pictures

May these pictures begin to capture the bizarreness, beauty, and saturation of the enduring yet ever-changing culture of Japan.

Not explicitly captured in these pictures are my steep learning curves, confusions, realizations, isolations, assimilations, and well you know how it goes.

It's telling how I'd rather use my limited Japanese here, and as any competent speaker would say in the tradition of farewell speeches, かんどうしましたよ, or simply, "I was moved, no doubt."

With that, "Let's Enjoying Pictures!"

First Half
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2110727&l=3f80761e92&id=13303406

Second Half:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2110737&id=13303406&l=1de69b9800

blog ending? perhaps

So as all bad bloggers, I have inevitably given this thing up. Maybe I will come back and post about what came from studying the language, having a love/hate relationship with my job, and getting to know the locals. But I will probably just leave it to you to find time to chat sometime, or leave it to your imagination because that might be more interesting ha. Though I may end up posting a few things here so yours truly won't forget them, so we'll see if I can ever motivate myself to do that.

Regardless, everyone loves a good set of pictures. The digital camera has been a blessing and a curse. Imagine having about 385 pictures of cherry blossoms to sort through... realize cherry blossoms are cherished for being ethereal and oh so ephemeral, with each area peaking for only 3-6 days before a strong wind destroys them. Suffice it to say, I did a lot of sorting.

in (dis?)honor of the great

The Japanese teacher and I were just discussing the next lesson in the teachers room (where all the teachers sit). I asked if I could do a short intro on Michael, and then we both got up and practiced our best moonwalk. Although his was not the moonwalk at all, but him flailing backwards and dancing on his toes. Mine sadly wasn't much better. Next, we will try it in front of our 40 students...

musical choices

Every day I hear the Big Ben chimes about a dozen times, as every school in Japan uses that as their school bell (yes, it's rather long and slow at that).

The "hold" tone on the hospital line is "What Child is This" (yes, I'm no longer terrified of Japanese phone calls).

I went to a work drinking party at a banquet hall where no joke the entire three hours was Enya's "Sail Away" on repeat (yes, I love Enya!).

hibernation complete!

From December to March, the temperature barely falls below freezing, which isn’t anything to complain about. However, inside is comparable to igloos, if not colder due to the complete lack of insulation and central heating. Luckily, my walls aren’t paper thin (one of my friends in the countryside has interior walls of literally framed paper) but it seems pretty close. Like in summer when the window is open, I can hear my neighbors’ every sonorous testament to their lives- cooking, crying, flicking light switches. It’s my most intimate Japanese relationship, and I’ve never even met them! It would probably be quite awkward, if I ever do...

So anyways, I was too cheap to heat much, especially as warmth dissipated quickly. So I spent most of my time working late with students and then going home to lay prone with a mini heater on my face, under the electric blanket, and with my laptop. Needless to say, the novelty of living that Japanese lifestyle wore off fast.

obama

Japan loves Obama.

There’s a small coastal town in Japan called Obama. November 4th is now an annual holiday there, and a statue of Obama is going up in front of the city hall. Not to mention the rice sweets with his face, or that song “Obama is Beautiful World” (it pretty much sums up Japan’s sentiments and knowledge surrounding Obama, probably worth the youtube).

Of course my kids love him too. The chalkboard in the back of the rooms is usually full of the scribbles in Japanese, anime drawings, and a few random things in English (including the occasional SEX or the like). This week, they’re all chalking Obama-isms. I missed this photo opp, but here was my favorite:

“Yes we can.”
“No you can’t.”
“Yes, we did.”

Here’s the new school inspiration which appeared in the halls one day (the Japanese is the translation, and that large character is just says the name of the school)

taro aso

Here’s a Taro Aso (Current Prime Minister) classic:

"[Japan should attract] rich Jews to help solve the country's problems of repeated economic recession and dwindling population. This might be arbitrary and biased, but I think the best country is one in which rich Jews feel like living."

squid in stores

Japan is full of all kinds of seafood. I'm going through a bag of frozen octopus tentacles in my freezer now. They are purple and delicious, picture to come. Here's some squid at the store.

(I'm rather ashamed of this and the previous post, but I know a few of you can share a giggle. Maturity can wait. Apologies to the rest.)

word of the day

I spent most of today correcting translations from the students of rather abstract essays. For the record, English is freakin hard. So here’s the word of the day: cliticize

Could you use that in a sentence? "But, it seems misunderstanding to we cliticize immediately that their positive will have became little."

Where to begin...

on rice

You’d think it’d be cheap here. Not at all. Farming is an irrational industry because the land is covered in mountains (75% is unusable for anything). Yet to preserve this piece of culture, the government monopolized the industry, basically banned import rice, and subsidized the failing industry at consumer’s (ahem, my!) expense.

I was looking at the prepared foods. I read Karee Raisu (their version of the foreign words they stole for “curry rice”) and couldn’t read the native Japanese foods whose names are written in the classic Chinese characters. Except I read this one: Raisu. Yep, the good old staple crop of Japan, once worshiped as the deity Inari, now just a butchered word they stole from America-Land.

the worst “i told you so”s…

..always come from the vacuum.

Since coming here, my OCD has really taken off. So this has become a frequent thought: “If I vacuum right here, surely you can’t get this (insert debatable object- sock, plastic bag, jewelry, keyboard key when I tried to stupidly dust the laptop, etc.)”. And somehow, I’m always wrong.

catchier than folgers

Here's the newest coffee I saw in the vending machines. Fire African. Can't begin to explain that one to ya.

whats in my bread?

Everyday at lunch someone drives a van to the school from one of the local bakeries and has trays of individually wrapped bakery products to sell to the kids. Some are obviously fake pizzas, or have sugar on top, but most look like some shape or lump of bread.

So the first few days I tried to buy normal bread, and found surprises inside. I've gotten pretty good at guessing, and sometimes dare to ask, but here were my first few trials...

what I tried to buy ----->what it actually was
normal bread ---------------> cream cheese and jam inside
normal bread ---------------> bean paste inside (anko - delicious)
bread with bean paste -----> tuna fish inside
bread with curry -----------> normal bread (was it possible!?)

mall

The mall is all the insanity of Japanese pop culture in one building. It terrifies me. I can't even begin to explain Japanese fashion, because anything goes. As long as you put time into it and make yourself look ridiculous, everything is in from plaid to purple tights. And English. Here is a collage of shirts I saw, and no I didn't go around and select the terrible ones...This one takes the cake on ridiculous (the red bubble says "There is no MAN" ). By the way, most girls wear booty shorts all winter with boots and sometimes tights. Sensible.

















And this one is just my favorite, because the punctuation led me to pick it up and look for writing on the back. Silly me! Why did I bother?

poprocks

The other day I bought some candy I have never seen, and since it's frowned upon to eat while walking, I just shoved a handful in my mouth. Wow, Poprocks! At a store I pass, a lady is handing out a mini cup with a sample drink. Of course I take it. "Wait, I need the cup," she says in Japanese. It's burning hot, and I have to stand there drinking it and curtly answering her questions in Japanese, and every time I open my mouth it sounds like a damn machine gun. Judging by the slight terror on her face, she never had poprocks.