Welcome Back Soccer Season!

There are only 4 soccer tournaments a year and I always look forward to them. In May, the Gifu Pirates headed to Awaji Island. If you look on a map for Osaka/Kobe, you’ll notice a long island just SW of Kobe, that’s Awaji Island. You take a reallllllly long bridge from the mainland to get to the island (it’s a few miles long) and it’s a little expensive to cross ($25, one way). After some google searching, I found out that the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the longest, tallest, and most expensive suspension bridge ever built and it’s the length of 4 Brooklyn bridges. It was a quick 3.5 hour drive on Friday night and on Saturday we played 4 short, 30 minute games. I don’t remember what our win-tie-loss record was, but it wasn’t pretty. Along we did have our fair share of fun! On Sunday, we ended up playing 3 more games and ended in 4^th place (a far cry from the 1^st we took last fall). This tournament is held again in October, and I’m already looking forward to it!

The Gifu Pirates and some Fukui (Prefecture) girls

Yours truly in action

On to the second soccer tournament: hello Nagano! This tournament was held over the June 4-5 weekend. Once again, I met up with my fellow ALTs and we headed to Nagano (4.5 hours) early Saturday morning. We only had 3 games on Saturday and then 2 on Sunday. We ended up playing for the championship on Sunday against our friendly foes Yamanashi. I guess it just wasn’t for us, as we came in a respectable second. When October rolls around, I’ll be ready to play them again!

The Gifu Pirates. Yours truly looks like a lobster...my face was very burnt after day 1.

The team after day 1

The team after day 2

Trophy! the backdrop is conveyor belt sushi...

Let’s see, what else have I been up to? I’ve been bad at keeping up on my blog, but I won’t get behind again (promise!).

Elections were just held in my town for the mayor and something else (I forgot). What have I learned from Japanese politics? They are much more annoying than those in America! In America, it's typical to hear advertisements (for lack of better word) on TV, radio, billboards, and now, social media. So if you see a campaign advertisement that you don't like on TV or radio, you just switch the channel. In Japan, this is SO not the case. It seemed like every candidate had their own car with a speakerphone on the top. At first, I thought it was cool to hear the campaigns, until I realized I couldn't turn them off when I wanted. They chanted their names several times, along with some thank-yous, and there were some campaign promises weaved in there too.

This is how advertising works. Everyone gets one spot and these boards are set up all over the town.

The campaigning cars (that's my blue car!)

What else? I went on an adventure to pick up the ceramics I made back in May and they turned out very well! I was surprised to say the least! After picking up my creations, we went to a famous gohei mochi store about 1 hour from my town. This place is apparently pretty famous, and the menu consists of gohei mochi and that's it. Needless to say, it was amazing. I will truly miss gohei mochi when I leave Japan. For those of you who don't know what gohei mochi, just think of pounded cooked rice and shape them into balls and then put them on a skewer and add a little glaze/sauce and you are ready to go. The best thing about gohei mochi is that the flavor is always different. After our snack, we went into the mountains to the site of an old castle. I can't remember its name, but it had a nice view. The first picture in this post is from the castle ruins.

Two weekends ago I was making my way home and while I was transferring train stations in Gifu City, I stumbled across this "no-nukes" rally.

Lastly, Columbia Sportswear in Japan! Yay! I bought a lovely pink tee that says Portland on it. They even had shirts with Mt. Hood!

Golden Week Part 2: 3 Days in Gifu

Last week consisted of two days of work (Monday and Friday) and then Tuesday – Thursday were National Holidays! Woo! On Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to the Toki Ceramics Festival. It’s a famous ceramics event that gathers hundreds of vendors and about 35,000 visitors over the course of 3 days.

I got to bargain for dishes and glasses and I was even lucky enough to get asked if I wanted to try the pottery wheel. Obviously I did, since I had never done it before. If you wanted to see something funny, try watching a Japanese man explain how to make a mug to an American woman in 95% Japanese and 5% English. Yes, very funny, especially when you have no idea what the man is telling you…Oh, I laughed hard. However, about 30 minutes later, I created 3 masterpieces (if you ask me). It was fun and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

On Thursday, I went into Nagoya for some civilization. I visited Starbucks, the foreign food store, the Apple Store, and the English Library where I checked out some books. A good, fun day if you ask me.

Having a quick snack after golf

And that was the extent of my official Golden Week. This past weekend I stayed home with a cold on Saturday and Sunday consisted of Mallet Golf (think metal croquet mallets, wood/plastic balls, the course is in the mountains (trees, rocks, even rugs are obstacles, or helpers). It was interesting and in the tournament I cam in 7^th out of 42 people, shooting a lovely 11 under par, 61. Go me.

The rest of my Sunday was spent in fear of bugs. Yes, right as I was getting ready for sleep, the first centipede of the year crawled under the chair I was sitting in. Scared me half to death before I thoroughly sprayed it with bug killer and took it outside. On Tuesday morning, I packed up all of my clothes and dishes and thanks to another male ALT (who basically did everything, I’m way too chicken), we set off 2 centipede and other bug bombs inside my apartment. Hopefully they all die and don’t come back (however, I’ve seen several lurking on the walls outside of my apartment window…eek). It’s only May, I can’t imagine 5-6 more months of this. If you are wondering the number 1 thing I don’t like about Japan, it is the bugs. Hands down. No question.

School lunch: milk, orange slice, soy beans and small fish (ick), veggies, green tea, udon noodles, sesame seed dressing for the noodles (the real soup had pork)

Golden Week Part 1: 3 Day Weekend: Miyajima, Hiroshima, and Osaka

Yes, 3 days, 3 locations. It was an epic weekend for miles traveled both on trains and on foot.

(just a note: this happened over the weekend of April 29th-May 1st)...

On Friday, I took the 5:45am train to Nagoya, and hopped on the 7:30am train to Hiroshima. Since I planned this trip literally last minute, the reserved seats on the Shinkansen were full. My choice was to risk standing for 2.5 hours or buy a “Green Seat” which is like First/Business class on a plane. So, I sucked it up and bought a “Green Seat” (which aren’t green…). It was totally worth it! Too bad I’ll probably never do it again.

After arriving in Hiroshima, I took a local train for 25 minutes heading southwest to Miyajima. It’s a small little town with nothing except for one of the most famous locations in Japan. It’s said to be one of the three most beautiful places in Japan. I’ve been to one of the three back in Middle School, it’s a place called Amanohashidate or the Bridge to the Heavens. I wanted to visit it again on this trip, but the trains would’ve gotten really expensive. Another time! So once I arrived at the station, I took a boat to Miyajima because it’s on it’s own island. The main attraction of why it’s one the beautiful places in Japan, is the red torii gate (red torii gates are a staple of Shinto Shrines). However, most torii gates are on land, this one was set in the ocean. During high tide it looks like the gate is floating in the water (I’ve seen photos, they looked pretty cool). However, I was not there for high tide. Instead, I was able to walk out to the gate itself, which was pretty cool too. I walked around the island, went into the Itsukushima (translation: beautiful island) Shrine. I walked around through the shops, bought a wonderful keychain that a lady wrote my name on. Then, I decided to take the tram up to the top of the island and from there I could see all around. I could even see Hiroshima. After taking the tram back down, I was off to Hiroshima.

The 5 Storied Pagoda at Miyajima

Did I forget to mention the wild deer? Everywhere and very friendly

"saying cheese" with the famous torii gate

Leaving the island...You can see the red torii gate on the right

My first stop in Hiroshima was the Hiroshima Castle. It wasn’t as cool as I had hoped; it was a replica (due to the Atomic bomb) because it was a mere 1km (.6 miles) from the hypocenter. After walking around the castle and its grounds, I was ready to ditch my backpack and grab some dinner. I found my hostel (which was great), and went to the main shopping/entertainment area for dinner. What wonderful, fantastic Japanese food did I eat? Oh, Subway. Some of the food items I truly miss are turkey and whole wheat bread, neither of which exist in Japan. Sad, I know. However, ham and white bread are easily found everywhere, convenience stores, grocery stores, subway/train markets, street vendors, school lunch…you get the drift. While eating dinner, I was lucky enough to watch the Royal Wedding on my phone. It was a sight and I bet their lunch/dinner was classier than my Subway sandwich, but oh well.

Hiroshima Castle

After some shopping, I headed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which is a small island that was about 5 minutes walking from my hostel. I walked around the park and made my way to the A-Bomb Dome. It was a very interesting moment, looking at some of the only remains from the bombing. The dome was only 500 meters or so from the hypo-center, so I’m surprised it halfway survived. A few pictures later and I was ready to head back to the hostel. I learned that traveling alone can be very lonely, especially when the evening comes and you have no one to explore the nightlife with.

Hiroshima Peace Park at night

Day 2: Saturday. I started the day bright and early and at about 8:15am I headed to the Hiroshima Peace Museum because I knew it would be crowded. Oh man, I was right. I got there 5 minutes after opening and it was so crowded. I rented an English headset and I was off. Before I went to Hiroshima, I read differing accounts of the mood I would be in after I left the museum, I read that I could be extremely sad or just a normal mood. Well, 90 minutes later and I was in the same mood, but with a far greater understanding of what happened when America dropped the “Fat Boy” on Hiroshima. I really appreciated the work and research done by the museum, and if you are ever in Japan, I would recommend going through this museum ($0.75 to enter). There were videos, pictures, and stories written by survivors. It was a very humbling experience and after seeing the damage caused for generations, I have a much greater appreciation for the reduction of nuclear weapons.

"Peace" made out of cranes

So, after the museum I walked the park grounds. I saw the Cenotaph of where all of the names of the Atomic bomb and its aftereffects (i.e. radiation) victims are written, the Flame of Light (a flame that won’t be extinguished until nuclear weapons leave this planet), and once again, I visited the A-Bomb Dome, but this time in light. After the peace park, there really wasn’t anything else for me to see in Hiroshima, so off I went to Osaka.

The A-Bomb Dome

Once in Osaka, I made my way to my last hostel and dropped off my increasingly heavy backpack…who knows why. I went to Osaka Castle, a towering castle surrounded by a large garden/grounds area. I had been there once or twice before, but it was nice to get a refresher. Inside the castle is a museum, but my favorite part of any castle is the view. On the 8^th floor of the castle there was a nice view of Osaka.

Osaka Castle

From the top of the castle to the subway station (which is just outside of the castle grounds) took me 25 minutes. That's how big it is! I made my way to a famous shopping area. I stopped in an H&M store, something I haven’t seen in forever. It was so crowded that even touching the clothes was difficult. Just outside of H&M was the famous Gilco man. When you see photos of Osaka in guidebooks, the Gilco man is always there. So of course, I got my photo with him.

Finally it was time for dinner and I decided to treat myself to the American-style Hard Rock Café. Yes, interesting choice I know, but when salads aren’t offered at everyday restaurants here in Japan, you tend to really crave a salad. Now, don’t get me wrong, Japan has plenty of salads, that is if you like cabbage…yeah, incredibly boring, so you see my point. A real salad? Yes please.

View of the Osaka Skyline

On the observation deck, my shoes looked awesome :)

Saturday night I headed back to the hostel where I met some people from China and South Korea. Let’s just say we all had Japanese in common…When was the last time you saw an American, a South Korean, and a Chinese person speaking in Japanese? Yes, comical I know. And that was my Saturday.

Day 3: Sunday. Let me start off with a story. I love the beach. I love the ocean. And, I love aquariums. I’m not sure what started my love of aquariums, maybe when I was a kid I was jealous of all of the cool places marine animals got to go. Who knows? I do remember a time when I was fairly young, my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my two cousins and made a daytrip to see Keiko the Killer Whale. Yes, it was still a big deal back then. We made it there and we couldn’t see Keiko. I believe the term to express a child’s feelings at that point is: extreme anger, disappointment, and frustration. Yes, so that story aside, I’ve really enjoyed aquariums since then. I even forced my father to take me to one when we were at Pebble Beach (I don’t think he enjoyed it as much as I did). What I’m trying to say is that I tend to remember my aquarium trips, so maybe that’s why they mean so much to me.

The Osaka Aquarium

So, on Sunday morning I went to the Osaka aquarium. But not before a Starbucks Latte! It is pretty famous throughout Japan, so I got there for opening, but I still had to wait 25 minutes to get my ticket. Once inside, it was so incredibly crowded I feared that if the fire alarm went off, some kids wouldn’t make it to safety. However, no alarm went off so I didn’t have to test that theory, thank god. It was a holiday weekend, so of course it was going to be busy. After a while, the crowds dispersed throughout the 8 floors of the aquarium. I watched the penguins get fed and the dolphins play games. In one word: successful (and fun).

After the aquarium, I visited a few more locations in Osaka known for tourism, but there really isn’t anything exciting to share with you. Exhausted and running low on yen, I headed back to the train station and took the next Shinkansen home.

Almost two weeks later and I would say this trip was a success. However, somewhere in Osaka, I lost my Alien Registration Card, which is basically an ID Card that says it’s legal for me to be in Japan past 90 days. Losing that card is NOT good. On Monday, May 9^th, I went to the Kani City Police Station with my supervisor to explain how stupid foreigners can be. It’s not like I wanted to lose this thing, it is extremely important and I won’t get another one until June. Not a problem, except I need to take my drivers licenses test in Japan and to do that I need my Alien Registration Card. Oops. I guess we all lose important things, it’s just part of life.

The Smallest of Worlds

Ok, first: long time, no posting. Sorry!

On with the show! I've decided that the world seriously gets smaller by the day. Today, I had my first lesson at the smallest elementary school. These kids are awesome, enough said. However, after lunch there was no one left at school, except for two office attendants and me. Lonely indeed. Since a 5-hour workday was too short, I stayed in the office studying Japanese and editing lesson plans. Due to the new school year, there are many faces I don’t know. At the smallest school, only about 3 people changed positions. I was talking with one of the office attendants, and she went on to tell me about her older sister who lives in America after I said I was from America. I told her I was from Oregon, and she said her sister lives near Portland. Wow. She went on to explain that nobody knows Vancouver, Washington, but everyone knows Vancouver, Canada. So her older sister, lives in Vancouver, Wa. Crazy right? 5000 or so miles away from home, and I meet someone whose sister lives in the city next to mine. When was the last time that happened to you? (Not recently, I’m guessing). So, we talked for 20 minutes or so about life in Japan, health insurance, green cards, being a teacher in Japan, etc. I was quite impressed with my Japanese ability. After 8 months in Japan, I was starting to wonder if any Japanese would come back to me.

Aside from that story, I don’t have too much news. I’m studying for a Japanese Language Proficiency Test in July…hopefully I pass! This weekend is the start of the epic, National Holiday bazaar. What does that mean exactly? Well, Friday is a National Holiday, and then next week Tuesday-Thursday are National Holidays! Yippie. Time to do some traveling!

I’ve got some accommodations reserved, which was the most important part (I figure there are plenty of trains…) I’ve decided to make my trip a little shorter than I already planned. I’m going to take the train to just Southwest of Hiroshima, where I will see Miyajima, which is supposed to be one of the top 3 most beautiful views in Japan. Next, I’ll head to Hiroshima, where I will spend the night. And finally, after touring Hiroshima on Saturday, I’ll take the train to Osaka, where I’ll spend the night. On Sunday, seeing the sights of Osaka, and finally returning home Sunday night. Hopefully all goes well! The best part, is that I work Monday, and then have 3 more days off….I should really start planning my Tuesday-Thursday adventure.

Since I haven’t had a lot of things to take pictures of, here are some school lunches to keep you occupied. These were from Monday-Wednesday of this week.

Photo 1: Milk, Chimaki (the green thing, it's mochi...sticky/sweet rice, wrapped in grass), green tea, salad (carrots, burdock root, and other Japanese veggies), fish, rice with chicken, bamboo, and other goodies in it.

Photo 2: Salad (cucumber, corn, daikon, carrots), soy beans covered in cocoa powder (YUM), mini apple jelly for dessert, green tea, milk, spaghetti (pork in the meat sauce, so I mix it with my veggies)

Photo 3: green tea, orange, milk, white rice, salad (cucumber, corn, carrot, daikon). some other pork product too. it got wiped off my plate!

Also, I have to say THANK YOU, to my wonderful Aunt and Uncle, who sent me an Easter Care Package. Holy smokes. You made my Wednesday night.

The Ever So Short Life of Cherry Blossoms

The title really tells the whole story. The people in Japan (I couldn’t say Japanese people because that wouldn’t include all of us foreigners!) excitedly await the cherry blossoms every year. There are websites dedicated to tracking the cherry blossom season all across Japan (and yes, timing differs by months). Let’s just say it’s a big deal. This past weekend, I took in about as much cherry blossoms (or sakura) as possible. Saturday I spent the evening at a fellow ALTs apartment, where we played a variety of board games and other games…

Sunday morning I drove back to my apartment (90 minutes, not too bad) and early in the afternoon, the Watanabe’s picked me up and off we went to Inuyama Castle. Does that name ring a bell? Well, yes I went there twice last weekend, so it was a little redundant, but Inuyama has the best cherry blossoms. We walked around the castle, but didn’t go in because the line was 60 minutes long. We stopped and took numerous pictures with the cherry blossoms. Finally, I wasn’t the only person taking pictures all the time! We stopped at a small Italian restaurant directly across the river from the castle for some coffee and a snack. I didn’t know why we were going to an Italian place for coffee until I realized the view of the castle (amazing). After getting back in the car, we headed out to find more cherry blossoms. About 30 minutes later, we had found ourselves a small river that had cherry blossoms going down each side, gorgeous. After that, we made our way back to Mitake and soon enough I was back home.

A little cleaning, gardening, and that about wrapped up my Sunday afternoon.

Let The School Year Begin!

Mitake

Well, I’ve officially survived 8 straight days at the BOE (or my “head” office/desk). I’ve edited several lesson plans, developed some kick-ass games (or at least, I think so), learned how to make worksheets, crosswords, and word search activities. Basically, I’ve done a lot of preparation for the new school year that I didn't do in August because I had no idea what was going on at the time! The sakura trees have fit full bloom and sadly, they will only be around for a few more days…On Thursday, Mr. Watanabe (his wife speaks English…) picked me up during working hours and took me to a sakura watching/bbq party. There were 5 of us, and all teachers who I had met before. We roasted rice, tofu, chicken, pork, and loads of veggies. Plus, with the rice, we made gohemochi (drilled rice covered in miso sauce…ah-mazing!). We sat and talked for a few hours, or in all honesty, they talked and I tried to comprehend. We discussed the earthquake and tsunami, and if my family and friends in America were worried (I had to admit I went back to America briefly). Of course, the conversation went onto the Fukushima Nuclear Plant…yikes. Eventually, the topic changed and that's about when my involvement in the speaking part of the conversation stopped. Oh well. I did learn new words, as I frantically looked them up on my phone dictionary (thank you i-Phone).

BBQ Party!

So there you have it, lots of work/sitting/planning/waiting/wishing (Jack Johnson reference there). Talking via skype with my roommate from college brightened my Thursday night. Thank god for the internet, I can’t imagine living in Japan 20 years ago, teaching English without any communication to my family and friends. Just after I went to sleep, a 7.4 earthquake rocked NE Japan (again, I know). Thankfully, I’ve read that only 3 people died from that aftershock (as of now). If that would’ve happened in America, I can guarantee you that a lot more than 3 people would’ve died. Best part? Didn’t even feel it! Woo!