It's Icy

Hakodate Ika Odori

2010-08-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to a squid themed festival where I danced a special dance called the "Ika Odori" (squid dance) for an hour with (allegedly) 50,000 other people. It was AMAZING!
And instead of goldfish you can catch turtles?

A Few New Pictures

2010-07-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

So, from the top: Me and some friends at an event called the "outdoor spectacle" in which we were dressed like Japanese townspeople and took part in a re-enactment of Commodore Matthew Perry coming to Hakodate. Can you tell we're wearing rubber Japanese hair?

Then, there's me and my host mom and a temple matsuri (festival). She is carrying A LOT of food that she bought. Below that is some kids dancing the "ika odori" (squid dance) and the same festival.

Finally, pictures from this weekend's hike up Hakodate Yama (Mt. Hakodate).

Return to Niigata

2010-07-12T23:17:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was 中休み (mid-program break) and I went to Niigata to visit friends from last year. It was wonderful to see everyone, but a little bittersweet. I really loved living there, and the people I met, but at the same time I'm happy that I left and I like what I'm doing now. Nevertheless, I hope to be able to go back sometime soon.

Birthday!

2010-07-07T22:38:00.001-07:00

I received a lovely cake, and my host mom gave me a strange dress (and Ian gave me a stuffed hippo).

Sorry for not writing much - we've been kept so busy on this program that it's hard to find time for blog-reflection.

More Pictures!

2010-07-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

From the top: Ikebana, the view of Tachimachi coast after a beautiful hike, the bikes my friends and rode around Onuma lake on, and the French Trappistine Convent 20 minutes from my house.

Sorry for the silence...here are some pictures!

2010-06-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Various activities:

Jomon archaeological site visit
Kimono/Yukata wearing class
A strange cookie I received from my host mom...
Elementary school festival with my friend Kate and her host family

つけもの and my room

2010-06-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

I met my host family this past weekend... Quite an adventure. So far I'm enjoying the homestay, although it was a bit of a shock to discover that they don't have internet. I suppose this is my chance to experience a wireless world, but I believe I'm currently going through withdrawal.

On Saturday I helped my host mother make つけもの, or a type of Japanese pickled vegetable. We cut up the giant pile of...something (maybe similar to rhubarb?), boiled it with salt, and then soaked it with kombu (seaweed) and sugar.

Also, you can see my room!

Hakodate Day 2

2010-06-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

The view from my school, and Hakodate at night from the top of the ropeway.

Hakodate Day 1

2010-06-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

First day of the program - placements tests and time to walk around! Hopefully more text to come soon...

Pearl Harbor and the North Shore

2009-08-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went on a field trip (the last one of orientation!) to the Arizona memorial (aka Pearl Harbor) and the North Shore. It was interesting visiting the Arizona memorial, although I have to say I was turned off by the number of people posing in front of the names of the dead.

And now I live in Hawaii!

2009-08-17T00:53:00.001-07:00

So, about a week ago I moved to the lovely state of Hawaii, where I'll be living for the next two years while I get my Master's degree in Philosophy (and Japanese). I'm living on the East West Center campus at UH Manoa with about 500 other students from the Asia-Pacific region. I think there are about 150 new students, and together we represent 42 countries.
Yesterday we took a field trip to the Kahana valley, where we cleaned trash from the beach (there wasn't much, but we did find an old carpet), then were fed a traditional Hawaiian lunch (rice with poi, which is smushed up taro, which is like a sweet potato, pork, chicken with taro leaves, pineapple, bananas, and coconut gelly-like things) and weeded a taro patch.

Making lanterns and the Iwamuro Onsen Matsuri

2009-07-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am going to miss the Iwamuro art club. A lot. Last week I went to the Iwamuro community center with them to make lanterns for this week's onsen matsuri (the first picture is our planning map of things that remind us of Iwamuro). A bunch of nice grandparents showed us how to make the lanterns.
Then, last night, we put on yukatas (summer kimonos) and walked in the matsuri parade, carrying our lighted lanterns. One of my student's grandmothers had offered to help me wear a yukata, so I showed up early and she helped me get dressed. After that we did a quick tea ceremony, and then it was time for the parade.
The night was humid - it had been raining most of the day, but thankfully stopped for the matsuri. The air was thick and foggy and a few boys (my students) walked at the front of the parade with sparklers, and the smoke added to the atmosphere. There were men playing wooden flutes, a taiko (drum) player, and an omikoshi (a shrine carried by a group of men).
We finished at a shrine in the center of Iwamuro, where we tied our lanterns to railings on the stairs as a gift, and then said a quick prayer.
After all that it was late, and I was hungry. My friend Maiko had come (also wearing a yukata) and we got frappe (shaved ice with flavor), frozen pineapple on a stick, and popoyaki (like a warm, chewy graham cracker). We stood with my students to watch the fireworks, which were beautiful despite the clouds.
There are a lot of things about Japan that I'm going to miss, but it's experiences like this (and the people that make them happen) that I'm going to miss most.

Swim team sobetsukai (farewell party)

2009-07-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I had my farewell nomikai with the swim team. My friend Kaoru had everyone sign a swim towel for me, and also gave me a Maki cap. After dinner (and drinking), we went to karaoke (until about 2 am). By far the best part was when I sang 'my heart will go on' with a friend. Twice.

Nomikais # 1 and 2

2009-07-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Last week I had three nomikai's in a row. A nomikai is a drinking party you do with a large group of people, usually at a restaurant or izakaya. For a somewhat absurd amount of money ($50-100) you get lots of little dishes of food and endless drinks.

Ramen!

2009-07-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to a famous ramen place in Maki with Kaoru, her husband, and his friend (who also happens to be one of the ramen restaurant's owners). We had giant gyoza (hand for size), miso ramen, yasai (vegetable) ramen, and butter shio (salt) ramen.

So many flowers...

2009-07-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Bouquets 1, 2, and 3 from my schools.

Fuji-san

2009-07-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I climbed Mt. Fuji. In retrospect, I think it may have been one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I count Outward Bound up there, too.
My friend Colleen and I took the shinkansen to Tokyo on Saturday afternoon. We met our friends, Martin and Chigusa, at Shinjuku station, where we had onigiri for dinner. We then caught a bus, which after 2 1/2 hours deposited us at the 5th station on Fuji (about 2000m, I think?).
At 11pm we started hiking, along with hundreds, possibly thousands of other people. One person in our group, one of Chigusa's friends from college, got altitude sickness straightaway, so we stopped often. At around 3am, Chigusa, Colleen, and Chigusa's friend all were quite sick, so Martin decided to take them down, while Chigusa's friend Alex and I continued to the top.
We didn't get to see the sunrise from the top, but we did get a nice view of it from about 3000m up. After that, the weather became pretty bad, with ridiculously strong winds, and not really rain but a thick mist that coated everything with water. There were also so many people on the narrow trails, many of which were just outcroppings of rock, that going was very slow. What should have taken us 3 hours turned into 5. We took a break for miso soup at 3400m, and summitted (sp?) at 8am. There's a shrine at the summit, and a big Torii. I was too tired to take many pictures at the top (sorry!), but I did eat some lovely miso soup.
Going down the mountain was like walking on the moon. The ground was soft, volcanic ash and we were swathed in thick clouds, so that we kind of bounded down the hill. Of course, after about 2 hours going downhill started to really hurt, and we had 2 more hours of it. I did meet some friends from Joetsu on the way, and we hiked to the bottom with them. At 12:30pm, 13 1/2 hours after starting, we were back at station 5. I ate some soba, got on the bus with Colleen (which took 3 1/2 hours this time), caught the shink home, and finally walked in my door at 10:30pm.

Housewarming! (and birthday surprise)

2009-07-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to one of my swimming friend's new house for a housewarming party. It was epic - I was there from 6 until 11. And at the end, I was surprised with a wonderful birthday cake from the french bakery in town I've been meaning to try.

Last Korean cooking class

2009-07-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

We made shijimi (pancakes, probably not spelled correctly) a chicken soup, and bibimbab. yum!

Tenjin-san (Art Club Hike)

2009-07-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I went on a hike with the art club. The rest of the students (all the athletes) were at a sports tournament. And... I took a lot of pictures.

Channelling Edward Weston...sort of

2009-06-29T02:52:00.000-07:00

Really, I am just in love with these peppers. Although their color looks a bit off on this page...

Iwamuro Lanterns

2009-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend one of my schools (Iwamuro) had an event organized by the art teacher, the same one who is in charge of the art club with which I went painting in field (I feel like that sentence is probably way more complicated than it needs to be, but I am too tired to change it). Anyway, we made paper lanterns and wrote haikus on them, and then set them loose down a river in town. Colleen and I went together. We saw a lot of my students, and then best part was when they told Colleen in unison, "You are beautiful!"

Maki Natsu (summer) Matsuri (festival)

2009-06-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the summer festival in my town, Maki. I missed the first day, but the second day I walked around with a few of my friends wearing Yukatas (summer kimonos). We ate okonomiyaki (pancake things...) and watched fireworks. Later, we met a friend at his Izakaya (like a bar, restaurant, party place) and sat around drinking beer and eating small plates of food.
Sunday, the third day of the festival, I met my friend from the swim team and we went to her friend's house on main street. This last night was the Yakata (I don't know if that's really what it's called, but I think it is) which is when teams of young (and some old) men get together and carry this big float covered in lanterns, atop which sits at least two young women (and sometimes young men). They do this thing called 'basho' in which they run in a circle and shake the whole platform up and down. Everyone drinks a lot, and there's even a little black box cart where people who have gotten too drunk can sit. It was absurdly entertaining, and one old man even gave me his happi coat (the festival coat all the men wear). I hope the pictures do it some justice.

Mt. Kakuda

2009-06-14T17:04:00.001-07:00

Finally climbed it last Monday. There were some amazing views. And it only took 1 hour!

Swim Meet Number 2

2009-06-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I went to another swim meet, this time just between 4 pools in the Niigata area. There were normal events (I swam the 50 fly, 100 free, and 25 back), but there were also fun events, such as trying to throw little plastic balls into a big net, and doing a relay wearing a yukata (summer kimono). I swimming most of the day, so these are the only pictures I took.

Art club field trip

2009-06-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about posting on here, I know. I've been quite busy the past few weeks - swimming 3 times a week, and trying to spend the rest of the day outside. The weather here has been so perfect, 70's and sunny.
I had the perfect opportunity to be outside on Tuesday of this week. There was a big Junior High sports tournament, in which all the sports teams of all the JHS's in Niigata City competed against each other for 2 days. There were no classes for those days, so on Tuesday I got to spend the day with the art club.
We met at the school and the art teacher lent me some paper and pastels (this is the same art teacher who introduced me to his friend who teachers ceramics). We drove to a nearby rice field which is famous for some reason or another, and then set out blankets and sat in the fields and sketched. All day. Until 3 pm.
Those little blue specks you see in the fields are my students. The painting was done by my art teacher, definitely not by me. And the can is full of orange slices, and I thought it was pretty cute that my students drew all over it. Finally, you can see my drawing after it was stolen by the wind and dropped into a flooded rice field. I managed to recover it by tying a rope to a large branch and throwing the branch at it.

Fox Matsuri

2009-05-06T22:38:00.001-07:00

In Tsugawa, a town about 2 hours South-East of Niigata city, there's an annual Fox festival. Apparently, couples compete to be the Fox and Fox-bride, and then there's a big marital procession and ceremony. Oh, and you can get your face painted.

All you can eat strawberries

2009-05-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Possibly the best idea ever. For about $15, you can wander between strawberry plants in a green house, eating as much as you can in half an hour.

Seoul at night

2009-05-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

Dear god, the food

2009-05-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Love it. All of it.

Inchon ceramics fest

2009-05-06T22:30:00.003-07:00

Went to a ceramics festival near Seoul. It boasted to be the world's largest?

Korean Zen

2009-05-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Shelby and I spent one night at Hwagyesa temple in Seoul. It was a little bit informal, probably because we arrived on a Tuesday night. They have a formal zazenkai on Sundays, but during the week there isn't anything specifically organized. Instead, we arrived around 4pm, rested until dinner at 5, chanted from 6-6:30, meditated from 6:30-7:30 and then 7:45-8:15. We went to bed at 9, only to wake up at 3 in order to meditate from 3-4, chant from 4-4:30, meditate from 4:30-5:30, and have breakfast at 6. After that, we climbed a mountain with the head priest and some of the monks and residents. Needless to say, I was exhausted afterwards for days (but it was worth it).

Korean Tea

2009-05-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Traditional Korean tea is very, very different from any other I have experienced. It's often made from a jelly, or else from pouring boiled water over dried fruits, nuts, and herbs. My favorite was one with prunes, pine nuts, and dates, among other things I couldn't identify. And of course, it's served with rice snacks.

The Lotus Lantern Festival

2009-05-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Korea on Saturday night (April 25th), just in time for the beginning of the Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul. The festival celebrates the Buddha's birthday, and is a huge event centered around Jogyesa temple. Shelby and I walked around the festival on Sunday, joining in the parade Sunday night and the concert/group dancing that followed.

A day by the coast

2009-04-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

For the drive back from Hanami in Takada, Mark and I decided to take the coastal route. The day was absolutely perfect - sunny, warm breezy - and we stopped at some pretty fun tourist traps along the way. Highlights include, Lover's point (next to popular Fisherman's cape) and a friend's Hanami party in Kashiwazaki.

Takada Hanami - night

2009-04-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Takada Hanami - day

2009-04-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went down to Takada park in Joetsu city for their famous Hanami festival. For those not in Japan, this means that a lot of people (someone said 200,000?) come to the park for 2 days to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. Most people come in a large group, lay out a blanket, and eat and drink while looking at the blossoms and taking lots of pictures of/with them. At night, they light up the blossoms with pink-shaded spotlights. It's pretty magical. One friend described it as a 'dream in a pink cloud,' and I can't really think of a better description. That's my bento you see in one of the pictures, by the way.

Spring!

2009-04-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Some happy buds and flowers near my apartment...

New photos!

2009-04-09T20:29:00.001-07:00

I have new photos of Nishiki Market (Kyoto) and the bookstore district (Tokyo) up on my Flickr photostream.

Renkon (lotus root)

2009-04-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

I finally tried to cook it. Sauteed with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and negi (green onion).

Nara and Todai-ji

2009-04-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

We saw the biggest wooden building in the world, and a very big buddha. Dad fed the deer, but only after I had tried to feed them and was chased down by one that was a little over-zealous.

Tofu

2009-04-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Our last night in Tokyo we went to a tofu restaurant that I had read about in lonely planet. It was absolutely amazing, from the soymilk cocktail milkshake to the simmered tofu and mochi skewers. Also, this marks the beginning of my experimentation with a new lens my dad brought for me. It's a fixed 50mm, f1.8, and I think I'm in love with it. I had brought it to his attention when I read that smitten kitchen uses it on her food blog. As you can see, I'm still learning how to work at such a low fstop.

Tokyo Marathon

2009-04-02T17:45:00.001-07:00

Mom, Dad and I were lucky enough to be in Tokyo for the Tokyo marathon. Even better, our hotel was within walking distance of one of the best points to watch the race - right outside the east garden of the imperial palace. While I didn't get to see my friend Mark and his dad, I did see such characters as Anpanman, Pikachu, and Spiderman.

From the Happiness Project on Slate.com

2009-03-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you've find very helpful?
I tell myself that happiness is not about making good choices or having success; it's about being resilient when we mess up.

Hina Matsuri

2009-03-09T03:51:00.001-07:00

Hina Matsuri aka Girl's day aka the Japanese Doll Festival is celebrated every year on March 3rd. Usually, this entails displaying dolls representing royalty on pedestals in your home. According to one of my friends, if you don't remove the dolls by a certain point your daughter will not get married. Thank god there's no such rule about Christmas trees!
I decided to make Hina dolls in my ceramics class. However, my dolls are a bit different. They are beetles. I was inspired by a book of Japanese ceramics that my teacher showed me, in particular a sculpture of a beetle resting on a mushroom.
The other women in my class told me they are 'so original,' which at first worried me because originality isn't exactly a value in Japanese society. I felt better when they took pictures of my dolls on their cellphones. They wouldn't take pictures of them if they were really odd, right?
Also, here are a couple of cups I made in class.

Interesting Article

2009-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

I've heard of Temple Grandin, but don't know much about Meg Daley Olmert. For me, this article sums up the difficulty I had when I was researching my thesis. A lot of the research being done about our relationship with animals is level-headed and scientific, as I have found Grandin's to be. But there's a great deal of work out there that's romantic, whimsical - whatever you want to call it - and not really useful if you want to make a good argument.

My latest addiction

2009-03-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

It is now strawberry season in Japan (actually, it seems strawberries might be on their way out and cherries on their way in, if my assessment of candy flavor trends is accurate), and that means that confronting me every time I enter the grocery store is a huge display full of strawberries. I think that strawberries here are too expensive, so I don't buy them. I am, however, enticed by what's sold next to the strawberries - little tubes of sweetened condensed milk. I can't really remember why I first bought one, but at 158 yen, they're difficult to resist (that's about $1.50). There's something unbelievably comforting about sitting in front of the TV, eating this stuff with a spoon. After I came home one day and ate a whole tube, I decided to find out just how bad for me it was. And look what I turned up!

Finally updated Flickr

2009-02-16T21:26:00.001-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30807472@N08/

Not too much there, just some photos I never uploaded from the fall.

The swim team

2009-02-16T17:18:00.001-08:00

As some of you already know, I have inadvertently joined a swim team. This is how it happened:

I began swimming at my local pool (Maki Akshi) in December, but I didn't really go regularly until January. Now, this pool is odd (to me, at least) because the only open swim hours are from 8pm-ish to 9:30pm, when the gym closes. This means that anyone who wants to free swim has to go at that time. This would be chaos, if it wasn't for the fact that most of the people who swim at the pool do so in the form of 'lessons,' which I'll talk about later.

So, I began going to the open swim time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One evening, I was getting into my usual lane to do some laps, when one of the women in the lane next to me gestured that I should get into their lane. I wasn't really sure what was going on, but I joined them and soon found myself doing a workout, consisting mostly of 25's and 50's. I managed to introduce myself to them during the resting periods, and found out some of their names.

From then on, everytime I came to the pool I noticed that the same women would be in a lane together, and they always asked me to join them. One night they mentioned a 'swim challenge' and asked if I would join them. I knew it was 1500m, but couldn't figure out much else. I agreed, and we planned to meet at the pool at 12pm on Sunday, February 1st.

As I later found out, the 'swim challenge' was basically a personal challenge at a pool near Niigata city. About 20 people came out to swim either a 500, 1000, or 1500 time trial. On the way to the pool (5 of us went in one of the women's really nice cars - it had a video showing the back of the car when it was in reverse, GPS, and lots of room) the woman who talks with me the most showed me a piece of paper with everyone's name and occupation written on it. She's a Japanese dressmaker, and the other women are a school nurse and an elementary school librarian (and I don't remember the rest...). She had also made egg salad sandwiches, and one of the other women had brought homemade mochi with a whole strawberry inside.

Even though my Japanese is terrible, and they know very little English, the camarederie of going to a pool together was wonderful. We cheered each other on and waited eagerly for each person to finish so that we could congratulate them on their time. I was surprised to find that I swam the 1500 in under 25 minutes (23.46), and a little embarassed that I beat my new friend by 10 seconds. Luckily, she didn't seem to care. One of the 'challengers' who works at the pool swam in the same heat as her father, and she made a new pool record (21 something).

I'm continuing to swim and just last night joined one of the pool's 'lessons.' My friend had left a note for me at the front desk explaining that she'd like me to join the lesson (her attempts at English impressed me and made me laugh out loud) and I decided to give it a try. It turns out that the 'lesson' is basically a workout (last night's was 1650m) guided by one of the pool's staff. It was fun to do a workout with a large group of people, but as I left the pool I found out that I have to pay an extra 2000yen if I want to keep going, so I'm undecided.

I've also agreed to take part in a prefecture-wide swim meet that will take place at my pool in April. Three of the women I've met and I will swim a relay, and I have to do at least one other individual event. I'll be doing butterfly in the relay, and I think I might do a middle-distance freestyle event for my other race.

For now, I'm really enjoying being part of the 'swim team.' The people at the pool know me now and I feel like I'm part of the community. While it is a lot of time (I go Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays), I think it's worth it, both for my personal health and the insight into Japanese life that it gives me.

Sapporo, land of beer

2009-02-12T21:09:00.001-08:00

As always, my photos are backwards.

Giant hornet juice?!

2009-01-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the drink I get every third visit at my local gym/pool contains something secreted by giant hornets. Read more about it here: http://www.vaam-power.com/vaam_info.html.

And yes, I am currently drinking it.

I'm learning how to snowboard!

2009-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

I've been snowboarding three times now, although I've been to the slopes four. The first day I wanted to try skiing, but I ended up on an intermediate slope before I could even stand. I was too scared to go down, so I took off the skis and walked down the hill. The second day, I decided to snowboard instead, and maybe it was because I went to a beginner slope but that was much easier. I really like it - it's wonderful to be out on the mountain in winter, and I've always wanted to learn a winter sport. I'm planning on going the next two weekends, as right now I can just barely turn and control my speed, and I want to get better before the winter's gone!

Piloki Village (Thailand Part VII)

2009-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

For the last weekend of our trip we went to a remote village. Its inhabitants are all Karen people from Burma (as I understand it). They were incredibly welcoming, taking us on a long hike through the jungle to go caving and then to a river to go swimming. I think it was one of the most beautiful, and relaxing, places I have been to in a long time.

Thailand! Part VI: Baan Dada and the play area we built

2009-01-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Thailand! Part V: A giant millipede and a bit o' sightseeing

2009-01-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thailand! Part IV: Beautiful Children and a praying mantis

2009-01-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Thailand! Part III

2009-01-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

We made pizza for the kids for Christmas dinner. I was in charge of rolling out the dough, and the kids all crowded around me asking for pieces of it to play with. It was all I could do to keep them from getting their hands on every single inch of it. Then there are some random goats. The last few pictures are of the 'eating hall' (I don't know what else to call it) where we...ate. It was all vegetarian and delicious. One of my favorite dishes was spicy bean sprouts with tofu.

Thailand! Part II

2009-01-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

Again, some pictures in no particular order. At the top are some pictures of the path from the volunteer house to the orphanage (in the morning, thus all the mist). The 4th picture down is the volunteer house. The 5th is where we hung our clothes to dry, and the 6th is a traditional Thai house. Then there's our trip leader in the truck we were brought around in, a bunch of blankets we bought because it got so cold at night, and two shots of the guesthouse that the other group (Baan Unrak) stayed at. More to come!

Thailand! Part I

2009-01-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

This is the first day, in reverse order because that's how I uploaded the photos. This first photo is in the taxi in Bangkok that took me from the airport to the hostel. My camera doesn't work so well at night, but I like the way this turned out. I arrived completely tired and so the picture isn't so far removed from how the city appeared to me.

That first night I went out in search of dinner with some of the volunteers from our group (Baan Dada) and the other group (Baan Unrak). We went on some Tuk Tuks (those little motorized bike cart things), but they took us to the wrong restaurant, so we walked instead. While we were eating, an elephant came to the door.

The next morning we took a very nice van up into the mountains to the orphanage, about a 5-6 hour drive. On the way we stopped at a Tesco (a British supermarket?) where there was odd-looking pizza and I had a Dairy Queen blizzard. Odd, but very tasty. We also stopped for lunch at a beautiful buffet that was definitely oriented towards tourists with its rustic wooden furniture and tropical plant life. Not surprisingly, a huge bus full of large, sunburned, partially dressed tourists came in just as we were leaving.

So, that was the first leg of the trip. I'll be putting photos up from Baan Dada soon.

The mountains (Yahiko, to be exact)!

2008-12-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-12-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

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

Nagaoka Mall

2008-12-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T05:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T05:05:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-10-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-10T05:27:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-10T05:26:00.001-07:00

Can you read what it says on the truck?

God damn I live in a beautiful place

2008-10-10T05:20:00.001-07:00

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

Still laughing...

2008-10-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

New photos here!

I love Onsen

2008-09-25T05:26:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-25T05:22:00.001-07:00

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.

Johzinji Street Jazz Festival (brief recap)

2008-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

I should also mention I went to a street jazz festival in Sendai, a big city on the East coast of Japan and a little North of here. Some friends and I went about a week ago and stayed with a CIR who lives there. I didn't take any pictures, so this is a less exciting post, but it was a really good time. We got to listen to amazing music - one of the highlights being the traditional melded with the modern - shamisen and electric guitar. We also found a library that had some of the most attractive modern architecture I've seen. On the top floor there was a small art library, and we spent lots of time there reading when we go tired of walking around. I 'discovered' a few Japanese photographers I really like, the most notable being Naoya Hatakeyama. If you have a chance, please look up his work.

Niigata Albirex!

2008-09-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't written in so long! I've been busy busy - this weekend was musical auditions (yes, I'm going to help put on a musical) and a welcome party in Sanjo, a city near here. I don't have any pictures of those things (sorry!) but more details will be coming later (we have our first practice this weekend!). However, I do have pictures of the Niigata Albirex game I went to yesterday! The 23rd was a national holiday here because it was Autumn equinox - from here on in the days get shorter. In celebration (?) a few of my friends and I went to what I'm pretty sure was my first pro sports event. And it was awesome. I loved trying to learn the cheers in Japanese, and high-fiving Japanese women whenever we scored a goal. And we won! At the end of the game, the team walked around the stadium (the 'Big Swan') and bowed to the audience. I can't say whether or not that happens in the US, but I feel like it doesn't...

The sunset out my window.

2008-09-18T03:57:00.001-07:00

More night shots

2008-09-17T03:44:00.000-07:00

New bands I'm listening to

2008-09-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

I just got an emusic account, which is pretty awesome because it lets me download music (legally) for way cheaper than itunes. I've become addicted to Sprengjuhollin, especially the songs 'Worry 'til Spring' and 'Fra Gleymdu Vori.' I've also downloaded 'Great Expectations' by the Gaslight Anthem, some new Walkmen and Okkervil River, and 'Young Folks' by Peter, Bjorn and John.

Speaking of music, I just got back from the Johzinji Jazz Festival in Sendai. There was band that I was mesmerized by, featuring a Shamisen (traditional Japanese string instrument), electric guitar, and drum machine. Also, there was a Beatles cover band, and of course I sang along.

And...

2008-09-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Night shots: rte. 116, the N-1 Building, reflection on a building. (I'm really happy with the second one...).

And more...

2008-09-12T02:21:00.001-07:00

Persimmons, not yet ripe. The forest. A shed.

Pictures!

2008-09-11T17:25:00.001-07:00

The rice is changing color, and a storm comes over the mountain.

(Sorry the color is wonky but I'm having trouble figuring out the right way to color balance rice, which I intuitively think should look like grass but it's actually quite yellow).

Autumn is coming...

2008-09-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Autumn is finally on its way here in Japan. The days and nights are getting cooler, and I am so thankful for that. I know I'll be missing the heat in a couple months, but for now, I'm glad to see it go.

Yesterday on my run I had my first 'spontaneous hello.' I've been running every morning and saying 'ohayo gozaimasu,' which means good morning, to everyone I see. The other morning, however, a woman walking her dog said it to me first. Of course, I've seen my kids around town and some of them say hello, but this was my first real adult hello.

I've been getting into a more set schedule here. Usually I wake up around 5:30, have some tea and cereal (genmai flakes, which are my new favorite, basically rice flakes) and read the paper, then go out for a run around 6:30. I'm back by 7:30 and I quickly shower and have more cereal or some fruit before heading out for work. I work from 8 to 4, and usually teach 4-5 classes during the day. This is team-teaching, which means both me and the JTE (Japanese teacher of English) are in the room. Sometimes I plan the activity, sometimes they do, and we often work together. I have lunch with either the students or the teachers (depends on the school). School lunch is somewhat different in Japan than America. For one, everyone gets the same thing, usually consisting of rice, miso soup, a protein source, and a vegetable source. And a milk box. Also, everyone sits together, and when the students eat they are told when to start eating and when to stop. There's usually pop or classical music playing while they eat. It takes some getting used to, but it's not bad.

I leave work at 4 and usually have a snack and read or watch the daily show online to recuperate, then go run errands or meet friends for dinner. I've been trying to go to bed early, 10 or so, because I wake up so early.

So all in all, life is good. I have to admit that autumn is making me a bit homesick, but I plan to get in the spirit of Japanese autumn by helping to harvest rice, climbing the mountain behind my house, and making some Japanese squash. I think it's going to be a pretty good season.

A few new pictures...

2008-09-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

I've finally started going on some 'shooting expeditions.' My most epic was the other day, when I rode my dinky little bike out near the mountains for about an hour. I got some very strange looks when I stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of old buildings and vegetable patches. I haven't gotten a chance to tinker with them as much as I'd like, but here are the best ones so far.

Oh - and that top one is a picture of my fun little bike parked across the street from the building in the picture below it. When I was taking that photo, this old guy came out from his yard where he was watering a plant and looked in the direction my camera was pointed. We exchanged a funny look and then both laughed when he didn't see anything but the building. I bet he thought there was a monkey. Apparently there's a monkey on the loose in Tokyo...not that that's anywhere near here.

More food I have eaten.

2008-09-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Smelt (that is not my hand, and yes I was one of two at my table to decline to eat the heads), Sushi on Sado, tasty tasty Indian lunch.

Sado

2008-09-03T22:52:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh. How do I even begin to describe the weekend that was the Sado Earth Celebration? Well, here's some background. The Earth Celebration was begun by a Taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) group called Kodo some 20 years ago. Kodo live in a special village on Sado island, which is in the Japan Sea off the coast of Niigata. They travel to perform but the Earth Celebration is their main event every year. It is supposed to be a time both for increased awareness of our relationship to the earth and to other cultures. To this end, every year Kodo invites a different musical group to come and share the stage with them at the celebration. Kodo does a solo performance Friday night, the visitor is alone Saturday night, and they come together Sunday night. Kodo even goes so far as to send a representative to practice with the visitor before the celebration in order to get a better feel for their musical style.

This year's guest was Olodum, a Brazilian samba-reggae group that also does community work in Brazil. It turns out there are quite a few people of Japanese descent in Brazil and of Brazilian descent living on Sado, so the turnout was quite large.

The main site of the festival is Ogi port, which faces Niigata. At the harbor there is a large market with booths selling international food and clothing. Throughout the weekend I had Mexican food, Thai food, and Nepali food. Also, I was shocked at one point to hear the sounds of Ithaca's own Sim Redmond Band playing over the loudspeakers at the market.

The main concert every night is held in a park in a forested area. The only way to get there is to walk up a very steep stone road along which painted paper lanterns are hung from trees. It's quite magical because you walk up into the forest with the cicadas going crazy all around you.

So, on Friday afternoon I took a ferry from Niigata to Sado. It took 2 hours and only cost about $24. It's laid out very different from an American ferry - there's a large carpeted space for people to sleep and have a picnic. Most people sleep. Of course, I slept.

Daphne and I arrived in Sado on Friday and stayed until Monday morning, the longest of anyone else I know. We were exhausted by the end of the weekend, but it was completely worth it. Kodo is amazing, and I am in awe of anyone who can do Taiko. Also, I was able to shake it to Brazilian music all weekend long, which made me unbelievably happy (and a little sore).

My new friends and I camped on the beach, which was good for sunsets and night swims but bad because it started raining Saturday, and sleeping in wet sand is really no fun.

Luckily, we were able to rewarm our cold, soggy bodies by a trip to an onsen (my first!). For about $7 we were able to go for a dip in a ridiculously warm pool of water overlooking the Ogi harbor. Yes, one of the walls was a giant window. Afterwards we fell asleep in the 'waiting room' which is basically a giant room covered in tatami mats with cushions for sleeping. It was heavenly, and a great way to end an already wonderful weekend.

One note - we weren't allowed to take pictures during the performances, so I don't have any of those!

English Camp

2008-09-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

English camp is exactly what it sounds like - a group of students come out to an activity center, kind of like a YMCA but with dorms and a cafeteria, and spend three days playing games intended to teach them English. The kids are all about 13 or 14 years old but are often quite shy, and would probably seem younger to most Americans. There were about 30 or 40 students and maybe 20 teachers, so we had a pretty good ratio. There were about 6 groups of kids with 3 teachers per group. My group had three teachers, and our students decided (with our help, of course) to name themselves the 'Chocolate Kitties,' this being the result of an inability to decide a preference between two favorite things (chocolate and hello kitty).

The camp was fun but admittedly exhausting, as there were a lot of kids to keep entertained and to attempt to communicate with. However, when the final bonfire came around, everyone had enough energy to join in.

Still to come...

2008-09-03T21:12:00.001-07:00

Sado Earth Celebration! English Camp! More pictures of food!

Niigata Matsuri 2!

2008-09-03T20:59:00.001-07:00

Niigata Matsuri!

2008-09-03T20:32:00.001-07:00

Basically every village or town in Japan has a summer festival called a matsuri featuring parades in which shrines are carried through the streets. I was lucky enough to experience one my first weekend in Niigata! This is the Niigata City matsuri. Unfortunately, I missed the Maki one, which is earlier in the summer.

Random pictures.

2008-09-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

There are cicadas everywhere! Also, this is my train station.

Arrival in Maki

2008-09-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

Daphne and I were met at the train station by three Japanese men holding a giant banner between them that said 'Welcome Laura and Daphne!' We smiled at them and they smiled back and it was then we realized that only one of them spoke English and only one of us (not me) spoke Japanese. With that established we got in the car and began the harrowing drive to Maki. Driving in Japan is frightening, partly because the roads are so narrow but also because people drive very fast.

We spent a good amount of time in our supervisor's car during that first week. During the day we were taken to get bank accounts, cell phones, cars, and registration cards. At night we would meet for dinner or a movie, and began to venture out into Niigata city. Particularly memorable was the ramen we had at a place near my house, where the owner brought us custard and ice cream on the house, and Immigrant's Cafe, where I was able to get apple pie.

Finally!

2008-09-03T18:57:00.001-07:00

It's been far too long since I posted...

Life really has been non-stop here in Japan. Ever since arriving in Tokyo, I've been constantly presented with new people, new places, new adventures. So much so that I'm afraid I haven't had enough time to share it all. Now I have my work cut out for me.

Tokyo Orientation

Arrival was very, very hot. I was immediately happy that I had decided to wear shorts under my long pants. As I have since discovered, Japan is hot and absurdly humid. There have been some cloudy, rainy days and I've come to prefer them to the heat the sun brings in.

As soon as we gathered our luggage we were ushered through the airport by current JETs wearing fluorescent shirts. There was one around every corner. They helped us onto buses which took us to the Keio plaza hotel in Shinjuku.

I could go into orientation in detail, but that would be boring. It was mostly schmoozing and going to lectures. It felt very much like college orientation, complete with epic parties at night (I was going to post a picture from one of these parties, but I've been warned about posting anything incriminating).

Anyway, I met a lot of really wonderful people and had a good time going out in Tokyo. Three days later I was on a shinkansen (bullet train) with Daphne, my new coworker from Singapore, on our way to Niigata.

NYC shots

2008-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was in NYC this past weekend visiting my sister. My purpose in going was split between seeing her race in the half marathon and spending time with her before I leave for Japan. I got to both, and took some photos in between. These are still works in progress, but I thought I'd experiment with posting them here.

Here we go.

2008-07-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start keeping a blog. Why do I want to do this? On the one hand, I think it's a good way to let family and friends know what I'm up to without sending lots of mass emails. Also, I think I'll write differently if I know that other people might be reading what I post. So, as with most blogs, this will be a public journal. I'll write about my journeys in Japan (I'll be working there next year as part of the JET program), post pictures, air ideas. Now you know what you're getting yourselves into.