Whoa, another post!! Yep! I was inspired!
As of October 29, 2009, here are some things I have learned from being in Japan:
**I have learned to eat almost anything. Almost is the key word there, as squid is still a no go. Remember how I used to be a quasi-vegetarian and maybe a little picky? Nope. Now I eat almost anything. Thank you, school lunches.
**You can eat anything with chopsticks. It's not always easy, but it is doable.
**I can eat a whole bowl of rice, soup, the "protein" and the "salad" plus drink my milk in 20 minutes or less... using chopsticks mind you. This took a lot of practice... I used to always be the last one to finish. Now I am somewhere in the middle.
**Fresh whole milk is DELICIOUS.
**Milk in Japan apparently does not cause problems for me. (yay to this!)
**Coke tastes different in Japan. I think I like it better... I keep hearing that there is no high fructose corn syrup in it, and thats why it tastes different. Its refreshing and uplifitng, however, just as the bottles say!
**Oreos taste different in Japan. Not sure if I like them better... they are harder to twist apart, so that is minus like 100 points.
**I really REALLY like cheese. I miss cheese.
**I like fresh bagels. We did manage to get some, but its just not the same as going to the bakery where they are made and eating it there.
**When you are a teacher, you will make a fool of yourself in class on a regular basis. Or at least, if you want the students to pay attention you will. Gotta keep em on their toes.
**Kids will do anything for candy.
**When you are a foreigner in a small town, people will stare. However, they will also give you all kinds of things. So far I have been given: apples, chocolate cake, clam chowder, a cute little knitted dog, frozen hamburgers, oden, tomatoes, green tea pudding... the list goes on... People are SO nice!
**Listening to music and watching TV in a different language is a GREAT way to learn.
**Singing karaoke is a good way to learn some common kanji
**English is hard to explain. "Eigo da yo!" ("That's English!") is not a suitable grammar explanation, either.
...to be continued...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ninjas are people too!
Over the weekend, Kim, Alaina, and I went to a Ninja House with Youko and Youko's cousin and it was fun. Youko lives in Iiyama and speaks really good English. (Do you feel like you are reading a fourth grader's paper right now?) Anyway, Youko is pretty awesome and she offers to take us to various places. She also has a little shop and she makes oyaki which are like little breads with filling inside. They are DELICIOUS. My favorite is kabocha oyaki, which is a pumpkin of sorts... but I think in the US it would be squash. (the most delicious one I had was at Karuizawa YUM!)
Back to topic, we went to Togakushi, which is a Ninja House near Nagano city... but up in the mountains. Unfortunately I have no idea how to get back there because we kept getting lost on the way. Ha, or as Youko told us, we were just looking for a shorter route. So an hour or so later we are there and it is amazing. First, its in the mountains, so its just really beautiful, especially because its fall so the leaves are all sorts of different colors. Second its a NINJA HOUSE! There were a few museums and things that had a lot of different tools and clothes and weapons
from the history of the Togakure school of Ninpo. Looking at all the tools brought up the question "why do ninjas need these tools?" and the answer "well, ninjas are people too!" It's not like they can conjure food out of thin air with their ninja amazingness.
The best part of the day was going into the actual house which had all kinds of trick doors and secret passages. There was one room that had the floor at an angle (maybe 30 degrees?), and literally just standing in there was disorienting. I think you are supposed to go from the entrance across the room and out the door, like at a diagonal. But we ended up mostly sticking to the wall and using the railing. The floor was really slippery, by the way, and we had socks on because we left our shoes at the door.
There are also a few other fun things like a zipwire, a balance beam, a fun wall that you are supposed to go all the way across without hitting the ground, and a shuriken "dojo" where you can throw the little stars. If you could hit the target 5 of 7 times, you got a unique prize, which turned out to be a fan that says Togakushi. Yes, I managed to hit the target 5 times, even in my incredible blindness. woot.
We had amazing soba for lunch on the way home (see the picture of mine), and also stopped by Zenkoji temple in Nagano.
That was my weekend in a nutshell.
What to look forward to next: Halloween in Shiojiri!
Back to topic, we went to Togakushi, which is a Ninja House near Nagano city... but up in the mountains. Unfortunately I have no idea how to get back there because we kept getting lost on the way. Ha, or as Youko told us, we were just looking for a shorter route. So an hour or so later we are there and it is amazing. First, its in the mountains, so its just really beautiful, especially because its fall so the leaves are all sorts of different colors. Second its a NINJA HOUSE! There were a few museums and things that had a lot of different tools and clothes and weapons
from the history of the Togakure school of Ninpo. Looking at all the tools brought up the question "why do ninjas need these tools?" and the answer "well, ninjas are people too!" It's not like they can conjure food out of thin air with their ninja amazingness.The best part of the day was going into the actual house which had all kinds of trick doors and secret passages. There was one room that had the floor at an angle (maybe 30 degrees?), and literally just standing in there was disorienting. I think you are supposed to go from the entrance across the room and out the door, like at a diagonal. But we ended up mostly sticking to the wall and using the railing. The floor was really slippery, by the way, and we had socks on because we left our shoes at the door.
There are also a few other fun things like a zipwire, a balance beam, a fun wall that you are supposed to go all the way across without hitting the ground, and a shuriken "dojo" where you can throw the little stars. If you could hit the target 5 of 7 times, you got a unique prize, which turned out to be a fan that says Togakushi. Yes, I managed to hit the target 5 times, even in my incredible blindness. woot.
We had amazing soba for lunch on the way home (see the picture of mine), and also stopped by Zenkoji temple in Nagano.
That was my weekend in a nutshell.
What to look forward to next: Halloween in Shiojiri!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Outlet shopping!
Outlet mall in Japan... say what?!
That's correct. I had the wonderful opportunity two weeks ago to go to Karuizawa, where, among other amazing things, there is an outlet mall! Karuizawa is on the Eastern border of Nagano prefecture and its a pretty nice area. Lots of money, (rich people have second homes there for summer use) and I guess its a big tourist place, though during the whole day there, Kim and I only saw 5 and a half gaijin. I think perhaps by tourist place they mean lots of Japanese people go there as a destination. We did start a new game, however. (Sarah, you're gonna love it!) It's like punchbuggy, only with gaijin instead of VW Beetles. If you are in Japan and you see a foreigner, you can punch all your friends!
ANYway, besides shopping, we went to see this really amazing waterfall. If you look at the picture, you may be wondering, "Hey! Where is the water coming from, anyway?" Well, seeing as I read the sign posted next to the waterfall, I can tell you! The water is from the rainfall that falls on Mount Asama (which is still an active volcano, btw). The water takes about 6 years to come out at the top of the waterfall. Also, due to volcanic activity, the water is warmer and thus never dries out or freezes, even in the winter.
Fun fact about Karuizawa: it is the only city in the world that has hosted both summer and winter Olympic events (equestrian in 1964 and curling in 1998) How about that?
Karuizawa is only a shinkansen ride away, so there is a good chance I will be visiting again, especially if I find myself in need of more winter clothes. Considering I already need to wear leggings under my pants because it gets so cold at school, I will probably need more winter clothes! However, I have heard that once they start using the heaters (or, as they call them, stoves) that only the hallways will be cold, and all the classrooms will be hot, so I might be able to handle that. Layers will be the way to go, I think. Its interesting because people here are like "oh is it this cold in America?!" and I'm like, "parts of America are this cold, or colder, BUT we have heat inside, so its not a big deal." The cold would be fine here if it were escapable (not a word, I dont think, but I am using it anyway), but you go from cold outside to cold inside, so you are just always cold! There is no escape!
That is my rant for the day.
That's correct. I had the wonderful opportunity two weeks ago to go to Karuizawa, where, among other amazing things, there is an outlet mall! Karuizawa is on the Eastern border of Nagano prefecture and its a pretty nice area. Lots of money, (rich people have second homes there for summer use) and I guess its a big tourist place, though during the whole day there, Kim and I only saw 5 and a half gaijin. I think perhaps by tourist place they mean lots of Japanese people go there as a destination. We did start a new game, however. (Sarah, you're gonna love it!) It's like punchbuggy, only with gaijin instead of VW Beetles. If you are in Japan and you see a foreigner, you can punch all your friends!
ANYway, besides shopping, we went to see this really amazing waterfall. If you look at the picture, you may be wondering, "Hey! Where is the water coming from, anyway?" Well, seeing as I read the sign posted next to the waterfall, I can tell you! The water is from the rainfall that falls on Mount Asama (which is still an active volcano, btw). The water takes about 6 years to come out at the top of the waterfall. Also, due to volcanic activity, the water is warmer and thus never dries out or freezes, even in the winter.
Fun fact about Karuizawa: it is the only city in the world that has hosted both summer and winter Olympic events (equestrian in 1964 and curling in 1998) How about that?
Karuizawa is only a shinkansen ride away, so there is a good chance I will be visiting again, especially if I find myself in need of more winter clothes. Considering I already need to wear leggings under my pants because it gets so cold at school, I will probably need more winter clothes! However, I have heard that once they start using the heaters (or, as they call them, stoves) that only the hallways will be cold, and all the classrooms will be hot, so I might be able to handle that. Layers will be the way to go, I think. Its interesting because people here are like "oh is it this cold in America?!" and I'm like, "parts of America are this cold, or colder, BUT we have heat inside, so its not a big deal." The cold would be fine here if it were escapable (not a word, I dont think, but I am using it anyway), but you go from cold outside to cold inside, so you are just always cold! There is no escape!
That is my rant for the day.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
sei no... saisho wa gu... jan ken PO!
Apparently there have been some complaints that I have not posted in a while. So here is a post for you. I don't know if I have mentioned jan ken in a post before, but I think it merits it own post and here is why:
Jan ken, or rock, paper, scissors, is extremely common in Japan. Like, everyone uses it to decide all kinds of things. We use it in class to decide who has to go first, or who has to do the English part first; I have seen kids on trains just playing for fun; if you watch dramas, the characters always jan ken for something (my favorite drama jan ken... gokusen when they guys are fighting over who gets to talk to a girl, so they jan ken for it!); on game shows jan ken is used for various purposes, normally resulting in the loser being humiliated in some way; and I have even seen my teachers jan ken for various things.
I am not totally sure of the rules. I know what you are thinking "Elissa, duh, rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, paper beats rock!" This is true, HOWEVER, they play jan ken here with more than two people, and that makes everything complicated! I have watched groups of 10 students jan ken to decide who gets the extra milk at lunch, but I am just not quite sure how a winner is determined from the mass jumble of hands.
ALSO, when you play jan ken here, there are some set phrases that you say:
First you say "さ い しよ は ぐ う" (sai sho wa gu) which means starting with rock...
Second, you say "じや ん け ん ぽ ん" (jan ken pon) which is like saying rock, paper, scissors
If you both put the same thing, then you say "あ い こ で しよ" (ai ko de sho) as you choose again.
Also important to note are the hand motions. In the US you just make a fist and sort of bounce it as you say "rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" In Japan, its similar.... you make a fist and on the "sai" you bounce your fist down closer to your body, on the "sho" and "wa" your fist is in the upward arc, on the "gu" you bounce it toward the other player(s), on the "jan" you bounce close to your body again, the "ken" your fist is up in the arc again, and on the "pon" you make your choice (also different, if you pick paper, your palm goes up...) Everyone get that? Check out the video below if you are confused... it is easier if you watch it, but it was sort of fun to try to write it out!!!!!! It moves quickly though, so you have to be ready, which often I am not, so my kids just laugh at me.
This video is just silly but fun at the same time... essentially, if you lose, you have to get the bucket on your head before the other person hits you with the stick. There are different variations I think on game shows with helmets and big fans, etc.
silly jan ken
The end.
Jan ken, or rock, paper, scissors, is extremely common in Japan. Like, everyone uses it to decide all kinds of things. We use it in class to decide who has to go first, or who has to do the English part first; I have seen kids on trains just playing for fun; if you watch dramas, the characters always jan ken for something (my favorite drama jan ken... gokusen when they guys are fighting over who gets to talk to a girl, so they jan ken for it!); on game shows jan ken is used for various purposes, normally resulting in the loser being humiliated in some way; and I have even seen my teachers jan ken for various things.
I am not totally sure of the rules. I know what you are thinking "Elissa, duh, rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, paper beats rock!" This is true, HOWEVER, they play jan ken here with more than two people, and that makes everything complicated! I have watched groups of 10 students jan ken to decide who gets the extra milk at lunch, but I am just not quite sure how a winner is determined from the mass jumble of hands.
ALSO, when you play jan ken here, there are some set phrases that you say:
First you say "さ い しよ は ぐ う" (sai sho wa gu) which means starting with rock...
Second, you say "じや ん け ん ぽ ん" (jan ken pon) which is like saying rock, paper, scissors
If you both put the same thing, then you say "あ い こ で しよ" (ai ko de sho) as you choose again.
Also important to note are the hand motions. In the US you just make a fist and sort of bounce it as you say "rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" In Japan, its similar.... you make a fist and on the "sai" you bounce your fist down closer to your body, on the "sho" and "wa" your fist is in the upward arc, on the "gu" you bounce it toward the other player(s), on the "jan" you bounce close to your body again, the "ken" your fist is up in the arc again, and on the "pon" you make your choice (also different, if you pick paper, your palm goes up...) Everyone get that? Check out the video below if you are confused... it is easier if you watch it, but it was sort of fun to try to write it out!!!!!! It moves quickly though, so you have to be ready, which often I am not, so my kids just laugh at me.
This video is just silly but fun at the same time... essentially, if you lose, you have to get the bucket on your head before the other person hits you with the stick. There are different variations I think on game shows with helmets and big fans, etc.
silly jan ken
The end.
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