Purin_kun's Xanga

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:38:44 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am happy to report that I had my first decent Thanksgiving tonight since coming to Japan in August 2003. In previous years, I had work during the day (last year, at night as well), but this year, Thanksgiving coincided with the Japanese Thanksgiving! There is actually no Thanksgiving tradition here, but it did give me the day off.

To be honest, Thanksgiving makes me much more homesick than any other holiday. Christmas, New Years, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day are all celebrated in some way here, and I can pick up eggs and fireworks at a convenience store 5 minutes walk from my apartment, so DIY Easter and Fourth of July celebrations are possible as well.

In my heart, however, Thanksgiving is tied to family much more than the other holidays, which makes it impossible to have the perfect Thanksgiving as long as I'm in Japan. I can't pay the airfare for the 20 or so family members my parents host every year, and Grandma doesn't fly anyway. Two years ago, I made cardboard cutouts of the brothers and a few other relatives and sat them around the table in Kami-cho for Chicken Namba, Umeboshi, Kabocha, and Mashed Potatoes, but it just wasn't the same. In fact, when I floated the idea of doing it again this year to Natsuko, she said that it sounded downright creepy! I guess that just goes to show that we still have some cultural barriers to break down. Maybe next year, if I'm still here, we can get some of those robots that Honda is working on.

Anyways, even a small Thanksgiving in Japan is a tall order. Procuring a turkey is possible, but it is expensive and there are only two stores in this region that have them (that I am aware of, anyway). Plus, ovens are a rarity in Japan, and there was no way I could host a dinner in my shoebox apartment even if I had one. So, Natsuko and I scoured event listings and settled on the turkey dinner offered at this place. We went with friends and had a great time. There was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! Sorry if this doesn't sound as exotic as I'm trying to make it!

Natsuko and Laura with food.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Hopefully I'll be back again in a few weeks to make it TWO whole entries for 2006.

Monday, October 31, 2005

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 14:14:44 GMT

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Weekend before last, Natsuko and I went to Ikeda City for Zack and Helen's Halloween Party, where we made jack-o-lanterns. Though you can't tell from the pictures, the pumpkins are small green Japanese ones, not the North American oranges, which will run you at least $20 a piece here.

In the close up shot, the pumpkin on the left is Natsuko's, and the one on the right is mine. This was her first-ever attempt at a jack-o-lantern! Hers was voted "Cutest" of the group, while I won for "Most Handicapped."

I was just happy mine came out better than the jack-o-lantern Art and I made back in 2003, when we hosted a pumpkin carving in Kami-cho. Poor Jack had a painfully extreme cleft palate!

Some post-event plastic surgery fixed him right up though! You never did see a pumpkin with a bigger smile.

Art, Eriko, and Ray:
Goodbye and Good Luck!

Wednesday, Arthur and Eriko are moving to Ottawa, where Art's family lives. To review for all the folks back in the states, since I never post anymore, Eriko was my supervisor when I first arrived in Kami-cho on JET. Eriko had just married Art, a former JET, just a few weeks before. Art was the senpai (senior/mentor) for me and all the other area JETs when I lived in Hyogo Prefecture. I have missed our political discussions (right-wing Canadians are really hard to come by in Japan), lifting time at the Nishiwaki gym, and Art's...boisterous cultural insensitivity since I moved to Osaka, and it is sad to think that he won't be around when I visit Kami-cho this weekend.

Art and Eriko, you will be missed, and I wish the both of you and little Ray (not pictured) the best of luck in Canada.

Supposedly, they won't be back to visit for two years. Will I still be here then?!?

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Thu, 04 Aug 2005 14:06:33 GMT

UNFUFILLED PROMISES

Start updating again? Well, that didn't happen. In the meantime, I have moved to the big city, OSAKA, and started a new job. My apartment is incredible and visitors are always welcome. I'm now under an hour from Kansai International Airport by public transportation, for those of you in the US. Very convenient. Come on over!

Also, I will be home in the US from August 9th-25th. I will send out emails, since I don't think anyone reads this anymore. Let me know when you will be around. I may be in Avalon (shore town in southern NJ) with family August 13th-19th, which puts me closer to DC. Visitors are welcome there too.

Time to email... It's late, I'm at an internet cafe, and need to get home to sleep.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Sun, 05 Jun 2005 13:07:35 GMT

I'M NOT DEAD YET!
***BIG NEWS***

So, I know, I know, I suck. No real updates in over a year. In my defense, I have been very busy. So, what's new? Well, I'm still in Kami-cho, still at the same job, though come August I will move to Osaka, a major city about 2.5 hours away. This will allow me to lead a more active social life and let me see more of some important people. For those of you who haven't talked to me recently, last summer I met a wonderful girl named Natsuko, and we've been together ever since. Some people asked me for pictures of her, but I was less than forthcoming. Finally though, I have some good ones of us to share with all of you! Have a look! Click to enlarge.

So, those are some pretty sweet pictures of us with Natsuko's cousin's baby, huh? A few more pics to tide you over until the next update.

PS - It's not certain, but I may be back home for a week or two in early August.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Tue, 20 Apr 2004 12:57:38 GMT

HAPPY ENGLISH

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NOW UP FOR DOWNLOAD!

RIGHT CLICK -> HERE <- AND SELECT "SAVE AS" TO DOWNLOAD!

*Please save the file to disk before watching!*

The file is the first episode of my cable access tv show! I talked about it back in December. Sorry I haven't been updating; hopefully this is the first of many new updates! The picture is my school in Spring, it has nothing to do with the video. I'll take this episode down next week and put up the second one!

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Tue, 16 Mar 2004 22:37:28 GMT

This article is really cool. Thanks to EF for the link!

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:42:51 GMT

Return of the King

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Wow, I really should have posted more about this sooner and have been extra lazy about emailing folks as of late. I'm going to be home for my Spring Break in the USA from March 25th til April 4th. This will quite likely be my only time in the states between now and Christmas. I will be traveling down to DC at some point, though date are not yet set. Trips to other states may also be on the table. Drop me a comment or an email (yahoo account) if you wanna get together.

My Flight Itinerary:

NW 70   25MAR TH KIX    1350 1155
NW1926 25MAR TH JFK   1340 1519
NW1925 04APR SU JFK   1200 1410
NW 69   04APR SU KIX    1530 1810

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Tue, 02 Mar 2004 03:03:28 GMT

Food and Gender Roles

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Yesterday, Ms. Ohnishi lured me to the kitchen adjacent to the teacher's lounge, promising a delicious snack. I was less than pleased with what was thrust upon me, however: ‚·‚é‚ß (surume), my arch-nemesis here at Kami JHS. Surume is dried squid jerky, and is one of the few Japanese foods that I really can't cope with. Snapping off a rotten tentacle to chew on doesn't sit well with me.

I'm not a picky eater. Last year, I subsisted for a time on a diet of hummus and gummy bears when money was low. While I'm no fan of ‚¶‚á‚± (jacko, tiny dried fish), I can cram it down when it's served for lunch. After all, school lunch is only 220 yen (2 USD), and it attracts attention if I bring my own lunch, as the students and all the other teachers have to buy. The only time I actually turned down the meal was when they served whale a few months ago, but I digress.

So there I was, confronted with surume, and all the noxious odors that accompany it. The scent is quite pervasive and not unlike roadkill. I soon noticed, however, that Ms. Ohnishi was ignoring the surume, and was enjoying some cheesecake. Oh glory of glories...there was a whole cheesecake on the counter! Japanese cheese is, well, pretty sucky, but they do make decent cheesecake. I was saved! I tossed the surume on the counter, and dove for the sweetness. But, Ms. Ohnishi stopped me.

"James-sensei, the cheesecake is for the women. Men have the surume."

"But..."

While things have been changing over the past decade or so, candy and sweets in Japan are considered the domain of women and children, while men are expected to stick with sake and "snack foods" like surume. Candy companies have started campaigns to win men over, most notably with Men's Pocky, a more "grown-up" dark chocolate version of a popular candy (cookie? what would you call Pocky?).

So, did I pass up the cheesecake? Of course not. Being the great cultural ambassador that I am, I snuck back to the kitchen later and wolfed down a slice. It was good.

Sunday, February 29, 2004

Sun, 29 Feb 2004 22:40:20 GMT

WHO SAYS NOTHING INTERESTING EVER HAPPENS HERE?

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Yachiyo is right next door, about ten minutes by car. This area is supposed to have really good chicken...

Original article from The Japan Times.

Facility with bird flu put poultry on market

KYOTO (Kyodo) Meat from 60 chickens shipped by a slaughterhouse where tests found the bird flu virus made its way on to the market, local government officials said Sunday, and some of the meat was used to make broth at an Osaka restaurant.

The slaughterhouse in Yachiyo, Hyogo Prefecture, purchased chickens from the Asada Nosan Funai Nojo farm in Kyoto Prefecture where 133,000 chickens had died as of Sunday.

The Hyogo Prefectural Government confirmed Sunday that the meat was from the chickens shipped by the Kyoto farm and that they were infected with bird flu. Local governments have started removing suspicious meat from the market.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said it has received no reports of people becoming infected with bird flu by eating chicken or eggs.

The meat was processed Wednesday at the Hyogo slaughterhouse for use in chicken broth.

Meat from 100 chickens was shipped from the slaughterhouse to a meat sales company in Minami Ward, Kyoto, and meat from 60 of those birds was shipped to restaurants and other businesses in various areas.

Some of the meat has already been used to make broth at a restaurant in Osaka, the Osaka Prefectural Government said.

According to the Shiga Prefectural Government, a company in Kusatsu procured meat from six chickens from the slaughterhouse, but no products were shipped and the local government had collected them by Saturday.

The agriculture ministry has confirmed that samples sent from the Funai Nojo farm in Tamba, Kyoto Prefecture, were infected with a highly contagious strain of avian flu.

CNN

Edit: Crap...just remembered...I had katsudon, which includes runny egg, for dinner at a local resturant Saturday!

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 09:15:36 GMT

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Click the Pic to Enlarge!

No, nothing terrible has happened to me. I've just been either really busy, or not in a blogging mood. I'm gonna try to get back into things now though!

So, what's been going on since the last entry, nearly two months ago? Well, brother Bill came to visit for a little over a week. It was great to have him here, and I think he enjoyed his time in Japan. We went to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo, and Kami Junior High. The pic above is us with Mrs. Kobayashi and Class 3-3 (15 yr. olds / US 9th grade). I'll post some other pics from his visit another day (just give me another month or two!). What else is new?

Work: They seem to be giving me more stuff to do this semester, which is good. I turned in my paperwork today to stay on a second year. Moneywise, it makes a lot of sense, and I really do like the school. The area...well...I can live with it.

I had put back in December to transfer to Kobe (pop. 1.5 million) to work for the Prefectural Government. The job would have been great: translating letters and writing speeches in English for the governor, among other things. I also would have moved to Kobe had I gotten it. But, I found out yesterday that I wasn't the one picked (there were 5 who made it to the final stage). I was really hoping for it, but that's life, I guess.

Travel: Haven't really been doing much of anything, as I blew a lot of cash over the holidays. I will probably be coming home for a week or two at the end of March / beginning of April! I miss all you folks back home! No dates are firm as of yet, however.

Happy English: Episode 2, "What's Your New Year's Resolution," aired last week. Theme was a little stale, but I was happy with it. I'll do a post on this another time.

Kendo: I'm taking the test for 1-kyu next month; this is the lowest level in Kendo (I think...). Was supposed to take it back in November, and then this month, but I had to cancel both times because of a scheduling conflicts. I am *really* looking forward to passing this, because then I can go practice with adults over in Nishiwaki. I didn't find out until recently that I needed 1-kyu to go; I had assumed the sensei's weren't inviting me because I sucked. Was very glad to find out that that's not that case at all.

Health: I feel like crap. Blew my nose all morning at my desk today and filled a wastebasket, then remembered around one that, "Oh yeah, they don't blow their noses in public here." So, maybe I was being rude. Whatever. Tomorrow is a sick day, as I still feel pretty terrible, and there's no way I'm slogging through the 90 minute presentation in Japanese that one of the elementary schools has me scheduled to deliver (it's for the teachers; topic is "Comparing American and Japanese Elementary Education). I'll do it next week.

So, there's a bullet-point update for you. Looking it over, it doesn't seem like the most optimistic entry, but that's part of why I've been putting writing off. With all that baggage now sorted and out of the way, more entertaining entries are on tap for the future!