars anyway. I really had to insist he take a chill pill. Okay, this was gonna be a big exercise in futility. So what? We'll just sit around the flea market and drink cokes and make fun of people. Of course his little visit left me really upset, and not a little angry. Stupid Japanese with their weird, inflexible ways. I didn't get to sleep until 2 am, and then woke up at 6 am so that I could start taking everything down stairs, so that when they arrived at 8:30 it would go that much faster. Well, let's just say that Mikio's contageous worry was all for naught. People were digging through the boxes and buying things faster than I could tell them the price. And this is before the market even opened. Mikio kept trying to get me to go down on prices, and I kept saying no, it wasn't even 10 yet. I don't start bartering til I've had a few people pass up on something. Everything was pretty much sold by 12, even though the market was to go on for another two hours. I only made half as much money as I paid for all this crap from my predecessor. But the weight that is off my back makes it worth it.

The Clock is Ticking

2007-06-08T20:32:00.000+09:00

One month from today I will be getting on a plane and leaving this bizarre and comfortable country. And I doubt I'll be back. I'm not really one of those persons who returns to a place they have left. Not even for visits. So, I'm starting to wrap things up here. Starting to box things up, throw things away and pack other things. That's a situation I'm very used to.

Out and About

2007-06-06T07:29:00.000+09:00

Pictures from my camera's first trip outside. Didn't get very far from the house. The camera did me proud.

I Can Tell By the Look in Their Eye...

2007-06-05T13:54:00.000+09:00

The newest Community Center class schedule is out. And my name is noticeably absent. So last week the bravest of mothers began to ask me about it. And it's kinda sweet. Their faces get all concerned and confused. They all say such lovely things about me and how much their child will miss me. But this week the less brave mothers are beginning to ask too. And frequently they have very limited English skills, or none at all. But I can tell what they are asking by the look on their faces. But Saturday I had a tough one. One of my 5th graders had that look on her face. She was so serious! And when I told her she looked absolutely heartbroken. And the worst thing is her little sister, darling Kimika, had come up to class to say hello to me. And Kimika is 5 now and just graduated out of my Starter class. So the older sister had to tell her what was happening.

This is Kimika trying to look brave.

Many Faces of Sakiho

2007-06-04T08:36:00.000+09:00

Took the new camera to class. I took lots of pictures of all the kids in the class, but the best ones were all of Sakiho. I've only known her since the beginning of the term, but she's so fun. Love her attitude.

Yet Another

2007-06-03T09:04:00.000+09:00

I'm not sorry. I know I probably shouldn't have, but I wanted this so bad. I know I have two already, but I wanted a better one. And it wasn't easy. I thought long and hard. But in the end, what the hell is money for if you can't buy what you really want. And I wanted a Nikon D40. I've been looking at SLR for years, but I fell in love with the D40 when I was in Yamada a few weeks ago. And it turns out that I really fell in love with the "extra lens". After a couple of failed attempts at purchasing the camera (language barrier, un-knowledgeable sales people, fluctuating prices, etc.) I finally came away with it at the price I wanted. These pictures were taken the first day without even leaving my apartment. I'm still just practicing with it, but I really love it. The clearness and the colors are exactly what I was hoping for. My only thing I don't love is that the small lens is really the same size as the big lens. Seems wrong somehow. Oh, well, nothing is perfect, but this seems to be close enough.

Invasion of the Internet Snatchers

2007-06-02T06:50:00.000+09:00

It's horrible. It has invaded into my life. But nobody believes me. I'm convinced my computer has a virus, but none of the detection devices can find it. It's making my computer go so slow that I can't do many of the things that I want... no need to do to keep me sane. I have 50 gig free, so that's not it. I defragged the computer, so that's not it. I scan my computer daily, and it can't find the ghost virus. I can't Flickr, I can't watch any media clips, I can't listen to NPR, I can't play games. I can get my email and I can watch DVD's. But that's about it. I'm going crazy.

Stranger Reminder

2007-05-30T15:03:00.000+09:00

No matter how foreign or exotic a place you move to, eventually you get used to it. For the most part, that is. But every so often something reminds you that you are a stranger here, and that you don't really understand what's going on. Of course you get used to not understanding what's going on, too. The other day I was sitting in front of my computer when I heard this strange chanting going on. It took awhile to sink in. But eventually I got up to look out the window. And there were the neighbors, and a Shinto priest and his assistant performing some sort of ceremony. I've seen these once or twice while driving, but only for a brief glance. I assume they are blessing the ground where a new building will be built. But this one was right out my window. I had to grab the camera and start capturing the moment. It also appears that the engineers or architects were also present. Just another of those Stranger Reminders. I think it was pretty cool, they thought it was pretty ordinary.

Another One Bites the Dust

2007-05-29T18:29:00.000+09:00

Another neighbor's house has been torn down. The first neighbor's house was ages ago, and I was actually quite happy to see them leave. Frightful screaming and raucous noises coming from there at all hours. But my other neighbors were quite nice. They certainly weren't silent, but it was never a bother. I'm pretty sure it was a grandmother, 2 of her grown children and their respective spouses, and their various children. In a small two story house. Laundry was always present. But they were nice and always smiled warmly and said good morning. And then they were gone, and a wrecking crew demolished the house. The crew were nice, but always in my way when I was coming or going. I think I saw that the family took a temporary place just down the road, so I'm glad to know they are still around. But currently my aparto look out only onto empty lots.

See Turtle

2007-05-28T15:28:00.000+09:00

I haven't been able to go to Nakatajima on Thursdays so far this year. The weather had stayed pretty cool way into Spring, and even if we did have nice weather it was never on a Thursday. But last Thursday was different. Finally some nice weather! And after my lousy week I needed it. So there I was shortly before having to get back for my last class, walking along the surf, when I spotted the tiniest little baby turtle. I thought it was kinda early for baby turtles, but what do I know? So I walked over and picked it up, looked at it's tiny little face and then returned to the spot I found it. I continued down the beach when it dawned on me that that wasn't a sea turtle. At least I don't think so. So I turned around to look for it. And it was still there. So I picked it up to look at it again. It definitely had claw feet and now flippers. It looked alot like those pet turtles we all had when we were kids, but I don't know much about turtles. But I was pretty sure this was a fresh water turtle, and it would die in the ocean. So I picked it up and set off for the Nature Center. The guy there had sufficient English to confirm my hunch that this was a pet turtle that someone decided they didn't want after all and abandoned it at the ocean. Once again, I am amazed at the stupidity and callousness of the human species. Am I particularly brilliant in knowing that something that lives in fresh water cannot live in salt water? The Nature Center guy didn't want anything to do with it, and confirmed that it was a Mississippi Red Eared Slider, but said that it was a Japanese turtle, and I could take him to a river. Well, 1) I had to get to class and 2) I don't think anything with Mississippi in it's name is native to Japan. So turtle and I headed to class. O'Goody helped me find something to put him in that was waterproof. The salt had already done some damage to his shell and it was starting to curl up. So I rinsed him thoroughly and kept him in the container where he would stay moist and rest his weary little bones from fighting surf. The kids would all have been happy to take him home, but as MRES really are carriers of salmonella I couldn't do that without explaining it to a child's parents which I can't do (not speaking the language and all). So I took him home and looked them up on the internet. Yes, they have been introduced into Japan and are widely spread. Yes, they are pushing out native turtles. So what was I to do? Finally I decided one more little turtle would not tip the balance, and this little guy had to be getting hungry. God only knows how long he had been out there. So I took him to the river and let him go. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, hopefully this wasn't another brick in that road.

People Suck!

Goodbye TVGold

2007-05-27T18:27:00.000+09:00

So, how do I handle stress and depression? TV therapy. So after taking the kitten off and having a bad class, I was looking forward to sitting down at my computer and watching some good old British Classics on TVGold. TVGold let me re-watch some old shows that I hadn't seen in awhile (Red Dwarf, Chef!). It turned me onto some shows I'd never heard of (Brush Strokes). And even showed me how some shows I thought I liked had not aged very well at all (Solo, Butterflies). And then there was "As Time Goes By" which is delightful, but I only ever caught an episode here or there. But, as you can tell, I have been writing this in the past tense. Yes, the Intellectual Property Cops raided the place, and I can no longer be solaced in this way any longer. It depresses me...where shall I turn for help?

People Suck!

Is This the Face of an Angel?

2007-05-26T19:35:00.000+09:00

I didn't sleep all that well. Having a tiny kitten next to you makes you a little nervous about rolling over and crushing her. And then every occasionally she wakes up and wishes you were her Mama, and she starts to knead you, with very sharp claws. Or she is just so damn happy to be warm and fed that she starts to purr a rumble so loud as to make you think there are aircraft buzzing your bed. But other than that, the night went smoothly. And then 10 o'clock next morning we were off to a friend's house, so that she could take us to the shelter. The shelter wasn't what I am used to. It was an office on the third floor of a city office building. Where they took her with a begrudging smile and told us that she would, indeed, be put to sleep. Is this the face of an angel? It is now.

We all know that if you don't spay or neuter your animal, that there will be babies. So to not take this precaution is idiocy. Then, to let said animal get pregnant, give birth, and then take said babies and dump them, where they will almost assuredly die of starvation, exposure, disease or be ripped to shreds by another animal is nothing less than cruel.

People Suck!

Overnight Guest

2007-05-22T22:07:00.000+09:00

I almost made it out of the country without having to deal with this particular pitfall. I was so close. But today it happened. While riding my bike home I was passing the park when I heard a sound. A sound I know all too well. A sound that sends dread into my heart. The persistent sound of a desperate cry from an abandoned kitten. I stopped my bike and called out, and started to meow back at the bushes where the sound was coming from. And shortly a cute little nose peaked out at me. It took a few steps towards me, but then froze. It only took a couple of minutes, but shortly I had it scruffed and on my shoulder. It was not easy walking my bike back with only one hand, and a crying kitten in the other, but eventually we arrived. Rinako has agreed to help me take it to the shelter tomorrow, but for the moment I am stuck with it. I bought a can of cat food and watered it down. The kitten meowed the whole time it was scarfing down the food. I created a litter box from a pie pan that was left in the apartment and put some dirt in it. The little guy has finally shut up and is sleeping exhaustedly on my bare legs. Each time it curls up it's paws I about go through the roof in pain. But I'm so thankful it's finally asleep.

What Language Do Doggies Speak?

2007-05-21T06:09:00.000+09:00

I'm teaching "D is for Dog" this week. In Japanese the sound a dog makes is Wa Wa. Not so far from Bow-Wow. And a puppy is called a wa-chan, even though a dog is called an inu. After teaching them D and then Dog, I point to the cat and say meow, and then point to the dog and start barking. I use more of an "arf" than a "bow-wow". I run around the room, barking and jumping, and then come to the front of the room again and start to wag my hind end and pant like a dog. And repeat. They quite love it, and a few will even imitate me. Then we get back to work, and they get their crayons out and color the "D is for Dog" copy for the day. I then go to each individual child and ask what is this? pointing to the D, and again for the dog. If the child answers in Japanese, I don't tell him that he's wrong, I just ask for the English word. Well, I got to one certain little boy and asked him my questions, and he answered "wa-wa". So I asked him to tell me the English word. Instead of saying dog, he jumped up and said "arf arf" and wagged his little hind end. And sent me and his mother into convulsions of laughter. He looked a little confused and hurt. Wasn't that right? Which only made us laugh harder. I got a grip on myself, and had him repeat the word "dog" a couple of times. I sure hope he gets it, or it could be quite embarrassing for him when he gets older.

That Time Again

2007-05-19T08:45:00.000+09:00

Last week was "C is for Cat" and that means the reappearance of the face paints. It's always interesting to see who is a big yowa-mushi (Japanese for chicken, timid). You just never know. Kids you think would of course want their faces painted, and are outgoing and always the first to try something, will run behind their mothers and beg not to have it done. Then other kids who have never said "boo" to me, will run up and be really gung-ho. People are unpredictable, and I guess kids are people, too. Here's a few photos.

She's a Daytripper

2007-05-17T13:29:00.000+09:00

Monday I took a little daytrip to Nagoya. As many times as I have been through Nagoya on my way to somewhere else I've never actually stopped. It's actually the 4th largest city in Japan. I went first to the castle. Another cement recreation. It was okay, and the park surrounding it was nice to wander. Then I was hungry and went in search of lunch. I was heading for a conbini, but above it was a fancy sandwich place, so I thought I would give that a try. Very nice atmosphere, but the sandwich made me kinda nauseous. I took the subway down a few stops and found the Orchid Garden. It was nice and sunny and filled with obasan (little old ladies). I walked over to the temple, only to realize it wasn't the temple I wanted to visit, but didn't have time to go to the right one. So I wandered around the temple, and then through the shopping arcade on my way to the train station. I think my favorite part of the day was riding the trains. It was a nice day, if not exceptional. And certainly sitting around on my tushie all day, which is my normal inclination.

How to Explain a Neri

2007-05-10T15:04:00.000+09:00

The last two nights of the festival I participated in a neri. These are kinda like neighborhood parties you have to sign up for in advance. The Suzukis signed us all up for the neri in Shinzu neighborhood. I live in Soude and they live in Hikuma. But Miyoshi's bar is in Shinzu, and adjacent to both Soude and Hikuma. Everybody who participates wears the same short kimono style coat, called a "hapi". And you buy a badge to sew on the coat, so you can participate in this year's neri. Then this mob of people, all dressed in the same coats goes in organized reveling. The neri was already in progress when we caught up with them. We were dressed in hapi and had lanterns. The first stop of the neri happened to be Miyoshi's bar. The group of revelers is led by a couple of flag bearers, and people playing horns and drums. The neri parades from place to place, with the horns and drums leading a cadence, and all the paraders yell some form of "Yaisho", and others respond with their own "Yaisho". Yaisho doesn't mean anything, just kinda like "Yeah" or "Woo-hoo". When you get tired of yelling, you switch to using a whistle. Like I said first stop was Miyoshi's, where they appeared to praise her bar/snack and wish her a good year. Then we all yelled "Banzai" several times, and then everybody circled the flag bearers a few times, and then mashed themselves into the middle of the circle, kinda like a mosh pit, and yelled Yaisho some more. And then break, banzai again, and mosh pit again. And maybe a third time. This is all while you are carrying a paper lantern with a real live candle inside. And of course everybody has been drinking. Then we fell into formation again and went marching to the park...which was all of 20 feet down the road from Miyoshi's. We banzai'd and moshpitted again. Then some men put another man on their shoulders. He was the father of a child that had been born in the last year. We then marched and yelled until we reached his house. Which was a whole 20 yards from Miyoshi's bar. At which point the mother of said child was also raised on some shoulders and much praise and good wishes were lavished on them both. More banzai'ing and moshing. And then dinner was served. We all sat in the street in front of their house, and people came around with free alcohol and food. After about 45 minutes when everyone had had their fill, some sort of drinking ritual occured. The father was given some sort of large plate, with an entire roasted fish in it, surrounded in some sort of liquid. And as everybody yelled in cadence, he chugged down the liquid. The the mother was given a huge bottle of champagne and she chugged as much as she could. Then the bottle was passed around so everybody had a go at the champagne, including me (I'd already had a shochu cooler with dinner). More yelling and mashing ourselves together. Then we set off in the other direction. We met with another neighborhood neri (they must've been only a third as large as ours) and combined for a mass march along the territory lines, with more frenzied action. Mikio and I got separated in one of the frenzies, and I my shoe came off. I found some guy holding it during one of the lulls between frenzies. We just marched and yelled for a long time, until we ended back at the park in front of Miyoshi's. Mikio and I decided to call it quits for the night at this point, but the neri moved on I gather. We participated the next night as well, more of the same. It was soo cool. I'm so glad I got to do this!

Bamboo Shooting

2007-05-09T21:20:00.000+09:00

The next day the Suzukis invited me to go digging bamboo shoots with them. They couldn't really describe it, and it got translated into Baby Bamboo, which I kinda like the sound of. We all hopped in the cars and headed to the other side of town, to go to a small grove of bamboo owned by Miyoshi's friend. I don't think I ever got the friend's name, but she was just darling. And then we were set free to go dig up baby bamboo. I was given differing opinions on which bamboo shoots to try and dig up. And I was given this little tiny tool, that didn't actually allow one to dig. But I gave it a try and brought up a couple. But I quickly gave up and let the others try, while I peeled and cut the bamboo shoots already dug up. Reminded me a little of shucking corn. It was a lovely day and lovely company. I didn't end up with any of the shoots. Don't know if I've ever had bamboo shoots? Hmmm...good question.

Night Festival

2007-05-08T13:52:00.000+09:00

On the first night of the festival the Suzukis took me downtown to the the parades down there. Quite cool. The "floats" are large, intricately carved carts that are pulled by the neighborhood crew. Inside the float are usually children all dressed up in traditional style costumes playing the song particular to their neighborhood on traditional instruments. I couldn't determine a particular parade route, I believe the carts just went where they wanted to go. My poor camera has lived a very hard life in the one year that I have owned it, and hates taking night shots. But I cajoled it into taking enough, that a few came out acceptably well. The floats all lit up at night were really quite special, I'm afraid my photos don't do it justice.

Tako Matsuri

2007-05-07T10:00:00.000+09:00

The first day of the Hamamatsu festival we went to the Suzukis and I went to the Tako Matsuri - Kite Festival. And it was just so cool. Each of the 100 or so neighborhoods in Hamamatsu enter a huge kite (approx 8'x8') with their logo on it. And a huge number of people hold on to the rope. But, this is a competition. You try to bring other kites down, usually by wrapping your rope around their rope and pulling until one rope breaks. And the kite comes barreling down, usually to land in the pine trees, but occasionally into the festival goers. There are stalls selling food, drink and festival related things as well. So we grabbed some of all of the above and sat down to stuff our faces and watch the battles ensue. We had a guide book to help us identify the various kites and lounged around until it all came to a halt. The Kite Festival would continue for another 2 days. And I never did find out which neighborhood won.

Wandering Back

2007-05-06T09:45:00.000+09:00

Since I had missed the night cruise, I thought I'd catch the cruise at 10:00. Got there in plenty of time, only nothing ever happened. No boat arrived, no ticket sellers, no crew saying "Ohoy there matey". Nothing. So I went to plan B. I think Osaka would be a great place to live. But for the one-day sightseer, Osaka is not exactly known for anything in particular. They have a castle, but it's a modern reconstruction. In Japan it's famous for it's Universal Studios Theme Park, but I've been to the original and the Orlando parks. It's known for it great nightlife, but I'm an old woman and it was morning. So the only other thing that I could think of that makes Osaka special is the bay. So I jumped on the subway to see what the bayside had to offer. I ended up going to the aquarium. Which turned out to be pretty interesting. As a former Sea World employee, it takes a lot to impress me. But they did it. The lesser exhibits are fairly well done, and if the animals don't seem to have a lot of horizontal space, they do have a deep vertical space to swim in. And you get to see them from both the top and in the water. But the most spectacular part was the main tank with a multitude of sea creatures, the stars being the sting rays and a huge manta ray...and a whale shark. They were all just so magnificent. And the jelly fish exhibits were so cool. The spider crab exhibit was spooky and gave me a big ol' case of the heebie jeebies. Next I was finally able to take a cruise. But get this: It was on the Santa Maria. Yep, a boat barely based on the historic ship of Christopher Columbus. Why? I don't know. It's Japan. The cruise didn't really go very far and didn't pass anything particularly interesting, but it was okay. I had just enough time before needing to head home to go on the giant ferris wheel next door to the aquarium. It was at one point the tallest ferris wheel in the world and goes up 105 meters. The views were really spectacular, and I'm so glad I did it. But then it was time to find my way back home again. I was meeting a private student at 6:30, so I needed to grab my stuff and go back. The Shinkansen was once again easy and a delight. I think I'm going to miss that train most of all when I leave. And that might have been my last trip on it. Oooh, oooh, no tearing up yet....excuse me, I have to go blow my nose now.

Wandering Continues

2007-05-05T09:39:00.000+09:00

I had originally planned to stay in Nara for 2 nights, but decided I had seen most of what I wanted to see in the first day. And I hadn't realized exactly how close Osaka was. So, I decided to wander in that direction. But first I still wanted to go to Horyu-ji. This is the first Buddhist temple to be built in Japan, and is a Unesco site several miles out of town. So, I asked the hostel staff the best way to get there. They said the bus that goes right by the hostel could take me there. Oh, that's convenient, especially since it had started raining. So I stood at the stop at the appointed time, and nothing happened. Since Japanese buses are never late I went back inside. They said, oh no, it's the next bus stop down. So I walked down. Well, to make a long story short they were full of crap. After many questions to people who don't speak English, several wrong turns and an hour later I was finally on the bus. Which turned out to be a stupid move anyway. The train would have been much faster and much cheaper, and I wouldn't have gotten motion sick. So by the time I arrived at Horyu-ji I was thinking that I shouldn't have even gone. But Horyu-ji changed my mind. It was a lovely place, even with a black sky and rain. It's a whole compound, with a pagoda, Golden hall, great gate, a cool octagonal hall, a museum and multitudes of smaller buildings and gardens. Afterwards I hopped on the train to Osaka (which cost me less the the bus to Horyu-ji). The youth hostel was near the Shinkansen station (Shin-Osaka), which isn't very centrally located. But then again, the sites in Osaka aren't exactly centrally located, and the subway system is awesome, so it didn't really matter. After checking in (really nice hostel!) and a nap, I headed down to see the bright lights of the big city. I walked around the Dotombori area, until I found a nice place to eat dinner. When I came out it had gotten dark, and the streets were starting to fill up with the nightlifers. I was hoping to take a night cruise, but when I got to the dock I had missed the last cruise by an hour. So I just wandered and took pictures until I had had my fill, then took the subway back again. Two days ago, I'd had no idea I would be doing this. Spontaneity rocks!

Spur of the Moment

2007-05-04T15:53:00.000+09:00

On Sunday I decided it was time to go visit Nara. So Monday I hopped on the Shinkansen and was there by 9:30 a.m. Have I mentioned how much I love the Shinkansen. I do, I do. So I got off the train, stopped at the Tourist Information booth, picked up a map and started wandering. First stop brunch, at a really cute cafe with an open front. Next stop the famous pagoda at Kofuku-ji. Pagodas don't do much for me, and this one was exceptionally uninspiring because of all of the construction going on around it. But there were a few nice niches around the temple where a girl could take a few pictures. Then I followed the general crowds out and about. I ended up at the most famous site in Nara, Todai Temple with the world's largest bronze Buddha inside the world's largest wooden structure. The Buddha isn't particularly old, and the head has fallen off and was destroyed a couple of times during earthquakes and such, so his head doesn't really match his body. He's still quite spectacular. But I couldn't help but compare him to the Great Buddha at Kamakura, which is outside, and the weathering, the light and the backdrop of gentle hills is just wonderful. Then more wandering. I happened upon the Nigatsu and Sangatsu (February and March) Halls. Nigatsu had a lovely view and was nestled against the hills. Sangatsu was filled with lion statues. Then it was time for lunch...so I had ice cream. I'm not very good about eating well on my trips. The next place I wanted to go was a bit of a hike, so I enjoyed the stroll. And took lots of pictures of the semi-tame deer that wander the park. And watched the children and young women scream when a deer took a deer-cookie out of their hands. Eventually I arrived at Kasuga. They are a Shinto Shrine famous for the thousands of lanterns located on the premises. Twice a year they light them all. It must be amazing. It was pretty amazing without them being lit. Well, after a brief sit-down in the park I hailed a taxi and had them take me to the Nara Youth Hostel. The hostel was really clean, if a little institutional. A short nap later I headed downtown again. I wandered the cute streets until I found a place to have dinner, where I sat, ate, read and had a couple of cocktails. I was so pooped and relaxed afterwards I had no choice but to return to the hostel and crash, so I could be ready for the next days adventure.

The Bride Looked Beautiful

2007-04-23T08:44:00.000+09:00

My student Junko got married yesterday. And it was lovely. I'm not a fan of weddings. Okay I actually abhor them. But this was different. Maybe it helps not to know what they are saying? It only took an hour, including photographs. This whole thing was a slight surprise. When I met Junko she was pretty adamant that she would not be pressured into getting married by society. She hated that her mother and family were constantly after her to get married. But something happened. And I think that something might be that she met the right guy. Toshi is smart, funny, cool headed and most importantly I think he adores her. I had not told I coulndn't go to the reception afterwards, so after the ceremony Hiromi and I went to Foo-Rin for lunch and chatted. Hiromi was supposed to be my "guide" for the wedding, but she didn't know anything. And her stomach started growling during the ceremony so we had a hard time not cracking up. We had a nice chat at the restaurant and she promised to call me sometime. Oh, and after Foo-Rin she drove all the way back to the grocery store next door where I decided to go shopping to give me my keys that I left in her car. Only one problem, they weren't my keys. The people in the grocery store kept looking at us strangeley trying to figure out why we were laughing so hard.

Last Hurrah with the Sony Gang

2007-04-22T17:42:00.000+09:00

The students from Sony and I got together for one last hurrah the other night. We went to my favorite conveyor belt sushi place for dinner. The 6 of us sat at a booth just barely big enough for us, and started at it. You can get your sushi in several various ways. The first being grabbing it off the conveyor belt as it goes by. Unless of course you are at the opposite end of the booth from the conveyor belt, in which case you yell "that one, that one" at the person sitting next to the conveyor belt. The person sitting next to the conveyor belt was me, and I'm pretty quick on the draw, so it worked out okay. You can also use the electronic menu and stylus to order, and your sushi will arrive on the conveyor belt with a little signboard with your table number on it, so nobody will take it first. You can also just yell at the cooks in the middle of the conveyor belt circle with your request. Or you can flag down a waitress. And we did all these things over and over. They charge you by the number of plates you have at the end. The 6 of us ate, drank and desserted all for less than 60 bucks. And we were stuffed. Then part two was to get silly and bowl. And we were really good at the first part, and sucked at the second part. I only broke 100 in one game out of three. But they were a lot of fun to play with. Yusuke is a wildman when throwing the ball, but he's got a lot of power, so it works for him. Toranosuke has only been bowling a few times in his life, and not at all for the last 11 years. So he was completely erratic, but was having such a good time, he kept us all laughing. Misato the mouse kept rolling the ball so slowing that I was afraid it would bounce off the pins. But sometimes when you bowl really slowly it works pretty well, cuz the pins just drop so randomly that they knock over more than they should. Yuko was pretty decent and would be good competition for me, should I be playing better than I did. And Yumi sucked, so sometimes we competed at who could suck the worst. In the last game we tied for worst score. Man, I can't believe how much laughing went on without any alcohol flowing. I might end up doing something with some of them again before I leave, but I'm not holding my breath. But it was a nice way to part, if it is indeed the last time we meet.

Stolen Meme

2007-04-21T18:43:00.000+09:00

I stole this meme off somethingunderthebed. But, I'm not really doing it all the way. You are supposed to do it like this....

Italicized = books you want to read
Bold = books you've read
Strike = books you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole or wish you hadn't
* = never heard of it
+ = on your shelf

But, as I don't think there is a book I would ever say "Never" to, I'm not doing the strikes. And I wish I could read all the books, so I'm not doing the italics. Although I have to admit that I have tried to read The Hobbit on 3 seperate occasions, and could never even make a dent in it before I gave up...and I almost never give up on a book. I worked in a bookstore for a bazillion years, so of course I have heard of all of them. I'm reading one of the books right now, and another is on my shelf and will be read in the next couple of weeks, so I'm just marking them as already read. But I am gonna suggest that the original meme was a little odd. There were two books by Wally Lamb, and none by John Grisham. Every Harry Potter was on the list, and I think that's overkill. So I'm making changes (it does not change the number of books I have read, I'm not cheating). I hope it improves the list.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
6. Murder on the Orient Express (Christie)
7. Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. The Firm (Grisham)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. The Golden Compass (Phillip Pullman)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Blume)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. Black and Blue (Anna Quindlen)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Wizard of EarthSea (LeGuin)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. Metamorphosis (Kafka)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Lots of Free Time

2007-04-18T12:37:00.000+09:00

As I mentioned I have a bit of free time on my hands at the moment. Two of my students got pregnant and quit classes. I don't really feel comfortable trying to get more students when I'll be leaving the country shortly. And as of the new school year I have no night classes. As you know Skyland got bored. Sony always quits at the new year, and always signs up later. But Pulstec also quit. They went under complete reorganization. My two most regular students are Yasunori and Kiyoshi (pictured above), and they have worked for the company for 29 and 26 years respectively. And when this reorganization was announced they were both fairly sure they would be forced into early retirement. And it doesn't quite mean the same thing here as it does in the states. They wouldn't get full retirement, and the chances of them getting other jobs and zilch. The way it works here is if you go to work for a company the salary you draw depends on your age. It has nothing to do with seniority, or experience. So why would companies want to hire an old guy, when they can hire younger people for less money. And Yasunori has one kid in high school and another in college. So forced retirement would be horrible for him. Kiyoshi is single with no responsibilities, so he might actually like retirment. Well, when the company asked for voluntary retirment, they got so many applications they had to turn some down. So in the end Yasunori didn't have to retire. But as they closed his department he was transferred to a subsidiary. So now he can't take my class. Even though the subsidiary is actually located on the premises. Actually just down the hall from his old office. I don't really mind that the class is over. The drive was an hour each way, and although the guys were very nice, the structure of the class drove me crazy. The structure was that I couldn't teach, it just had to be conversation. And Yasunori only ever talked about sci-fi movies, which is okay, but not every week. And Kiyoshi only ever talked about on-line trading. Which is really boring. But now I have a lot of free time on my hands, and I'm doing nothing constructive with it. Yuck, I'm such a slacker.

One Way to Kill Time

2007-04-17T20:14:00.000+09:00

I have an awful lot of time on my hands at the moment. And I have been doing some hiking. One day I went hiking up at Atera Taki, which had some lovely falls. Afterwards I went to Yuyo to take an onsen. There were two areas, that were open air and looked out over the river. I was a little surpised because it only had one little "Pre-Cleaning" place, without an actuall sprayer and no shampoo or conditioner. It was a little chilly so I hurried through my "pre-cleaning" by splashing a little warm water on myself, soaping up my underarms with the liquid soap sitting next to the faucet, and splashing more warm water on me to rinse off, while the four women who were already sitting in the onsen gave me funny looks. The pool was quite small, but enough room for the five of us, but I was unable to look out at the river until they left. I was a little surprised to see a few people strolling around on the other side of the river. They could see me sitting in the pool, or at least they could see me from the shoulders up. After soaking for long enough, I decided to get out and try cleaning myself again, as I didn't think I'd done a very good job. But when I sat down in front of the faucet I couldn't find the liquid soap. And then it dawned on me that soap must not be provided, and I must have been using those other ladies soap! Oh, well, it was an honest mistake. After my bath I went walking along on the other side of the river and took some pics. In the last picture, if you enlarge it, you can see a guy sitting in the other pool at the same place I onsened.

First Week of Class

2007-04-16T11:57:00.000+09:00

Last week was the first week of class. And it went much better this year. I knew to expect toddlers crying through the whole class. I knew to expect that some older kids didn't know their ABC's. I knew to expect that some of my favorite kids would not come back. I knew to expect that some of the kids who graduated to the 4 and 5 year old class would have trouble being without their mothers. And all of these things happened. But I think it all went much better this year. Mostly because I knew what to expect. But I also think the kids are handling all of the above much better than last year. I'm quite excited that my Let's Go 1 class on Saturday, seems to be filled with really smart kids this year. And in my Let's Go 3 class I have a returnee kid. And by that I mean she lived in the States for several years, and now she and her family have returned to Japan. And she seems to be a really nice, if a bit quiet girl. And my 4 and 5 year old kids classes are completely filled with my favorite kids, so I'm pretty happy. First week in BabyKids class I had them learn colors and then we do some water color painting. And it all went marvelous. I'm hoping it all stays so good for awhile.

I've Been Forced!

2007-04-15T21:40:00.000+09:00

Google finally did it. They forced themselves on me. If I wanted to log onto my blog ever again, they said, I had to start playing by their rules. And give them what they wanted. I really feel like they are the Jack Nicholson character in "The Departed". And I don't see any benefit. Well, I gave them my backup email address, and if I start getting spam I will know it was them. Google has strong armed me. And if I weren't leaving Japan in less than 3 months I would switch my blog somewhere else. Not to mention I wasn't very gung-ho about posting anything in the first place. Oh, ruined the Blogger search engine. You used to be able to put in a word, and only get matches from other Blogger sites. Now you get matches for anything on the web that Google deems a blog...and most of it ain"t blogs. Oooooh, I'm so pissed I could scream. Google Sucks!

An Email Story

2007-04-06T12:43:00.000+09:00

Natalie,

I wanted to let you know that I have to go to the doctor this morning
... I woke up at 1:00 a.m. with really bad abdominal pain. It doesn't
seem gastrointestinal (I took stuff for that, which always works) and is
much worse on the right side than left. I never could get back to sleep
and it was most painful when laying on my left side or back. Very puzzling but I'm going to get it checked out. I feel like shit. I'll
let you know what happens.

Mark

Mark,

How did the visit to the doctor go?

Natalie

Mark,

Okay, I haven't heard from you and now I'm starting to freak. Do you have appendicitis, a hernia, twisted intestine, pneumonia, aids, berryberry, malaria? What? Are you still in the hospital? Are you having surgery as I write this? Should I be getting on the next plane? Where are you?

Natalie

Hi Natalie,

Mark had an appendectomy today (Wed., 4/4/07) and is currently recovering at St. Mary's Hospital. His contact information is: John Mark Davis, Room 6002, (706) 389-3000. He is not sure when he will be released. We'll keep an eye on him for you and make sure Pricilla is fed. I hope all is well with you. Take care.

Scott

*** That was yesterday. I have talked to him twice, and he's now been released and is at home recovering. He says he's fine. I don't believe him.

My Boss Makes Me Crazy

2007-04-06T08:30:00.000+09:00

So, I get back from China on a Tuesday so I can do preparations for classes on Wednesday and jump into classes on Thursday. Except that when I return there is an email from my boss telling me he has rearranged the schedule so that my first class isn't until next Tuesday. I realize I shouldn't be complaining because I have extra time off, but one little thing is making me crazy. I could have stayed in China an extra 6 days. I could still be in China right now. China is a big country, there were lots of things I didn't get to see. I could be seeing them right now! Errrrggghhhh!

The Big Let Down

2007-04-05T18:22:00.000+09:00

Other than having to get up at some crazy hour, my trip home was uneventful. My flight to Nagoya was at 8:30. So you need to be at the airport at 6:30. So it takes about an hour to get to the airport from downtown Beijing. Unless of course you are driving around at 5:30. I was at the airport, checked in and at my gate by 6:13. So I had a little time to kill, and some souveniers to buy. So I used up the rest of my RMB, buying candy, a tea set and Beijing Olympics paraphenalia. The plane boarded unbelievably fast. And in the air on time. Landed on time. Took two seconds to get through customs. Picked up bag quickly. And only had a 10 minute wait for the bus to Hamamatsu. Then, two hours later I was in Hamamatsu, at the bus stop to take me home, where once again I only had a 10 minute wait. Got home and sat down. My head was so abuzz I didn't know what to do. So I checked my email and unpacked. I decided I should break out the DVDs and see if they really worked. So I went looking for Six Feet Under. Only it wasn't there. Scrubs was there. Heroes was there. Deadwood was there. Friends was there. Wait a minute. I didn't buy Friends. Friends was in the maybe pile, not the for sure pile. I don't really think it was an on purpose mistake. I think Friends was in the Six Feet Under Box. I think it's about the same number of DVDs, too. And it's not like I ended up with a show I hate or anything. But I was so looking forward to seeing Six Feet Under. I was really bummed. And of course I had post-vacation blues, too. Big Sigh.

Coolest Thing Ever!

2007-04-05T15:23:00.000+09:00

For my last day I chose to the 8 kilometer hike from Jinshanling to Simitai on the Great Wall. The van picked 6 of us from the hostel at 6:30, and we picked up another girl from another hostel. So it was a crew of 4 German kids, an adorable Italian girl who was excited about everything, a male model turned photographer who lives in Hong Kong and me. It took an hour to get out of Beijing and another 2 hours to get to the starting point. But as it was my last day I just absorbed everything I could and enjoyed the journey. When we got to the parking lot I seriously considered abandoning the whole thing. The wind and the cold were so bitter and nasty I just didn't think I could do it, but I buckled down and decided to try. And ye gods am I glad I did! Along the trek just to get to the wall a group of Chinese people joined us, trying to sell us stuff. Eventually, as we drifted apart (each going there own pace) a single one would attach themselves to each group. I adopted a lovely lady with just the sweetest face. She tried to sell me the book and postcards in the beginning, but I said I didn't have room in my backpack. I really didn't. Once we started really hiking the wall, it got pretty tough. The first bit was really steep and took my breat away. So I had to switch my heavy coat, for my lighter jacket, and the big coat barely fit in my backpack (with my bottle of water, bottle of orange Fanta and 2 Snickers bars). But I agreed to buy the book at the end. The group got quite strung out, and there were times I was really alone, except for the Chinese lady. At the halfway point, she turned back and tried to get me to buy the book. I didn't want the book, so I just gave her a couple of dollars and said thanks for her company. And then I walked the rest of the way by myself. And it was so totally amazing and beautiful. The blue sky, white clouds, chilly breeze, this amazing stucture built among a stark piece of earth and me. It was like walking on the spine of a sleeping dragon, the way it twisted and turned. I ended up walking the last few towers with this couple from Britain, and we all felt like we didn't want it to be over yet. I have never done a hike that I didn't want to end. Eventually I made it to the group meeting spot with just enough time to go buy a sweatshirt. On the 3 hour ride back in the Italian girl just glowed with happiness, until she and everyone else, excluding the driver and I fell asleep. When I got back to the hostel I had to much energy to sit down, so I decided to catch another cab and go shopping again. When I went to the common room I hooked up with Mr. Male Model again, and a dweeby boy from Kansas, who also wanted to go shopping. The hostel recommended we go to the Silk Market. They probably used to sell primarily silk, but now they are just another indoor market selling knock-off clothing and bags, and lots of jewelery. I wanted to pick up some more tacky souveniers to give to friends back in Japan, and just maybe find some TV DVDs. First we decided we needed to find somewhere to eat though, as Male Model and I hadn't eaten a decent lunch. But as we were walking around we were approached by a guy trying to sell DVDs. I asked if he had TV DVD's and he said yes, follow him. We walked a dozen yards over to a van. He asked me to get in the back. EXCUSE ME? I don't get into the back of strange vans, especially seedy ones in a foreign country. He could show me the DVDs from the side or no deal. We walked away. We walked into the Silk Market building to see if they had someplace to eat, but the directory didn't say anything about food, so we walked out again. We were approached by another guy selling DVD's. I asked if he had TV DVD's and he said Yes he had lots, just follow him. So we followed him, only he kept walking and walking. I told him I wasn't getting into no van. He kept just saying a little farther. Really we only walked a block, up a busy, well lit street. And then he directed us into a very nice little restaurant, where we were given a center table and immediately lots of TV DVDs were brought to the table. They had a TV and DVD player, so I felt a little better about the whole situation. And they guys were having a ball with the whole situation. I was especially looking for the second season of Six Feet Under and maybe a season of Scrubs. Well, these guys were really hooked up. They had the complete series of both. Plus I picked out Deadwood and Heroes. I ended up with 86 DVDs for $70 bucks. They played one of the DVDs I picked out to show they were okay, and the owner of the restaurant gave me his business card. The DVDs came in these huge velvet coated boxes, which I didn't want or have room for, so we unboxed everything and I left with them in a plastic grocery bag. So we went looking for someplace to eat. First we tried one restaurant, but Mr. Geek from Kansas thought the place across the street looked better, so we went over there. We sat down and looked at the menu, and he hated everything. So we got up and walked around the corner, and never did find anything. When we asked the employee at Starbucks where they liked to eat around here, she said TGIFridays. Well, that didn't sound good, so another employee suggested we go to floor four of the Silk Market. So we trudged back to the Silk Market, and floor four only sold jewellery. But on floor six we found a couple of restaurants. One was a pizza buffett place, which didn't look appetizing, so we walked over to the Duck place. Normally at a restaurant I found that asking for a Tofu dish was always a good way for me to eat, so as we looked at the menu that's what I did. They said yes, look here. Tofu in ducks blood. Okay guys, that's where I draw the line, I just couldn't eat there. So back to the Pizza place for us. The pizza turned out to taste just like microwave pizza, and the tables were really grimy. But the view was lovely. When we finished we headed back down to the Silk Market, to be completely shocked that everything had closed. Well, almost everything. There were a few stalls on the first floor still open. Mr. Picky Geek wanted to go check back on a jacket he had seen, and the place was still open. I popped into another stall and bought a little spring skirt and sleeveless top. While Mr. Picky was bargaining with his vendor, she turned vicious on him and started calling him an idiot, a pig and used the phrase "you people". This did not entice him into buying a jacket from her. So we left. Mr. Picky never got his jacket, Mr. Male Model never got his gift for his girlfriend and I never got tacky souveniers for the Japanese. So we headed back to the hostel. I took a shower and went straight to bed, cuz I had to leave at the crazy hour of 5:30. Yikes, and still no souveniers!

Taxi Drivers Galore

2007-04-05T10:42:00.000+09:00

One of my favorite things about Beijing is how cheap the taxis are. The most I've paid for a taxi is about 5 bucks, but most of the time it's 2 or 3 bucks. Which is about what I pay to ride the bus in Japan. The first taxi I grabbed took me to Beihai Park. As it was a Sunday, there were many locals making a day in the park, so it was very busy. Lots of little pavilions, and old fashioned buildings and a temple or two surrounding a lake. It was fun poking around this corner, and peeking around that one, to discover the many nooks and crannies of the place. My favorite place was the Seven Dragon Screen. Also there was this fabulous temple with hundreds of buddhist carvings mounded in the center. Unfortunately, you are blocked from going around it, so you can only see the front and parts of the sides. I would really have liked to go all the way around. And some good mood lighting could have made it even more special. Then I took the ferry boat to the island in the lake. Brrrr, was that cold. The island wasn't as fun for me. It was really cold, and they were doing construction, and it was too crowded, so I breezed past the sights there and made my way over to the oldest part of the park. This is the area that Kublai Khan ruled China from. There is almost nothing left from his reign there, but still it was cool to be in the same location. I then hailed the second taxi of the day and had it take me to Wangfujin, one of the famous shopping areas. I found a few places to barter for some tacky souveniers and quickly walked through the malls. But I got grabbed by one of the cosmetic ladies and let her moisturize me. China was brutal on my skin, and I was always very dehydrated there. Of course she only moisturized one half of my face, so that I could see the before and after. And she used one of those horrifying good mirrors that shows every wrinkle and pore in your skin. I looked so bad I ran screaming from the place (the moisturized side looked a little better than the non). I grabbed another taxi and went to the Friendship Store. It's more expensive than the markets, but then again you can trust what you buy is for real. I knew for sure that every time a market vendor told me it was "real silk" or "real jade" that they were blatantly lying. I didn't find anything I wanted, but the real reason I had come was outside. My book told me this was the best place to find DVDs. And what I was looking for was TV series DVD's and hadn't found any so far in Beijing. So I thought there would be stalls outside. Wrong, just a couple of guys saying "Pssst, lady, want a copy of Dream Girls?" while flashing open there coats. Well, I went ahead and bought a few, even though they were all movies, and no chance to prove they were any good, but I was getting a little desperate. I jumped in the last cab of the day and headed back to the hostel. I had made arrangements to go see an Acrobatic show in the evening. It was okay, but not particularly amazing. It was called "Top Acrobatic Class" and all the performers were children. And they did a lot more hamming it up than amazing feats. Although the thing the girls did with juggling and twirling umbrellas with their feet was really spectacular. Oh, and I ate some good popcorn, too. But I took a van there and back, no taxi.

A Palace, a Temple and a Dive

2007-04-04T21:42:00.000+09:00

A very young, sweet, busty girl from the hostel and I went sightseeing together. First we caught a taxi and headed for the Summer Palace. This being a lovely retreat for the royals, when living in your standard palace and being considered a god got to be too much for them. A lovely lakeside cottage the size of a small city, where they could fish and read and catch cool breezes under the trees. The architecture and artistry and landscape is fabulous, those royals might have been despots, but they had some good taste. It was pretty chilly, but it was still nice to walk in the sun among all gorgeous buildings. My companion for the day was very chatty, and I learned all about her love life, including how it was probably coming to an end shortly, and that she had come to Beijing in part to run away, and hopefully tick him off. We were getting pretty hungry, and these places never have restaurants in them, and we hadn't seen any place to eat around the entrance. So we hopped in a taxi and went to the next place on my list of places to see, that being the Temple of Heaven complex. Outside ToH there were a couple of restaurants, but neither of us were thrilled by them, so we got a recommendation from the coffee place to head about a block or two down. Turned out to be a dive, but great food. Miss Perky has been living in Shanghai for a few months and most of the Chinese she has learned is about food. So she ordered us four dishes to share. However, Shanghai dishes are about twice as small, so we ended up with a table covered in food, that we couldn't possibly eat in a week. But, damn it was good. And the total came to about $4. We waddled into the complex, and man was it swamped with people. We stood on the alter, which is the center of the earth, according to the Chinese. And since I am actually the center of the universe, and I stood there, so it was true for about 30 seconds (long enough to get a picture). We were herded past the two temples, and went through the park and saw the people singing and dancing, but not nearly as cool as the first morning at Jangshan Park. We grabbed another cab back and hung out in the common room drinking tea and chatting with other guests. About that time she calls previously mentioned boyfriend to remind him to pick her up tomorrow at the airport, while he tries to talk her into staying in Beijing for another day or so. Long story short, another 2 phone calls and 20 text messages later, she has broken up with snobby boyfriend, told him to move out, and is on the verge of throwing her other 2 roomates out as well, as they are friends with snobby boy. I had mentioned shopping earlier in the day, and she suggests we go shopping together as she could use the therapy that purchasing useless objects provides. I was unable to find anything I wanted, but she was able to find several things to throw her money away on. We end up eating dinner at a very fancy Pizza Hut. Yes, I said fancy, with a waiting list and a cool decor and everything. And the pizza was thick and gooey, just like it should be. And by then I was very tuckered out, watched a little Sex in the City with an older Italian lady in the common room. I love meeting all these various adventurous people from all over the globe.

Old Time Train Travel

2007-04-03T22:55:00.001+09:00

Wow, what an adventure! I woke up later than I planned and missed the 7:30 train to Luoyang. The girl told me the next one wasn't until 11. I told her No there was a train at 9:03, she said yes but only sleepers. No problem. The trip was 5 hours and I was on the middle berth, which gave me a strange view out the window. As soon as I got to Luoyang I went straight to the ticket window to get my next ticket. I had to stand in a line I wasn't sure was the correct line, and when I got to the guy 45 minutes later he spoke no English. The train I wanted was booked and after 10 minutes of pictionary I was booked on a much earlier train than I wanted, but at least I got a sleeper. So, I was there already 2 hours later than I wanted, and had to leave an hour and a half earlier. So it was quite the crunch to go visit the Longmen Grottoes. My book said the bus was outside the train station, but when I couldn't find it after 5 minutes I hailed a cab. I happened to pick a female cabbie. And we did some communicating, but it was really hard. But she was great, and friendly and smiley. Something I really haven't seen here in China. The Longmen Grottoes were wonderful . Thousands of Buddhist statues that have been carved into niches along the stone, just yards away from the river. Most of them were defaced during the Buddhism Purges a thousand years ago, some were actually stolen and have ended up in foreign museums, and then the Communists defaced some more. But the biggest ones (about 17 meters tall) are in perfect condition. And they were originally painted, but only slight hints of the paint remains, giving it an old glorious faded feeling. And even the ones that were defaced have a wonderful, beautiful feeling to them, almost ghostly. But I couldn't poke around long, and started to get nervous about catching my train. So I headed back quickly, picked up my luggage from the baggage check and hung out waiting for my train. Got a hard sleeper this time, which turned out just as good or better than the soft sleeper, as there was no door to the cabin. This meant no waking up everytime someone went to the bathroom and the cabin didn't get as hot and stuffy. I slept well enough and got off the train at 6 in the morning. Getting a taxi was a bear. It was nuts, crowded with lots of pushing and verbal threats being hurled around. But eventually I made it to the front of the line and got me a taxi. Gave the guy the hand written name and address of the new hostel I was staying at (Lotus Hostel) and he didn't look very sure of whether he could find it or not, but he was willing to try. And he did. He couldn't go up the alley (one way street), so he hopped out and asked someone to make sure the hostel was up the road. It was so nice of him to be worried about me. Got booked in, had a cup of Ginger Honey Tea, some breakfast and a hot shower. And then I was ready to start another day.

Changing My Plan

2007-04-03T21:50:00.000+09:00

The weather and the hostel were so wonderful I couldn't make myself leave. So I spent an extra day in Xi'an. Took my time getting out and about. Lazed around the courtyard of the hostel in the morning, eating breakfast, chatting with the staff and reading and internetting. The staff finally started suggesting things I should go see - hint, hint. So I started out on foot to try and find the Bell Tower. I got to the tower and was instructed at the Ticket Taking Booth that I had to go back to the Ticket Selling Booth a hundred yards back and buy a ticket. This is like the 5th time I have had this same problem. Why there has to be two booths, and why the first one always appears to be hidden doesn't make any sense to me. I really gotta quit expecting the world to make sense, don't I? So I was a little ticked and decided I didn't want to see their stupid ole tower anyway, so I went to the nearby mall instead. Well, that was a total bust, and I ended up back at the ticket booth to the tower. And the tower was not much of a treat. So I was off to the Drum Tower with very little hope. I guess I should explain...in olden times the bell towers in China rang throughout the day to let everyone know the time, while the drum tower did the same at night (I guess drums are easier to sleep through than bells). The Drum Tower was actually a little nicer, and I was in time to see a perfomance of the drum troupe. Afterwards I headed to the Muslim Quarter of town and browsed the markets (which are not Muslim in any way) and bartered for a few tacky souveniers with some really funny vendors, and some more annoying ones too. Eventually, through a very circuitous route ended up at the Great Mosque. It was quite wonderful. The first mosque I ever visit, and it's in China. I do things a little backwards sometimes, don't I? After my very pleasant wander through the mosque I headed to the South Wall of the city to look for a temple on my map. I didn't really find it, but the walk was great and I found some really trendy streets and nice street vendors. When I decided it was time to go home I hailed a cab and told him where I wanted to go. He refused! I couldn't believe it. The next taxi I hailed I got in first, before I told him where I wanted to go, and there was no problem. I have spent the last couple of hours here in the bar at the hostel eating dinner, having drinks and chatting with other travelers. I didn't really want to leave, but many more things to experience.

Facing Down the Terracotta Army

2007-03-29T11:33:00.000+09:00

The train pulled into Xi'an and I followed the hordes out into the front of the train station, where there was someone with a signboard that said "Natalie" on it. Okay, so it wasn't a fancy chauffer, but it's still a cool feeling. It was the hostel manager and we hopped into the cab and came to the hostel. This hostel is really great. Oh, the rooms are nothing special, but the courtyards are great, and there is a fabulous bar/restaurant/entertainment room/internet cafe where I am blogging from). I sat outside this morning and had an American breakfast in the sun in my short sleeved shirt and petted the resident beagle. Walked back to the train station and found the public bus to take me out to the Terracotta Warriors. Somehow I ended up hanging out with three cute male French college students thoughout the afternoon. And the warriors are really something. It's really cool to see them restored, partially restored, and still being excavated. I kept thinking my Mumsy would just love this place. However, only about a 6th of them have been unearthed. I have to tell you that we saw nobody actually doing any work on them either, and it seems like this first 6th of them have been done for years now. I really don't think we have to worry about the Chinese taking over the world. The French guys and I both think the Chinese only do as much work as is absolutely neccessary to survive and argue that they are being worked to death. Even the guys who were supposed to be washing the windows didn't do a lick of work the entire hour we were in the building, and one was even asleep. Got back to the hostel with a huge blister and an aching back. Nothing I could really do about the blisters, but for the aching back the hostel arranged for me to get a traditional chinese massage for the whopping fee of $5. Oh, and for dinner I had this fabulous dish called Fish Flavored Aubergines (it's actually vegetarian, the aubergines are cooked in a sauce frequently used to cook fish in) - very spicy, but so awesome. You gotta try it.

Mao Isn't In Right Now. Can We Take a Message?

2007-03-29T11:21:00.000+09:00

Got in the taxi today and told him to take me to Tian'an men Square, and he took me to Dianmon instead. I knew half way through the taxi trip that we were going in the wrong direction, but decided to see where I ended up. It was near the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, so I thought I would give them a whirl. Only slightly interesting, and pretty hard work to get up to them. Afterwards my book recommended a nearby temple, which I eventually found. But they wouldn't let me in. I'm still completely baffled as to why? There were other people in there. So I walked down to the lake nearby and ended up taking one of those bike rickshaw tours through the hutongs. But I didn't pay any attention to the one I chose. And he must have been a gypsy cab... his bike was a piece of crud, and I don't think it had any brakes. And he wasn't wearing the nice uniforms like the other guys andthis rickshaw didn't have the nice canopy that could be folded back, and I really could have used a little sun on my face. But it was interesting enough. And that part of Beijing is a real study in opposites. The lakeside is full of trendy bars and lovely pedestrian paths, and then just off the lakefront are more typical hutongs with local cubbyhole markets and laundry hanging in the streets, but a lot cleaner than the real hutongs, like the one where the hostel is. I caught another taxi who had no problem taking me to Tian An Men Square. It was big, but not particularly interesting. So, I sat and ate a Snickers bar and watched all the tour groups go by. Decided to go find the line to visit Mao's body but there was a tiny little sign saying it was being renovated from March to September. Mao refused to take my call, the snob! Found a little park on the map nearby so I decided to kill the rest of my afternoon there. But what looks little on a map of Beijing frequently isn't...including this park (Zhongshan). It took me quite a while to get through, and it was rather pleasant. And right at the end I found this lovely little teahouse, so sat in the sun and drank some sort of gorgeous flower tea. The day never got warm enough for me to take off my heavy jacket, but I didn't freeze either. I found another taxi to take me back. Got ready to check out of the hostel and realized my train wasn't until 9pm and not 7pm like I previously thought, so sat around and talked to the other people there. Turns out more than half lived in Japan and taught English and were on break between school years, like myself. Caught the train and got settled into my sleeper bunk. It was a long rough night. Fell asleep easily enough, but woke up soaked in sweat. It was boiling in the room and the air was so stale I had to get out. Found the bar car, I was the only non-employee there, and ordered a Chinese ripoff of Sprite and read my book. Eventually I had cooled down enough to try the sardine can again. Two of the 4 bunks were taken up with men, both of whom snored terribly. One snored the traditional cartoon snore that sounds like a dying dinosaur. The other one murmered and made sex noises, when not actually shouting in his sleep. I eventually fell asleep and woke to watch the dry dusty Chinese countryside going by outside my window. That's a pretty cool way to wake up, dontchathink?k

Another Brick in the Wall

2007-03-26T20:23:00.000+09:00

Well, I got suckered into doing the tourist package to the Ming Tombs and Badaling with 2 other hostelers. And I was really disappointed with the Ming Tombs part. We didn't even see the Spirit Way, which was what I was looking forward to the most. And we had to spend 45 minutes looking at a Jade Factory before our lunch could be served. And the restaurant was bloody freezing. But the Great Wall part was pretty good and brutally hard. The big strongs guys on the tour only made it to the top about 10 minutes before me, so I was pretty happy with how I held my own. But it is amazing and completely surreal, when you aren't thinking you're going to die from exhaustion. We went to a silk factory on the way back, which was pretty interesting, though only the big strong guys got suckered into buying silk quilts (they weren't together, so they're not cohabitating decorators). We were exhausted when we got back, so we ordered in and nursed our blisters.

Forbidden No More

2007-03-25T20:03:00.000+09:00

The Forbidden City was the first place on my agenda. It's great. Two of the most known and beautiful buildings were off limits and covered in scaffolding while under renovation, and that was a bit of a bummer. But it was huge and fascinating and now my feet hurt. I went with a guy I met here at the hostel. And we got dropped off by the taxi at the back end of the palace and we didn't realize that so we went to the park across the street by accident. And it was a very fortuitous mistake. The park was crowded with Beijingers doing all the crazy Beijinger things they do...like tai chi en masse, and ballroom dance, and sing in great big groups, and play a sort of hackysack with a badmitten sortof hackysack, and write in water on the pavement. We ended up spending two hour there just watching the people. So we eventually realized that it wasn't the right place and climbed to the top of "Coal Hill" to get our bearings and realized our error. And by entering by the North Entrance we ended up doing it backwards. I don't recommend it. And the audio guide wasn't all that helpful, but very amusing. I especially liked the part about the symbols on a certain building; cranes, turtles, lions and crap. I'm pretty sure she was supposed to say carp, but who knows? When they tell you there is a Starbucks in the Forbidden City don't believe them. There are a couple of whole-in-the-wall places where you can buy a soda and some chips. But after 3 hours I was ready for some hot chocolate. And to get to the Starbucks you have to leave the Forbidden City and go into this tacky courtyard and have people try and sell you postcards and Forbidden City hats, etc. We never did find the Starbucks. Instead Pete and I walked down to the mall and found a noodle place to eat at. Turns out it was a Japanese Noodle place. I didn't really come all the way to China to eat Japanese food. Afterwards I came back alone to make some arrangements for the following days, including trying to get to see some Beijing Opera that night. Which I lucked out on, as you are supposed to give them more notice than an hour (more like 6 hours). It was only a little over an hour long, and they did two seperate pieces. It was good, but very odd. The acting and singing is very stylized and the costumes and make-up are overly extreme. But there are no props and no scenery. And it's not really opera. Think more like musical comedy with acrobatics. They did have subtitle screens and their spelling and syntax was atrocious and hysterical. But good fun. I think that enough for the first day, don't you?

This Ain't Japan

2007-03-24T19:51:00.000+09:00

The first day of the trip really only consisted of travel. Walk, train, bus, airplane, bus, taxi! Just need to add a boat and a bicycle and I'd have done it all. Checked in and walked up the boulevard to check out the locale. I stayed at a hostel in a hutong (old maze of allies), so this neighborhood is quite authentic. And this is so not Japan. The people are just so different. They're loud, and ready to argue (not to me of course, but with each other), they are also much more touchy feely (smacking each other, holding hands, playing with their children, etc.) and breaking any old rule, any old time they feel like it. Truthfully, I feel more like I'm back amongst real people. Much more like America than Japan. And the best part of the first day was ordering chinese food and having it delivered to the hostel. And it was soooo good.

Tootles

2007-03-24T09:08:00.000+09:00

I'm off to China, now. Tootle-loo. God, I love being able to say that in a casual, nonchalant way.

Last Classes

2007-03-23T22:41:00.000+09:00

This has been the final week of classes according to the Japanese business/school year. So I've been saying good-bye to most of my kids. I just didn't realize last year how I was losing most of my kids, but this year I was more prepared...and just as sad. Like saying goodbye to Jidai. He's been in my class for nearly 2 years. He's not even 4 yet. So he's known me longer than he has memories. There's at least a dozen just like that. And in some of the older classes the kids have been in the class longer than I have, and I'm really going to miss them. And there's my 3rd and 4th graders. And they just wouldn't leave. They all insisted in helping me pack up, and making jokes and putting it all off. Finally we left enmasse. It was really amusing packing all of us in the elevator. And maybe worst of all are the 5 year olds. They've been with me since the beginning, and they get sad, too. The worst was Yuuna, she's as cute as she is wild. But she was so somber at the end of class, and kept finding reasons not to leave. And when she finally did, she just kept saying "Thank you, thank you". It was just so sincere and heartbreaking. I got quite choked up. Heck, I'm getting choked up just thinking about it.

Choose Your Own Caption

2007-03-22T07:59:00.000+09:00

Oh, so many thoughts come to mind, I just can't decide on any one caption. What are your suggestions?

Funky Foo-Rin

2007-03-21T07:04:00.000+09:00

I noticed this new Cafe/Flower shop in my neighborhood awhile back....say like October. But I only went to it for the first time in February. I have been there quite a few times since. It's quite funky, with mismatched furniture and a retro 70's feel to the atmosphere. And the couple who run it are adorable. They're practically children. And speak virtually no English. But we manage to have conversations none-the-less. They also have a big black lab, who hangs out in his crate behind the counter. The desserts are excellent! And they play pretty good music, too. I practically fell over dead when I heard Tom Waits there. From the land that loves The Carpenters it was quite amazing to hear something truly gritty. Everybody I have taken there has loved it and most have been back a couple of times if they live in the area. So, I've been good for business. And they have been good for me. A nice little, comfortable place to go hang out and get me out of the house. And close enough for it not to be a big deal to go. Hmmm, sounds good maybe I'll go hang out there now.

Little Bit of Everything

2007-03-20T07:43:00.000+09:00

Headed off exploring in my usual fashion, by going to the conbini a block and a half away and buying an egg sandwich, Pringles, CC Lemon Soda and a Snickers bar and then heading in some vague direction with a vague plan. With my many, many maps sitting beside me and tootling thru town. First stop a temple in Inasa. I had a bad experience in Inasa (one that you really don't want me to share) and I was hoping to get that bad feeling out of my system. I had had various people help me translate my maps and I was looking for Iidani Shrine and Japanese Garden. I was smart enough though to look at the kanji, because sometimes there are no signs in English. And just as well bacause it wasn't Iidani Shrine and Japanese Garden. It was Iinoya-Gu and Ryotan-ji (a temple with a garden). I found it fairly quickly, even though there was no English signs and followed what few kanji signs there were. I grabbed my camera and put a few coins in my pocket for the prayer boxes and the fortunes. I was quickly assisted by a "shriner", who spoke very little English, but he handed me an information sheet in English and then chatted me up. Being a chilly Monday morning I was the only person he probably saw for hours. I made a prayer and bought my fortune...I'm not sure if it's just below average or just above average, but one of those. After nosing around the shrine for awhile, I continued down the path into the cemetery amongst the trees and then down into "the garden". It was really quite nice, the plants are only just starting to bloom, but it was still quite lovely in the morning sun. I eventually came to the temple, where there was a 400 yen entrance fee (thank goodness I had enough coins in my pocket). I was handed a nice glossy brochure this time, in English of course. The temple has a very large golden Buddha (probably 12 feet tall), and nightengale floors, and a couple of lovely gardens. I spent a lot of time poking around and taking pictures. By the time I was finished it was really too late to hit the road for anymore exploring, so my first stop ended up being my only stop. I tell you, I recommend this little setup for anybody visiting Hamamatsu. It had a little of everything - shrine, temple, garden, Buddha, traditional architecture - in one convenient location.

Hoighty-Toighty Sento

2007-03-19T08:43:00.000+09:00

Last night the Suzukis and I tried the new sento (public bath) in town. And boy what an experience. Mikio had prepared me for the fact that it was a touch more expensive than your average sento...like 4 times as much! And Yoko and I decided to spluge and get the "Extended Package" which allowed us entrance up into the second level. Thank Gods that I hadn't attempted this place alone, because it was so complicated that even the Suzukis were confused sometimes. First we had to pick up our totebags at the front counter. Inside each totebag was a big towel, a little towel and a set of lounging clothes. Yoko and I had to pick up 2 bags each, as the special pajamas in the second bag was our entrance to the second level. So first you "sento" as usual. You sit on a little stool in front of an individaul sprayer, doing all your normal ablutions like soaping and shampooing, conditioning, repeat, etc, until you are clean enough to enter the bathtubs. All the pools have digital readouts so you know the temperature of the water within. I started with the long shallow, lounge-chair type pool with the jet bubbles, then moved to the big pool with the big bubbles, then we went outside and sat in the wood pool, then to the sulpher water caldrons (they look like giant cooking pots and smell like rotten eggs), and then to the superhot pool, then back inside to the carbonated pool (really!), and then a quick walk through the walking pool (much deeper and less warm). After that we changed into the special uniform and went upstairs. I really didn't know what to expect, but I was game to try everything. First we went into this aromatherapy room, which was quite warm (41c), where you spread your towel on the heated flooring and lie down and absorb all the healthiness of it. Yoko was sweating up a storm after we left after 10 minutes, so we went into the snow room. What a disappointment. The snow only falls in a small 2 foot circle over a giant pile that has accumulated, so you don't actually get snowed on. But the room did cool us down a bit. Then we went into the salt room. There it was even warmer (58c) and you lie your towel over salt the size and shape of that stone people use in their front yards when they don't want to bother cutting grass. Very weird. I think we only stayed five minutes in this room. Followed by another quick trip to the snow room. Then we attempted the bamboo charcoal room, where the temperature was 70c. We only stayed about 3 minutes here before returning to the snow room. Next was what I refer to as the Easy Bake Oven Room. There are individual long brick ovens you lie down in and turn on the big red light. Some sort of light therapy I guess. Then we went outside to the patio to cool off, but as it was windy we didn't stay long. Then we grabbed Grapefruite-Ade from the juice bar and put our feet in a pool of blue warmed rock marbles and watched some tv while sipped our juice. Finally we went back down stairs to bathe again. I don't think I'd bother going back again, but I had a wonderful once in a lifetime experience

Magic Ball

2007-03-18T15:40:00.000+09:00

I call this little thing my magic ball. It's amazing. Okay, it's just one of those cheap little balls made of suction cups. I don't know if it has a real name. But it's a life saver. I carry it around in my teaching bag, and should class end too early (a rare occurance) or I forget to bring something important (happens more than it should) than I pull out this ball and create some sort of game with it. I write a grid on the board and then write something in each grid. In older class I write tough words, younger classes either get easy words or just the lower case alphabet. And BabyKids can get shapes, or alphabet, or numbers depending on what they have learned. It's quite hysterical in BabyKids classes. Their throwing skills vary widely. And of course many girls throw like....a girl. But I swear it has really increased all my students abilities. Not only is it a magical life saver, it has magically educated the kids. It's magic!

Officially Excited!

2007-03-17T08:05:00.000+09:00

My trip to China is just a week away and I'm am nearly giddy. I've noticed I'm very distracted throughout the day, and find my mind wandering. I do love this before stage, almost as much as the traveling. Researching and planning and dreaming. I've read the Insight City Guide to Beijing from cover to cover. And I've read quite a bit of the Eyewitness Travel Guide to China. I've been studying some rudimentary Chinese at Chinese Learn Online and can now say some basic phrases. But I'm pretty sure I speak Chinese with a Japanese accent. I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it...

Communication Problems

2007-03-16T08:45:00.000+09:00

I haven't been able to use my Yahoo! email account in a week. I think my cookie went moldy or something. But it was driving me crazy. And I blame it all on Google. I don't know how, but I'm sure they read about me being mad about the blog thing and they poisoned my Yahoo cookie. I'm pretty sure they were behind Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance as well, but they cover their tracks really well. I wouldn't put time travel beyond them, so they could be responsible for many things.

Good Communist?

2007-03-15T07:21:00.000+09:00

Carniola had a great post about his site being blocked by Chinese authorities. Which is a hoot, like most expat bloggers he makes fun of his adopted country, when not being it's cheerleader. His country is Slovenia. So why the Chinese have their traditional blue panties in a wad makes no sense. But there is a test site that lets you know if any particular site is banned in China. I must be a good communist, and didn't even know it. More likely they know I am planning a trip to their country in a few days (I had to apply for a visa, so they know I'm coming) and they want me to feel welcome (aka spend lots of money in their country). And then blog about what a wonderful experience I had...if I don't say all sugary-goody goody things, I'm sure I'll get blocked then. My pictures however on my blog don't come up. Lord knows that I have posted some seriously impure pics - like vegetarian sushi, Japanese macaques, and preschool crafts.

Out With a Whimper

2007-03-08T09:21:00.000+09:00

A couple of weeks ago, while I was still really sick, we had the last Skyland class. Those classes have been a lot of fun at varying times, and I really like the students tremendously. So I was pretty hurt when I found out the classes were coming to an end. And of course, I don't really know why. Mr. M. gives me only the most basic information..."last Skyland class next week". That's it. No softening me up, no polite explanations (true or excuses), just "it's over". I know that profits are down there. And I think the novelty factor has worn off. And the fact that Mr. M. and the client agree on a course structure without ever asking the teacher (me). And they rarely pick the right book for the class. But of course that's all the logical part of me. Then there is the irrational/emotional/insecure part of me that blames it all on me and myself. Of course, it's probably a little of all of that. So the last class came and went with little fanfare. Actually, everybody seemed a little uncomfortable, and we all just plunged right ahead. 10 minutes before the class ended they brought out a cake and they gave me a little goodbye gift. It's a harmonica key chain/keitai charm (I pictured it next to an ichi yen coin, about the size of a dime, to give it some perspective). It appears to be a quality instrument, even if it is tiny. It's very cute. And then we said goodbye, and I walked away. The end.

Made in New York City?!!!

2007-03-07T08:14:00.000+09:00

Remember those Pace Picante Sauce commercials with cowboys out on the range complaining that there salsa was terrible, and reading the bottle, only to discover there beloved Mexican salsa is made in that bastion of whiteness called "New York City". Well, I never understood that, as there are probably as many Mexicans in New York as wherever Pace salsa is actually made. (The commercials originally said "New Jersey", but New Jersy went crying to the teacher and said Pace was being mean, so it go changed.) Unbelievably YouTube doesn't have this commercial in their library. Well, Pace, I can beat that. One would not expect Japan to have really authentic Mexican food, and it doesn't. This is the brand of corn chips that I buy. And they are less than brilliant. But they are imported...from Belgium. Excuse me? Belgium? Made in Belgium? (said with the same incredulity as the cowboys). Belgium makes the best beer, best chocolate and best waffles in the world. But they are not known for their corn chips, and never will be.

Short-Timer's Disease

2007-03-06T15:22:00.000+09:00

I had promised myself I wouldn't get antsy about leaving until a month before I left. No throwing things out early. No packing early. No letting my mind wander to the next stage. And most importantly, to continue to teach with as much enthusiasm as ever. But Mr. M's made that impossible. The need to get rid of everything in the aparto has made me crazy. I have trouble concentrating on my classes, and it actually makes it hard for me to sleep. So, it's official. I already have Short-Timer's Disease. I deleted all the bookmarks in my computer for teaching. I've quit listening to the podcast where I was learning Japanese. And I've just quit trying in general. It happens to everybody, I just didn't want it to happen months in advance.

Driving is Fundemental

2007-03-05T13:17:00.000+09:00

For months I was confused by these magnets on peoples cars. The first ones I noticed were these green book looking ones that I swear are the symbol for the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program. But then I realized there were these orange teardrop ones. I decided it must be some sort of Us VS Them symbols...like rival high schools or something. The first time I was riding in my car AND there was a Japanese person with me I asked them. Unfortunately that person was Yuriko, who is only 9 years old. And although I think she knew what they meant, she didn't have the English vocabulary to explain it. Months later Rinako explained that they are actually very cute WARNING symbols. The drivers of the cars with the green symbols are new drivers, so beware. The orange symbols mark cars of elderly drivers, so double beware. There are a hundred reasons why this sort of thing would never work in America, and yet it is the norm here. I was just happy to have one tiny mystery solved.

Google is Holding My Blog Hostage

2007-03-04T07:01:00.000+09:00

Google took over Blogger awhile ago, and they have been slowly trying to get us all to switch over to the "New, Improved Blogger" which requires you to set up a Google account. Well, I'm not interested in getting the New Blogger. There are a few bugs, and old Blogger works for me just fine. Plus, as I leave Japan in a few months, the blog itself will come to an end. But Google is now getting more insistant, in a Mafia sort of way. Now, when I log in to Blogger a screen comes up that says something to the effect of "Hey, now would be a great time to upgrade. All you have to do is click here and sell your soul to Google". Which would be fine, but there is no way to get out of that screen other than "click here". If you have time, you can wait it out, and check back in half an hour or so and the screen might go away. But I don't always have time to do that. So although I have wanted to post a few times last week, Google was barring the door. I've gotten so pissed that I switched my search engine away from Google. I'm afraid Google is turning into Microsoft. What a shame.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

2007-03-02T07:50:00.000+09:00

A few weeks ago I called up this other foreign woman I had met at a party and asked if she wanted some of the novels I had finished. She said "Sure, let's go out to lunch, too". So we went out to lunch, I gave her the books and we chatted. In the course of our discussion I mentioned that I was leaving in July and she became interested in my job. Later that day she applied for it. 2 weeks later I was informed that she had been offered the job. Sounds wonderful, right. Mr. M. gets a local woman, who knows how to live in Japan and speak some Japanese. My aquaintance gets to work for a consistant salary. Everybody's happy. Not so fast there, pardner. I get screwed. I bought all the furnishings in the aparto from my predecessor for $250.00. Most of it would not be things I needed. But the idea was I could sell the lot to the next teacher. Not to mention all the things that I did buy (tv stand, bookshelves, curtains, heater, electric blanket, etc.) But now I don't get to, because the new teacher already has a fully furnished apartment. Crap! Now, I have to try and sell everything. They don't have flea markets here, they don't have garage sales here. I have to tell you this is really stressing me out! I should get used to it, I usually draw the short straw in any deal.

Jinxed Myself

2007-02-28T12:09:00.000+09:00

I seriously jinxed myself that I had not been sick this winter. I came down with a near fatal cold/sinus infection/tuberculosis. I refused to go to the doctor, because it's a cold and they can't do anything about a cold. I have spent the last week and a half doing nothing but resting, when not working, of course. Sunday I got a sinus type headache that was so bad I was in tears. I went to bed absurdly early that night, and the headache was gone by morning. Two weekends ruined. That's what you get when you get cocky. I guess Fate read my blog. I truly paid for that one.

Eating Indian in Japan

2007-02-20T09:22:00.000+09:00

I can't say I have aquired much of a taste for Japanese food since I arrived, but I have developed quite the appreciation for Indian Curry. One of the first restaurants I tried after arriving was Kumar, located in the basement/restaurant level of Act Tower. I now go every week. The guy who owns the place has made a few too many comments about how lonely I must be, and implying he would happily help me be less lonely. But luckily he seems to be out of the country for the last few months. Which means his son is running it, who is much nicer. And they have imported a new waiter, who is also very sweet. Since I'm there so often we normally have a nice chat. And the son noticed I never ate the cabbage in my salad they always bring me. So now he always brings me just a tomato and cucumber salad. And they just breeze past the table while asking "the usual?", rather than taking my order. And a couple of weeks ago I forgot to take my purse with me to work. And of course they said "no problem", next week I could pay up. Which is really nice, because I'd hate to miss my vegetable curry, nan and chai. When I asked to take their picture they asked if I was going to try and find them girlfriends. So if you're interested ladies I'd be happy to introduce you to them...not that I actually know their names.

Other Vegetarian Options

2007-02-18T19:18:00.000+09:00

I've gotten lots of comments from people coming over who are worried about finding vegetarian food. Well, it is pretty tough. And the truth is if I had it to do over I probably wouldn't have been very strict about my diet. It really does make the Japanese uncomfortable, and a little weirded out. So I would probably continue to only eat vegetarian at home and on the run, but in social situations I would have eaten more meals with meat. Just tried to pick the ones that weren't a huge chunk-o-flesh. But it's too late. The cat's out of the bag (luckily they don't eat cats here). On the other hand, I really haven't had to try to many things that look disgusting - especially octopus and squid (that just grosses me out). But, for those vegetarians coming to Japan, that want a few options, besides the tamago sando, here's one place I do well. The 100 yen conveyor belt sushi restaurants have several options for the vegetarian.

Inari - vinegared rice wrapped in a very thin layer of tofu that has been deep fried. Inari is also available in most conbinis and grocery stores. This is my favorite Japanese food!

Corn Sushi - This is corn and mayonaise on top of rice, wrapped with seaweed. I wish I liked seaweed. I really do. And I keep trying it, and it has gotten more edible. But most of the time with corn sushi, I dig out the good parts and leave the wrapper.

Tamago Sushi - A layer of scrambled/fried type egg on top of a rice ball. A little bland, so you dip it in soy sauce.

Cucumber Sushi - Think of this as your salad option. A sliver of cucumber inserted into a roll of rice surrounded by seaweed. So small you really have to eat the seewead.

You can't mind watching meat constantly going by your table, or the very fishy smell of fresh squid sushi, or entrail sushi. But I really like going to these places. They are reasonable and fun and easy. I get an order of Furaido Poteto (aka french fries), and piece of cake as well. There is a spigot of hot water at each table, where you add green tea from the nearby canister to drink as much free tea as you like. This is the real Japan, and I highly recommend it to all visitors!

How Well Do You Know Me?

2007-02-15T06:57:00.000+09:00

From one of those emails that makes the rounds.

1. What is your occupation? English Language Teacher in Japan

2. What color are your socks right now? Long and Black

3. What are you listening to right now? My heater, and soon to be NPR's Morning Edition.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Quesadilla

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Absolutely!

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Violet Blue.

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Mark, my husband. He called me to wish me a happy Valentine's Day (aaaaahhh)

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Nicole is just about the sweetest person on the planet.

9. How old are you today? Let me think, I'm 41.

10. Favorite drink? Margarita....oh, you didn't mean alcoholic...then hot chocolate.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Gymnastics of course.

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Since I turned 35 and my hair turned from blonde to dun.

13. Pets? We have Prissy of course, but here in Japan no. Not even any named wandering spiders this year.

14. Favorite food? Cajun Fettacini Alfrdo.

15. What was the last movie you watched? The 40 Year Old Virgin, my DVD player skipped alot, so I'm not sure I didn't miss something.

16. Favorite day of the year? First day of Spring.

17. What do you do to vent anger? Watch TV.

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Poory, this pathetic little stuffed animal (a kitty) given to me from a seccond hand shop. He had so little stuffing in him that his head flopped forward and I called him Poory. I lost him somewhere along the way...it still makes me very sad.

19. What is your favorite fall or spring? Anything but winter

20. Hugs or kisses? Both, Now!

21. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries, except I really like chocolate covered cherries.

22. Do you want your friends to email you back? YES, the little twits.

23. Who is most likely to respond? My Mum, but she won't send it on to anyone else.

24. Who is least likely to respond? Tatiana or Traceey.

25. When was the last time you cried? A month perhaps.

26. What is on the floor of your closet? Nothing, it is very organized.

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Tiffin E.

28. What did you do last night? Worked and upload some pics to my Flickr account, and blogged.

29. Favorite smells? Suntan Lotion!

30. Who inspires you? Lisa from the Simpsons.

31. What are you afraid of? Wasps! I'll take on rabid dogs, ferral cats, trapped alligators...but if a wasp flies into the room I hide under the chair and shake and whine.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburger? Veggie with Cheese, please.

33. Favorite dog breed? Mutt, the only one worth having.

34 . How many years at your current job? 1 and a half.

35 . Favorite day of the week? Monday (my second day off)

36 . How many states have you lived in? 9 states and 1 Japanese prefecture.

37 . Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter? Doesn't really matter.

38 . Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? I drove a motorcycle a couple of times when I was 14. And I had a chauffeur license so I could drive the bus at Sea World.

A Hike, A Jump and A Soak

2007-02-14T21:25:00.000+09:00

The weather has been so clear I just knew I had to get out and get some excersize. So I went back to Haruno. With only a vague plan. According to my map there is a trail from one shrine to part 2 of the same shrine, passing an associated temple along the way. Now my map doesn't really give me any idea of how long this trail is. Maybe it only takes 15 minutes, maybe it would take 4 hours. I dunno. But I thought I would try and find it nevertheless. As I approached the town of Haruno I found a sign that pointed me to Akihasan, the afformentioned shrine. I parked in a parking lot, looked at the little trail map posted there and headed off. After a few minutes I thought it didn't look much like the trail according to that sign. But there were signs saying something was 110 minutes away in the direction I was heading. Well, whatever it was I was heading that way. I shortly walked into a cute little hamlet, with old wood style buildings and a cobblestone street. But then the real hiking trail began. And it went straight up. Really, it was more of a hiking staircase than a hiking trail. And I haven't done any hiking in ages and was completely winded. But I trudged up, slowly but surely. And after an hour and a half I reached the something. It was a bench, next to a sign that said there was another something or other up the trail in only another 110 minutes. I think not. So I sat on the goal bench and read my book for awhile and then headed back down. The return trip only took me 30 minutes. When I got to the car I realized that the entrance to Akiha Shrine was only across the street from my car, sorta between a couple of shops. So I went and did a quick look and headed back to my car. As I turned the key in the ignition not a bloody thing happened. At which point I realized I had left my lights on and the car battery was dead. Curse words came pouring from my mouth. So I figured out how to open the hood and stood around looking like a damsel in distress. Unfortunately there was nobody to see this pantomine so I had to go and search for help. So I went into a nearby restaurant and used the Japanese words for Excuse Me, Can You Help Me Please, Car, and Dead, while pantomiming the turning of the key. The women there were very nice and went and found a MAN to help me. Not that he understood my pantomine much better. But he quickly surmised the problem when we got to the car, ran to a nearby shed, rolled out some sort of charging machine and had my car working in minutes. Then, oddly enough, a man came up from the lower parking area and said he had the same problem. Hah, I felt so much better not being the only dunce around. Then I drove myself into town and found the onsen (hot spring) which was also on my map. I could certainly use a warming up and a freshening after all the sweating I did, and maybe I would treat myself to a massage and a light meal. Turns out it was a tiny, one pool onsen inside the community center. No massages, no cafe. But it was incredibly cheap. One dollar. The onsen I went to the previous week only had 3 pools and no extras, but cost 10 bucks. So I went and cleaned myself and then soaked. Boy did my tootsies appreciate the hot, relaxing water. And I had the place to myself. Drove home just in time to arrange to meet my student and pick her up to go to the new cafe near my place. We had an excellent dinner and chatted up a storm. Not bad for a Monday!

Proof of Mildness

2007-02-11T10:06:00.000+09:00

This winter has been so much different than last winter. First I haven't been as sick. Must have gotten used to the virulent Japanese Cold Virus. And I realize that I have things figured out this year. Last year it was a lot more complicated. But this winter is much milder than last year. Here is the proof....

1. I don't see my breath when I go to make my breakfast in the kitchen each morning.
2. I only go buy kerosene from my heater only once a week, rather than twice like last year.
3. I don't move the kitchen heater to the bathroom each time I take a shower.
4. I don't wear gloves to bed this year.
5. My hair looks like it should. Last year was so cold, and therefore dry and full of static that I had trouble getting it to lie down and not look like I had just seen something freightening.
6. When I get into bed with the lights off I'm not showered with static sparks from my blankets.
7. I don't have to carry around a can of "anti-static" so that my clothes hang correctly.
9. I bought an electric blanket this year (was way to broke last year) and don't have to use it very much.
10. Most importantly it doesn't rain in my shower. I got a whole weather system happening in my shower if it's dreadfully cold. I would turn on the warm water, which hit the nearly freezing air and instantly turned my shower into a steamer. Then all that condesation would accumulate on the ceiling of my shower. When enough had accumulated it would fall down in big ol' drops. But they aren't warm drops. No. They are bloody cold. So there I would be trying to keep warm in my shower, washing and scrubbing and jumping around like I had been electrocuted everytime one of these giant icey balls of water landed on me. That hasn't happened this year. Yeah!

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it's been rather pleasant around here. The other day it was so nice I was tempted to eat my lunch al fresco. And I would have ridden my bike to work yesterday, except that it desperately needs a tune-up. Oh, yeah, and I'm a lazy twit.

Anybody Want My Job?

2007-02-11T09:34:00.000+09:00

Want to be me? Or at least have my job? Well my job has been posted on the internet at ELT News. Go for it, you know you want to.

Of Course They Want Me, Don't They?

2007-02-09T21:41:00.000+09:00

This is something that I know shouldn't surprise me, but it did. I have to get a visa to visit China. Okay, I don't expect them to roll out the red carpet and send a limosine for me, but I'm just use to showing up on some poor unsuspecting country's doorstep and saying "I'm here". Then they nicely stamp my passport and say they have been waiting for me so please come on in and make yourself at home...and spend a lot of your money. But, no! Not all countries apparently are thrilled to see me, or are begging for me to pay them a nice little visit. This visa thing is not just a small affront to my Natalieness it's a big old pain in the ass. According to the Chinese Embassy website you need to take your passport in person to the consolate, drop off a form, 2 passport type photos, a hefty fee and your passport. And then come back to pick it up 4 business days later. Huhhh? You want me to go to Tokyo...twice? No, Nagoya will be fine. Ummmm, no it won't. I just knew that there must be another way. So I went down to the travel agent and they have a service that will do the transporting of the neccessities to the communist bureaucrats for me... for a fee of course. Although they did have a good price on a flight to Beijing, which I did pickup while I was there. Oh, and China charges Americans more than any other nation's citizens. Nearly twice as much. Are they afraid of Americans sneaking into their country and taking jobs away from their citizens or are we the worst of those "capitalist pigs" and they are going to fleece us for every cent we have? So the visa is $50. Then there were the photos that needed to be taken...another $7. And then there was the Travel Agents fee of another $40. So $100 bucks just to see if they will allow me in the front door. Hmmmmph. Red tape has a new meaning for me.

Tigers, Mermaids and Uno

2007-02-04T21:42:00.000+09:00

What a totally kickin' day it was. The "Girls From Sony" and I had a day out. We started at the Hamamatsu Zoo. I was pretty sure I would hate it. It's smaller than the Toyohashi Zoo and I knew that it would be worse. Well, I was wrong. For the most part the environments for the animals were more spacious and more mentally stimulating and there were very few animals without company. I still think the zoo needs to have a specialist to provide more mental stimulation, as there were still animals showing pacing and other unhealthy behaviors. But I tried to just enjoy, and not be a downer. But, boy, was it cold. I dressed appropriately, being terrified of being cold. But the others hadn't even brought gloves. Half way through the zoo we were delighted to find a little place selling hot chocolate. That was, bar none, the worst cocoa I have ever had. It took a while, but eventually one girl said it was not good. The other said it was "really not good" and the last said it was "terrible". After we had had our fill of running from one exhibit to the other to keep warm we headed for lunch. We went to this adorable little soba restaurant. I ordered yam soba. And of course they were out of it. This is a common occurance, as have a hereditary jinx. So I had the plain soba, which was pretty plain. Then we went to Kanzanji to one of the hotels to go to the onsen. It was a really nice way to warm up after the morning's expedition. Sorry, no pics of us bathing beauties lounging around in the hot pools. I haven't really found the appeal of an onsen (natural hot springs public bath) over a sento (mechanically heated water public bath). So far the onsens I have visited have not been nearly as nice as the sentos, and always more expensive. After drying off and getting our feet massaged by a strange little appliance we headed back to Hamamatsu, trying to find a place to eat cake. Finally we decided to try out this new place near my apartment that advertised itself as "Flowers and Cafe", not knowing if they even had cake. Turned out to be great. A little place with mis-matched cozy furniture, good food and good music. And they had a deck of Uno cards, which we instantly took advantage of. So we ate cake, drank coffee and battled for supremacy. Afterwards I was able to walk home after stopping at the market for some inari for my dinner. We have plans to go bowling, play poker, go hiking and visit a couple of different cities. Hope it happens.

Tossing My Beans

2007-02-02T22:30:00.000+09:00

Happy Bean Throwing Day. Yes, it's Setsubun. You throw dried beans around your house shouting "Devils out, happiness in". Then you pick up and eat the number of beans corresponding to your age. I don't usually have dried beans in my house (unless I haven't done dishes in an extraordinarily long time). Luckily the local conbini has these cute little kits to make it all very easy. So this morning I tossed my beans to the best of my ability. Well, I couldn't bring myself to toss beans everywhere, so I threw them down my hall. I can safely say all the devils have been elimated from my hallway now. The foyer and the bathroom I think might have a couple of lurkers still around. And I choked down 41 blasted beans with my breakfast. Better bring me some good luck. In olden days the custom was to drive away the evil spirits by the strong smell of burning dried sardine heads. Luckily this is no longer popular. A few people still decorate their house entrances. Or at least that's the rumor. I haven't seen anything like that! I had hoped to go to Nara today to see the 1,000 lanterns lit at on of the temples, but the trains wouldn't get me there in time. So I had to be happy with tossing and shouting. @ell, it was more like muttering as I didn't want to wake my neighbors. Have you shooed away your demons today?

Spider or Octopus?

2007-02-01T18:04:00.000+09:00

I did this project last week with my Let's Go Starter class. I got the project out of the book I highly recommend for new ESL preschool teachers down in the sidebar. First we go over the names for various bugs, and then we paint the paper cups that have been cut in advance to make eight legs. And then your supposed to put some elastic through the top so that they bounce around. Kids loved it, but it didn't quite work out like I planned. First of all the paper cups are so light that there is no spring action from the elastic. But mostly the kids think it looks more like an octopus than a spider. I think I agree with them.

Sleeping Figured Out

2007-01-28T20:46:00.000+09:00

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to my Mumsy and saying that this winter seems much easier in Japan. Like the rest of the world this winter has been milder than the last one. But it's more than that. I got sleeping figured out now. "Uh...excuse me Miss, but anybody can sleep!" you say? Well, it wasn't quite so easy to sleep through the night when the temp hits freezing inside your apartment as well as out. Especially for a gal from warm climes who never lived without central heat before. My heater beeps every two hours to let you know that it's still on. And at three hours it turns itself off if you don't hit the damnable button. And you have to turn the heater off, if you want the timer to work. And I love the timer. So, it gets downright cold in here at night. I learned that cotton sheets on the futon were not good. Everytime you turn over you get shocked awake by their coldness. So I sleep between two fake fur like blankets. But that's not enough. I wear a t-shirt, under a long sleeved fleece mock turtleneck and sweatpants. The t-shirt must be tucked into the sweats, and the pantlegs of the sweats must be tucked into the socks. Or else cold shock will wake you again when turning over. Okay, that's nice for the parts below the neck, but what about the head? Yes, that's a problem. A regular pillow just won't do. Talk about cold shock when you turn over! If your face hasn't frozen to the pillow already. So far the thing that has worked the best is the shawl I bought in Mexico, wrapped around the pillow. But I think I finally have this sleeping thing all figured out. Think I'll go practice a bit more to make sure.

Going to Fuji Go-Ko

2007-01-26T11:30:00.000+09:00

The day after my mysterious attack I had plans to go look at Mt. Fuji and the surrounding lakes. I actually live in the same prefecture as the famed Fuji-san...well, half of it is in Shizuoka prefecture. But other than a faint ghostly view I had of it right after arriving, I've never seen it. So one of the older men from Eigo Mura offered to take me, as he's quite knowledgable about it. And he said the best time to go was in January, when the cold air keeps the clouds from covering it. But like the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, we have had a mild winter. And January has seen lots of rain and clouds. But the Monday planned turned out to be rain free, so I didn't let a little old poisonous attack from an assasin bug keep me from my intended venture. My eye was still very swollen. But I just wore sunglasses to keep my physical deformity from scaring the locals. Koichiro and his friend picked me up at nine, and off we went. Our first stop was a rest area coffee shop with a lovely view of the Mountain and decent hot chocolate. The plan was to circle the Mountain and stop and look at a few lakes. But first we stopped at Shiraito-no-taki (White Strings Waterfall). It was pretty chilly, but quite nice. Then we jumped back in the car to go to the first lake, Motosu. By the time we got there Fuji had wrapped itself up in a big white duvet of clouds. But the lake was nice. We stopped for lunch there. Koichiro bullied the restauranteurs into making something vegetarian for me. I felt a little uncomfortable. As we sat in the restaurant the clouds parted for a few minutes, so I was able to get some nice shots out their plate glass window. We toddled off to go to the next lake, but as it was off the road we never actually saw it, or the next lake. But the roads were nice and forested. Koichiro wanted to take me to a particular spot on the 4th lake, Kawaguchi. But when we go there, the clouds had completely covered Fuji again. We seemed to be in a game of hide-and-seek with this mountain. Who knew a Mountain could be so playful. We drove on to the next lake and then to a less known spot Koichiro highly recommended called Oshino-Hakkai. A lovely spot in the middle of town, with old traditional buildings and eight incredilbly clear springs. Fuji showed itself again while we were there, and did a little number with the winter sun and wind blowing snow of the summit for added entertainment. I think it was just getting jealous of all the attention we were paying to the springs. And then it was time to head back before the sun went down, and all the roads re-iced. Got some great pics and had a lovely time with my hosts. I'd really like to go back again. This was a really interesting area. I give it a very favorable review.

Attack of the Enigma

2007-01-24T20:08:00.000+09:00

So, Sunday morning I'm asleep and I sorta wake up because my wrist itches. No biggie, just a bug bite. I scratch, and turn over and go back to sleep. Then I wake up an hour or so later for real and I open my eye. Wait a minute. I have two eyes. Yet only one has opened. The other one is swollen shut. I've been bitten by the stupid bug below my eyebrow. And the bite on my wrist is red, rashy and very swollen. Well, that's damn annoying. So, I turn on my computer and then head to the kitchen to grub up some breakfast. Man, my stomach doesn't feel so good, maybe I'm just really in need of some food. So I turn on the electric kettle. Oh, I really don't feel good. I break out in a thick layer of sweat. And then I begin to shiver pretty violently. Oh, God, I'm gonna puke. I run to the toilet. I have nothing in my stomach. But I continue to dry heave. And I'm sitting on the bathroom floor, pretty sure I'm gonna pass out...and then die. And nobody is going to find my body for days. I force myself to crawl out to the foyer and find my cell phone. I go back to the toilet for more dry heaving, sweating and shivering. I push the button to call Mr. M., which is stupid. He never answers his phone except during business hours. No answer. Will I die before I have a chance to make a second choice? No, I have enough strength to call the Suzukis. Mikio picks up quickly. Within 10 minutes I've been bundled into their car and am on my way to the hospital. The shivering and sweating seems to have subsided. And the nausea is tolerable. Mikio fills out the hospital form quickly...it requires just the vitals: name, address, phone, date of birth. That's it. Five minutes later I'm being seen by a doctor. He at first wants to diagnose me with the stomach virus that is going around. But I am adamant that it is only some sort of reaction to the bites, and I want antihistimes, not antibiotics. Okay, he comes 'round to my side. I had recently read on other blogs that Asian doctors prescribe IV fluids for everything. This doctor is no exception. But, as I'm to get the antihistimines and an anti-nausea med, too, I don't protest. For one thing I feel like hell. They get me to lie down on the gurney/exam table and cover me with a thick duvet. And then they start searching for a place to stick the needle. I've been turned down for giving blood, as my veins are smaller than the needle...but that's for whole blood, and IV needles are a little smaller. They decide on a vein, after refusing several sites. And then the poking begins. First the shot of antihistimines. Then the shot of antinausea meds. Then the IV. Ouchie-wa-wa. But then I'm connected and left alone. Obviously, the Suzukis are panic stricken. And, although it's Sunday, Mikio has to go to work. I tell him I feel fine, and the doctor spoke English well enough, that if I need anything I feel confident he can understand. The IV is gonna take a couple of hours, so Yoko will come back and pick me up later. I tell them I'll be fine, don't worry. Then, the gurney, IV and I are rolled into another ward. The IV drip ward. It was quiet in the beginning. And I just laid there, thankful I wasn't dead, and feeling guilty at the same time that I had had to drag the Suzukis into the whole thing. After a while I get very cold. I've given fluids to animals enough to know this is normal. And after another while I get very hungry. I never did get breakfast. The ward gets pretty noisy as more people come in. The swelling in my eye gets better, and I can open it a little. Eventually Yoko comes back to my rescue. She has gone shopping and brought me a whole bag of food to choose from: boiled egg, salad, 2 types of yogurt, peanuts, chocolate biscuits, cheese, etc. I take just enough time to peel the egg before inhaling it. The drip is finally done. I give them money as a down payment, and am told to come back within the week for true bill. Then Yoko takes me home. Except that my eye was still swollen, I felt fine (it took 2 days for my eye to get back to normal). But now the problem is...What the Hell Bit Me? It couldn't be the notorious Mukade (Japanese poisonous centipede), as that would have been painful at the bite location and all my lymph nodes. I checked my bedding when I came home. Nothing I could find. So I spent the rest of my Sunday, washing and drying the bedding, purchasing bug spray, and spraying down the aparto and unsuccessfully trying to find over-the-counter antihistimines. It seems to me, I was bitten by something once before here in Japan that made me swell up. Maybe two bites was just too much. I don't know. It's a mystery.

PS...My total bill at the hosptial came to about $100. Isn't that amazing. I'm completely floored by that.

Clog Convert

2007-01-23T18:05:00.000+09:00

One of the fabulous things I have discovered in Japan is the clog. I know, I know. Shouldn't I have discovered this in Holland. And shouldn't I have discovered something very high-tech in Japan. But No. I discovered the brilliance of the low-tech clog in Japan. I adore them. And they are perfect for me. Unfortunately, my footprint is the shape of a triangle. I have a very wide ball, and a narrow heel. So most shoes I buy are fairly wide to fit the ball of my foot. And then the back of the shoe doesn't grip onto my heel. My mother used to drive me 5 hours to get good shoes when I was a kid (and then I would lose 1 of them, but that's another story). But clogs...they have no backs! Therefore there's nothing to give me blisters on my achilles. This is just one the most wonderful things ever. I now own several pairs. Why, oh why didn't I try them before?

Passing of the Daruma

2007-01-20T20:30:00.000+09:00

It's time for the passing of the Daruma for me. Last year's Daruma did such an excellent job of leaning the fates in my direction, of getting me my desires, that I knew I needed another one. Notice the old, faded Daruma has both eyes painted in. That means I got my desires...to go to Thailand and Benelux. He threw in Mexico for free. Isn't that sweet. So the new Daruma's job is to keep up the good work and help me go to China in the spring. And Nara, sometime before I leave Japan. I think he's up to the tasks, and is very serious about his job. I think he's going to work out just fine.

Akimashite Omedetoo

2007-01-16T06:52:00.000+09:00

Happy Very Late New Year. Although people in Japan say their version of "Happy New Year" all throughout January ... kinda like we say Merry Christmas for weeks before Christmas. This year is the "Year of the Boar", and the Japanese have done a great job making wild pigs into cute, cuddly little cartoon characters you would be gladly invite to come to tea with Peter Rabbit and Winnie-the-Pooh. According to one I-Ching forecast for this year of the boar...

4 yins to 2 yangs mean “woman” power will continue to overshadow “man”. It is especially in favour of middle-aged women. This I-Ching symbol indicates fire on top of earth. The world may have to suffer from many wild fires, arguments, battles and wars as well as internal confrontations. Many countries will have to go through huge revelations which in turn lead to political changes. This I-Ching conflict is the result of a “Yang” at the top with many “Yin’s” at the bottom. Such foundation becomes very shaky. Hence there would be a lot of accidents involving height, such as outer space adventures, satellites malfunctioning, bridges collapsing, high-rises becoming unstable and airplane problems. Volcanoes and earthquakes would join in the rack.

So it should be a good year for me, as long as I don't watch the news or go into space. The picture at the top shows the Boar Bell I bought (wow, serious alliteration), and the New Year's post cards I sent out. If you haven't recieved one, don't get your feelings hurt...I only sent them out about an hour ago. In all the holiday hullaballoo, they got forgotten. But better late than never...which could describe my whole adventure in Japan.

Enough rambling, but let me wish you all a very Happy "Boar"ing Year.

Taking It Even Slower

2007-01-09T13:59:00.000+09:00

Our last 2 nights were spent in the dusty little seaside town of Progresso. They do get cruise ships docking there about once a week, and in the summer the locals from Merida flock to their beach homes to escape the heat. But compared to Merida it was very quiet, with very little to do. Which was just fine with us. The weather cooled off to much to swim in either the ocean or the pool at the place we stayed. It's hard to call it a hotel, when they only have 3 rooms. They are in the proceedure of renovating, so new rooms are on the horizon. But the Dutch family that runs it was very nice. And the bed was much more comfortable than the place in Merida. We walked along the beach into town, twice a day to eat and browse and be serenaded by wandering minstrals. The beach is quite "unremarkable" to quote my guide book, and strewn with seaweed (but no garbage, unlike Japan). We spent some time lying in the hammocks in the courtyard, reading, or sitting at the tables in the restaurant chatting. And time just disappeared, until it was time to come home. Hasta Luego Mexico, we will be coming back.

The entire batch of photos can be seen on flickr.

Magic and Mystery at Uxmal

2007-01-09T06:32:00.000+09:00

We wanted to celebrate New Year's Eve by going to Uxmal and seeing the light show there. We would by no means be staying up until midnight, but still... But since Mark hadn't been feeling all that well, we hadn't made reservations the day before. We hadn't had problems making same-day reservations, so we weren't really worried. But, of course, all the tours were booked. So we looked into a taxi. The tour would have cost us $60, and a taxi cost us $120. Which seemed very reasonable to us, so that's what we did. Although our taxi driver spoke NO English, he was still very nice, and took us the scenic way there. I'm not sure taking a taxi would have been a good idea in summer, as he didn't seem to have airconditioning, and we drove the hour and a half with the windows down. But it was still nice. Then we arrived at Uxmal. It was really breath-taking. There was this very serene park-like feel to it. The place wasn't empty, but nothing like Chichinitza. And as it was late afternoon, the light gave the ruins a glowing appearence. And the rulers of the kingdom were now the animals that lived there. The warrior iguanas, posting sentries in all the sunny spots; stray dogs, who acted like princes with no responsibilities, lying anywhere they liked; and the multitude of bats inside the crevices of the Governor's Palace, waking up and stretching, and making peeping sounds as the sun went down, ready to fly and practice their magic over the enchanted land. And then the whistles were blown, and everyone was hustled out of the park for an hour and a half, until the light show. We chose to eat at the restaurant on site. It was surpisingly good for an onsite business. Then we were allowed back in to see the show. The weather was lovely. We forgot to rent the translator earphones. And it was certainly no high tech laser show, but it was still really cool. And I kinda enjoyed only understanding phrases here and there. I made it seem more mysterious. And then we took the taxi home again, in the warm Mexican night. It was the best New Year's Eve, ever.

Another Slow Day in Merida

2007-01-08T15:41:00.000+09:00

It was Mark's turn not to feel so great, so we spent another day in town. We mainly walked around. We did visit the Modern Art Museum in the in an old Spanish mansion. We visited the Cathedral, built by the Spanish by destroying the Mayan buildings onsite and using the stones for that. The thing I liked the most about it were the memorial floor stones. But I didn't like being in that building for some reason, and I can't tell you why. We tryed to go into the city hall, but guards refused to let us enter. They told us to come back in 10 minutes. After browsing the bookstore we returned again, and once again we were refused entry. So we went in the back way. They were having some sort of party, but we just walked right through it. Then we went to the Governor's Palace, which is really just a government building, but it was built in the old Spanish courtyard style. It has lovely, intense murals. After a nice siesta (and doing some laundry) we took a taxi back out to the Paseo. It only cost $3, I could really get used to that. We visited the really cool Anthropology Museum, with some very important Mayan pieces from all over the Yucatan. After that we meandered the the streets again on a warm balmy night, until we arrived back at the hotel. Although the hotel was nice, the bed was rockhard. We would both wake up and take pain pills first thing in the morning. And the breakfast was not particularly cheap and was pretty crappy. But the staff was helpful (except for the bed thing), the location was very good and they had a vending machine that dispensed beer as well as soda...Mark quite enjoyed that little perk.

The Unpronouncable Site

2007-01-08T11:24:00.000+09:00

For our next trip we wanted to go to a very nearby Mayan site called Dzibilchaltun. Which took we a week to learn to say. But it looked like the tours wouldn't spend much time there so we thought about taking a bus or a collectivo, which would have cost us nearly nothing. But then we looked into taking a taxi. For $25 bucks they'd drive us there, wait around for several hours and drive us back again. We are certainly not big spenders, but that sounded very reasonable (and cheaper than the tour). When we got there we decided to hire one of the local tourguides to show us around. He was very smart, and answered our questions very thoroughly, but not exactly a cheery dude. Oh, whoever said Mexicans are slow never had a Mexican tourguide. All three of our various tourguides were about 5 feet tall, cute as buttons and walked me into the ground. This was the hottest day so far, and I just let the guys go on ahead and went slower. Dzibilchaltun is really cool. It's not a very massive site, and the temple isn't very tall, but it really has an ancient feel. This site was only ever populated with Mayans, not Toltecs. And it has a very down to earth feel. I could almost imagine having lived there. Chichinitza was more "oooh, aaaah". Notice the god's face in the second pic, that's the rain god, and he has his tongue stuck out. You got to like a god who sticks out his tongue to catch raindrops. Well, then came the Spanish and they tore up the sacred stone road and used it to build a chapel, which is now a ruin, and much less grandiose than the other temples. And then I went swimming in the cenote. There are no rivers in the Yucatan, so these freshwater limestone sinkholes were considered sacred. Of course humans do stupid things so the Mayans/Toltecs used to thrown in human sacrifitial victims into them...thereby despoiling the freshwater. Water was cool, but not cold, with water lillies growing to one side, and happy fish swimming throughout. After we got there (Mark declined to swim) a large group of college students came along to take a plunge as well. The atmoshere was very joyous and exuberant, and reminded me of those movies where kids all go to the local swimming hole. Some sat along the sides and sunbathed, some got in and just paddled around, some did flips off the sides and others went down into the depths with snorkling gear. After I dried off, we walked over to the very new and bright museum to take a look. And then we were ready to find our driver and head back to town to eat more food and drink more margaritas and beer. It was the best day so far.

The Tour of Celestun

2007-01-08T09:38:00.000+09:00

The following day we signed up to do a tour of Celestun. The Celestun reserve is a protected area, most notable for it's resident flamingos. They picked us up at the hotel by van, and transferred us to a bus. Edwin was the tour guide, and he was pretty good, especially since he had to do everything in Spanish, and then again in English. The bus ride was interesting, through the towns. The towns were filled with houses made from any available materials. But because of the weather, I don't think people hole themselves up quite like people from more northern climes. When we got to the reserve they loaded us onto several little boats, and hightailed it out onto the estuary. It was a pretty chilly 20 minute trip. And then we arrived at where the flamingos were feeding. Since my summer working at Sea World I have a soft spot for flamingos. They are this combination of beauty and hilarity. The truly odd color, that only a bird could get away with, yet it's not really as flashy as a parrott. They are tall and graceful, and yet bicker with each other and stand on one leg, with a backward knee. There was this constant low squawking as they feed and communicate. They are so large, that to take flight, they have to run on top of the water for a short ways, before they lift off. But it is a magnificent sight. Watching them was all to short, before we had to take off to go into the mangrove trees. It reminded us both of the Jungle Ride at Disneyland, only it was real. I spotted a large bird, camoflaged in the shadows. I later found out it was a Bare Throated Tiger Heron. And there were these huge termite nests in the trees. Really, at any second we expected a mechanical hippo to raise out of the waters. After a short walk on a boardwalk, it was back to the boats and on the bus again. It was much too short a trip for me. If we go back, I think I want to rent a guide and do a whole day. They then took us to a pretty good restaurant on the beach, and gave us time to go swimming or sunbathing. Unfortunately, Mark and I didn't know anything about this, so we hadn't brought our swimgear. Mark walked to the plaza, while I laid out on any scraps of clothing we had brought and got a little sun. Then it was back onto the bus and the return trip to Merida. Back in Merida we went out to dinner, and then sat in the Plaza Mayor again and people watched. Who were all these people, and why weren't they home watching TV? And why were they spending time together in family groups? It was very exotic and confusing.

Strolling the Paseo

2007-01-08T06:44:00.000+09:00

The next day we decided to take it easy. Well, we didn't have much choice, as I wasn't up to par. Maybe it was from brushing my teeth with tap water, or maybe from eating different food, but most likely it was the two margaritas from the night before. Our hotel was not in the lush part of Merida, and we loved that about it. Busses parked right out our door, local women selling peeled and cut fruit on any spare patch of pavement, the thin strips which passes for a sidewalk, the street sweepers cleaning up the filthy streets each day. I can't imagine how pungent it is in summer. We decided to walk over to the Paseo de Montejo, and stolled up this lush boulevard, where most of the tourists stay. We sat and drank these lovely sorbet drinks at a sidewalk cafe. We took photographs of the lovely old buildings, some in great repair, some barely standing upright. We walked past the Wal-mart, yes Wal-mart...built to blend in with the local styles. And back down the Paseo, stopping to sit on benches and watch Mexico go by. There were art pieces all up and down the boulevard. Went back down to the Plaza Mayor and browsed the shops. That night we went to one of the plazas, and they had live music. We watched all the locales dance along. Everybody was dancing, it was wonderful..men in business suits, teenagers in skimpy clothing, old ladies in the traditional dress, fathers dancing with their small daughters, groups dancing with anybody, vendors selling nuts, children playing on playground equipment, and people watching from sidewalk restaurants. And let me remind you that it was December, no coats needed. I could really get used to that (as I sit here in my chilly aparto, because I ran out of kerosene).

Hola, from Mexico

2006-12-30T10:59:00.000+09:00

Made it to Mexico. I lived in Arizona for years, made trips to New Mexico and Texas repeatedly, and was born in California, but had never been south of the border until now. And coming from Japan makes it quite funny. It´s hard not to compare it to Japan, and even harder not to compare it to Thailand. I really like Mexico, and Merida was a great choice. This is a funny little town, whose main industry is NOT tourism. The streets are bustling all the time. The main plaza has quite a few people trying to hawk stuff at you, but not nearly as annoying as the hustlers in Phuket. And when comparing it to Japan all I can say is that it is much dirtier and yet much prettier. The first full day we went to see Chichinitza, through a tour through the hotel. We spent the whole day on this tour, but got less than two hours to actually visit the ruins. I had read that Chichinitza may be the most famous, but not the most interesting of the Maya/Toltec sites. It's not terribly photogenic, there are people selling souveniers along all the paths, and the numbers of people visiting it are huge. The tour guide was interesting, amusing and adorable...and very, very biased in his opinions (he stated them as facts). Once we were allowed to go wander unaccompanied it was actually a little more enjoyable. And once you got away from all the hordes it became a little more magical. Of course the two most interesting places on the site have been restricted. You used to be able to climb to the top of the Temple of the Warriors and see the chacmool up close, but people kept standing on it to get there pictures taken. And the other most fascinating place to see was inside El Castillo. But an 80 year old woman fell to her death earlier this year and now no one is allowed to climb it anymore. Inside is the Jaguar throne, and the temple that this temple was built over. Nonetheless, the The weather has been pretty good, and it´s wonderful to walk around in summer clothes in the middle of winter. Oh, and of course the food has been great. I like Mexico.

Worldwide Christmas

2006-12-24T09:59:00.000+09:00

Well, the Christmas parties are finally over. All the cookies have been eaten, all the games have been played and all the messes have been cleaned up. The picture above is of my fabulous group of 1st and 2nd graders on Saturday. My tiny class, as I call it. My other group of 1st and 2nd graders are fun, but it's a large class of 15 kids, and very energetic kids at that. But these are my girls. Kana was in the class last year, so she's pretty good, and definately the leader. Haruna has obviously taken lessons elsewhere and is also quite good, and so funny. Momo only started back in October, and is really having to work hard to catch up. She's still having to learn her ABC's. But she's a very willing student. Ayane, is the shy one. She cried on the first day of class, and her mother had to stay in the room. She's not exactly brilliant, but she definately has improved. Look at them. Aren't they adorable? I always have to take extra things for them to do, because they get through the lesson so much quicker than my other class. Ah, but now all the parties are over, except one. The big party. In a few moments I walk out my door and will be on my way to see my hubby. We are spending our Christmas vacation in Mexico. Yep. Mexico. So from Japanese Christmas parties, to grabbing my husband in Atlanta and then off to the Yucatan. It's a very worldwide Christmas this year. Merry Christmas everyone!

Last Christmas, Arrrrrggghhh!

2006-12-22T19:18:00.000+09:00

What do you think is the most popular Christmas song in Japan? Jingle Bells? Rudolph? White Christmas? Nope. You are wrong. It is "Last Christmas" by Wham. This is now the Christmas song I hate the most. The one Christmas song I used to despise the most used to be "Favorite Things" from the Musical I hate the most "Sound of Music". But after spending two Christmas seasons in Japan, Favorite Things has been usurped. I thought I was just imagining this obsession they have with "Last Christmas". But I wasn't. The last week the Nagoya English station has had a contest, and "Last Christmas" decimated the competition, which included "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and every Christmas song by Mariah Carey and by the Carpenters. All of which I have heard repeatedly over the last couple of weeks. But Wham is everywhere. It's getting creepy. Aaarrrgggh! I hope this is the Last Christmas I ever have to hear Last Christmas.

Power Rangers to the Rescue

2006-12-21T09:14:00.000+09:00

A while back I went with the Suzukis to Pal-Pal to celebrate Yuma's birthday. One of the things on our agenda was to see the live action hero show. Mainly because we wanted to see O'Goody in it. I don't think they ever used the word Power Rangers, but if not they were knock-offs. The day was unusually hot for the time of year, and the amplitheatre was like an oven. The show was totally cheesy, and if there were any jokes in it I didn't get them due to the language barrier. And O'Goody wouldn't tell us what part he was going to play in it. It's part of his secret identity. The Suzukis guessed that he was the Johnny Depp looking guy. But I know O'Goody better than they. I see him everyday, and I knew they were wrong. He was one of the evil henchmen and he got thrown around alot. The next day at work I was prepared to "get sick" and have to go home if he didn't tell me which character he played. But I didn't have to resort to blackmail, just a little good-humored badgering did the trick. He admitted to being the bad guy with the red hair. I knew it.

The Christmas Parties Have Begun!

2006-12-15T06:37:00.000+09:00

Well, the first set of Christmas parties have begun. Because of the crazy schedule, half were at the beginning of this week, the other half will be the last half of next week. But so far so good. Although this year's crop of BabyKids is filled with a lot of seriously reluctant youngsters. So the Pin the Nose on Rudolf game isn't as big a hit this year. But the cookies and songs are big hits. Here, let's mingle. I'll introduce you around.

This is Natsuki and Yuzuki, they are both second years and have on their serious face. Natsuki has a cute little girly voice. Yuzuki is quite the card.

Here we have Nanami and Satsuki in their dimples pose. Nanami is usually so straightlaced. She is very serious about learning her ABC's. Satsuki has come along way this year. Early on she was a trouble maker, but she's settled down and done a very respectable job learning the alphabet.

Let me introduce you to Taiki and Shiki, the only boys here at our little internet party. Taiki...Well, Taiki takes my classes twice a week. Same class mind you. And I'm pretty sure he's taking other classes at the CC. He's very good with the spoken stuff, he just isn't interested in the physical stuff or the songs. Shiki is a fairly recent addition, and can be high strung. He's either great or a great pain in the ass.

Over here are Sae (pronounced Sigh) and Nayu doing there strange faces. I really don't know what Sae is doing. She's a very soft spoken child, but not bashful. As this pucker face and strange peace sign shows. Nayu is very young, and this is actually her attempt to smile for the camera. I think she needs a bit more practice.

And last, but not least, we have another Nanami and Mei. Well, as you can tell I have spiked the apple juice and they have had more than their fair share. Nanami is a surly drunk, and Mei is more of a lampshade kinda party girl. These BabyKids sure know how to celebrate.

Are You Interested in Belly Dance?

2006-12-14T18:21:00.000+09:00

A while back Junko invited me to a Belly Dance party. Our group consisted of Mika, Junko, myself and Junko's new boyfriend. The little bar was packed with people. And it was pretty hard to see anything, but what I did see was fun and hypnotic.

Okuni Jinja Here We Come

2006-12-12T20:45:00.000+09:00

A couple of the girls from my Sony Class took me to Okuni Jinja, since they had promised to take me to Kourankei and never did. Misato is on the left, Yumi on the right. Yumi's English is pretty bad, Misato's is even worse. But Yumi's inablility doesn't stop her from trying. While Misato barely ever says a word. It was rather nice in away. I never get to use the little Japanese that I do have, because most people WANT me to speak English. But these two didn't care. The temple was nice, and I bet it looked beautiful at it's peak earlier in the season. Definately worth the trip. Then we went to a park and ate conbini lunches and walked around a little. Then we decided to get a little dessert. So we went to Louisiana Mama and bought some slices of cake and brought them to my place, and I made them raspberry tea. We laughed and talked. We got around to talking about the Chinese Zodiac. I guessed that Yumi was a monkey and Misato had to be a mouse. And I was right. A nice, pleasant day with the girls.

Baking Buddy

2006-12-11T08:24:00.000+09:00

Well, the Christmas Party season shall be upon me in no time. That's not exactly a phrase I thought would be a part of my life in Japan, but it is. And when I say Christmas Parties, I mean for my classes. No spiked eggnog for my party companions. I am using the same lesson plan as last year, but I still have to bake 18 dozen cookies. And as my oven is broken (it doesn't get hot...just kinda warm) I have to borrow Rinako's again. Luckily her daughter Yuri loves to bake. So the two of us spent Saturday night making dough and baking 6 dozen cookies. But I got a lot more to go. And then there is the decorating. But with Yuri's help it'll be fun!

Happy Birthday to Me

2006-12-10T18:18:00.000+09:00

Friday was my birthday. And the nice folks from Skyland took me out for dinner to a very nice restaurant. A cake was brought out, and the jazz singer sang "Happy Birthday" to me. And the food was delicious. And there was so much of it. I really overstuffed myself and ended up feeling pretty yucky. And the Skyland group was less jovial than usual. And then I missed my stop when riding the train home. And there weren't any more trains going the other way. So I had to walk half an hour to get home in dressy shoes. And it began to rain, and I didn't have an umbrella. And what started out as a nice time ended up pretty crappy. Poor, poor, pitiful me.

Fun With Rectangles

2006-12-08T12:35:00.000+09:00

For BabyKid classes the theme was reviewing shapes, with a focus on rectangles. High tech it ain't. I cut up plastic sheets into rectangles of various sizes and drew faces onto some of them. In class I dumped out all the rectangles and we made them into robots. This was one of my favorites that one of the kids made. I tell you, the fun you can have with rectangles is awesome. I can't wait until we do ovals!