The mountains (Yahiko, to be exact)!

On Thursday night, I went to Niigata station to pick up the lovely Shelby Kimmel, who was staying for a visit (she left last night). On Friday we co-taught at Iwamuro JHS about Hannukah, and then we had a fun yet busy weekend in Niigata city with some of my friends. Monday was the most exciting, though, because we decided to climb Mt. Yahiko, a beautiful big mountain near my house. We woke up at nine and, after a quick visit to Yahiko shrine, began the hike at around 10:30. Surprisingly, there were lots of people on the train, all looking very impressive with walking sticks and big boots. As we climbed higher, we realized why - it was very muddy and slippery, due to the snow all melting at the top (it was a very nice, sunny day). However, we made it up and back down in about 3 hours. It was pretty much straight up and then straight down, and we were exhausted by the end, but it was completely worth it. And we treated ourselves to a very long onsen visit afterwards. So, even though I missed mountain day in Williamstown, we still got to celebrate it (albeit in December) in Japan.

Why?

Can someone tell me why this guy is torching his field? Also, aren't the mountains pretty?

Nagaoka Mall

I don't know why they would try to translate a quote from English to Japanese to English. Why not just use the original English?

Also, this is a pants store. Apparently, they look best when bent over. 

Nagoya

Two weeks ago I went to Nagoya (and failed to post, sorry) to meet with a Professor from a program I'm interested in. He does research through the Institute of Religion and Culture at Nanzan University in Nagoya, so I went there and stayed in the Institute's residence. I didn't know too much about it before I went, but it turns out to be an amazing program that puts out a lot of the important research on Japanese philosophy. I talked with the professor I went to see and also with Jim Heisig, who wrote the book 'Remembering the Kanji' (which I'm now using) and is currently working on a sourcebook for Japanese philosophy. Basically, I was in academic heaven. On Sunday I walked around on my own and visited some temples and Nagoya castle, and felt like a proper tourist. Despite the absolutely horrible night train I took Friday night, I had a very good trip, and the bus back was amazingly comfortable. Here are some pictures of the beautiful day that greeted me on Sunday as I made my way around the city.

Homestay

This past weekend, a bunch of ALTs went to homestays all around the prefecture. Mine was on Sado (as was most other Niigata city ALTs). I was a little nervous, especially because I have practically no Japanese ability, but it turns out I didn't need to worry. Both of my host parents had been English teachers, and their 12 year old daughter was way ahead of her age group. I had a really wonderful time with them - they reminded me quite a lot of my family. After doing a homestay in the heart of Tokyo, it was very different to be out on Sado. It was probably about as different an experience as possible. They showed me how to light a fire under the bath tub to heat up bath water, and we cooked sweet potatoes in a traditional outdoor stone oven. We also picked kaki (persimmons). The father had traveled a lot in Europe and was especially fond of street organ music. We listened to a lot of it. The mother had worked at a brain research institute in Niigata, so we talked about that, and also about her new hobbies (quilting, making miniatures). They were very warm, and eager to share with me. At the end they said my 'character' fit very well with that of their family, and said I was welcomed back any time. I hope I get the chance to take them up on it!

In the pictures:

Praying at a local shrine, the path to the shrine, a beautiful dinner of nabe (stew), drying kaki, and cooking sweet potatoes.

Sunsets and pancakes

Here's a gorgeous sunset from Tuesday as I was leaving work, and a tasty surprise I found on my desk today (the students made pancakes in home ec and left them as treats on all the teacher's desks. All the other teachers pointed out that mine was the best. Ha!).

Bunkasai

So, two weekends ago (I know! I'm sorry!) I went to 'Bunkasai,' or 'culture festival' at two of my schools. This is a day where the kids show off all the cool stuff they've been doing - art, performances, etc. At some schools, there's a chorus contest thrown into the mix, while at others the parents sell snacks and there are games and activities in the classrooms. On Saturday, I went to a bunkasai of the former variety, while on Sunday, the latter. 

My Sunday bunkasai was especially exciting because the teachers put some of my calligraphy up in the special 'teacher exhibition' room. Then, when I was walking around the school with one of my teachers, he kept prodding all the kids to comment on my calligraphy. Also, I got to have a very tasty free lunch of udon (big noodles in soup, yum), and I bought some dango (mochi with red bean paste in it) for dessert. 

Here's a picture of some gorgeous lanterns the kids made in art class. I think the art teacher might help me make one! I'd upload more photos, but I think I'd get in trouble for putting up photos with kids in them (sigh). 

I've been bad about posting!

Oh gosh, it's been two weeks since I last wrote. Sorry! I've been busy, and also, haven't had many pictures to post. So... let's see. On October 12th I ran a 10k race (my first!) in Niigata as part of the Niigata marathon. I went with my friends Jon and Naomi, who both ran the half (along with Naomi's super-fit uncle). We carbo-loaded before hand at a kaiten sushi place the night before the race, which I had never been to before. Sushi goes around on a conveyer belt and you pick what you want!

Just before the race I got really nervous and my old habit of getting really tired when I get nervous kicked in. I was yawning at the start line and had to jump a little to get myself out of it. And my palms were sweaty! But it went fine. I had been told by Naomi and Jon to start out fast and just maintain it, which I later found out they were kind of kidding about. Anyway, I started running as fast as was comfortable, and just held it the whole time, which meant that by the end I wanted to die. I also had drank way too much water and got a cramp, and was really sore from soccer. But there were cheerleaders along the way, and lots of people cheering us on. Even if it wasn't completely enjoyable, I was really happy when I finished in 45:39! My goal had been between 45 and 50, so 45 was great. I had some free sugary drink and then quickly called mom and noodle (that's my sister, for those of you who don't know), then went to watch Jon and Naomi finish. I got pictures of both of them! They both did really well and met their goals. We proceeded to eat giant onigiri (I had two, mine and Jon's), then Jon and I went back to his apartment and fell asleep. 

That night Jon, Mark and I went to Jonnobikan, an onsen near my house. We had dinner and relaxed and it was great, and then we went to meet some friends on the beach, where we set up a tent for the night. We even had a little fire, and smores! (well, kind of - we had no graham crackers, so we had marshmallows with chocolate - and nuts!)

The next weekend was musical practice on Sado, and we had an enkai the night before in Niigata city. The enkai was really fun, especially since I was seated next to a Japanese man whose only words seemed to be 'drink up' and 'eat up.' I was also invited to give a talk about my bioethics research, but who knows if that will happen?

Sado was good, although we didn't get too much practice done (a lot of work on props though). I used my log lunch skills to make a big soup and salad to feed everyone, and Natasha made a nice curry. That night we went over to Yuki's house (he used to be the ALT coordinator on Sado, and he now does tourism stuff) for a few beers, then fell asleep. 

This week has been uneventful - going to work, Japanese class, and all that. I have two culture festivals this weekend so I'll be busier still, but next weekend is three-days so I'll be able to rest then!

More calligraphy!

I learned more calligraphy at one of my other schools (Iwamuro) today. In the first picture, one of the characters is mine and one is a teacher's. Can you tell which is which?

The second is my characters posted in the office. It was kind of awkward, because all the other teachers clapped for me when they hung them up. 

The other pictures show my desk and the office. Yeah, it's pretty messy. But I love it. 

I heart tofu

Can you read what it says on the truck?

God damn I live in a beautiful place

This is Sakata lagoon, a bird santuary in a nearby town.

Still laughing...

In one of my classes today, I asked them what the coldest place in the world was. Most students came up with the north/south pole or the (ant)arctic. One group, however, answered "Ice Island."

In another class, the students were supposed to tell me some of their school rules. One student said 'Make Hair.' I started laughing really hard in class and all the students were looking at me, because they didn't understand why it was so funny. I'm still laughing about it. 

Soccer!

This weekend I went to my very first soccer tournament. I don't think I've ever played an actual soccer game, so I was a little nervous beforehand. But it was great! Most of the girls from Niigata had never played before, but we worked really hard and I think we really came together as a team. We didn't win any games, but we did tie one (That's a draw or something, right?). I even scored a goal! 

The tournament was near Nagano, in a mountain town called Sugadaira (or Sudagaira?). It was absolutely beautiful, definitely helped by the perfect weather. We were surrounded by ski slopes, and it got me excited for learning how to ski this winter!

I know how to...

In class the other day I was teaching the kids that "I know how to..." means the same thing as "I can..." As an example, I said "I know how to play baseball." When I asked for volunteers to try to make a sentence, of course they all said "I know how to play..." So I asked them to make a sentence without using the work play. Imagine my surprise when one of the boys in the back raised his hand and said "I know how to love someone." I had to try really hard to restrain my laughter. This is also the class in which one boy, when asked to make a sentence using "I like...", said "I like American girls." 

I learn calligraphy!

I finally sat in on my first calligraphy class today! It was my first-year's class, and they were obviously clueless as to why I would want to go. But I had a really good time. It's actually quite relaxing. I can see why Zen matured the way it did in this country. Here is the evolution of my calligraphy abilities in this first class. That's my name in katakana on the left hand side there. And no, I have no clue what the kanji (characters) actually mean. 

Flickr account

New photos here!

I love Onsen

It's starting to get much colder here, or at least I feel like it's much colder. Today at work my JTE and I commiserated about the weather - it certainly didn't help that it was raining. So, after work, I decided to take a little trip to an onsen - hot spring spa - near my house. It's called Jonnobikan, and was recommended to me by said JTE. It was somewhat dark and rainy on the drive up (it's up on Yahiko mountain), which only took about 10 minutes. When I got there, I was confused because there were these signs that said "doctor fish." I thought maybe it was a hospital. After leaving and coming back I discovered it was in fact the onsen I was looking for. For only 500 yen (about $5) I was given a towel and unlimited time in the onsen, which consists of several hot pools of water, 2 onsens, and even an outdoor bath. I cleaned myself off (you have to clean yourself for about 10 minutes before getting in the bath - it is public, after all) and then soaked to my heart's content. I felt all the coldness in my bones melt away. I left about an hour later. On my way out, I saw a pool of water by the door. It was full of little fish, and bore a sign that said "doctor fish, 850 yen." I have no idea what this meant. I don't know if I want to know?

Pictures of my apartment!

I know, finally. Bedroom, washroom, living room, kitchen. I also have a separate room (along that main hallway) with a bathroom, and there's a shower 'room' off the washroom.