Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Raven
Today Liz had a dance performance out in Kyoto so we all went. I was supposed to go to a meeting after work for the new people in my office but I had a cold and my supervisor told me to go home. But instead of sleeping I went with Laurel and Liz’s parents to the performance. I have to admit I don’t really understand modern dance, but I was quite impressed with Liz’s performance.
Monday, March 30, 2009
What NOT to do when you meet your new boss....
Today the new members of our office came in to introduce themselves. I was a bit lost as to what was going on…people just kept throwing out names and departments and long words and I had no clue what they were talking about, til I finally figured out that one of the women was my new boss….
I froze.
She introduced herself very politely and said, in Japanese:
“I’m not very good at English…I hope it’ll be ok”
My mind raced…wait, how should I respond to that….what is proper? “oh it’s ok I have great Japanese?”…no… “I’m sure your English is great”…I’ve never heard her speak English…Oh no…it’s been too long…
Awkward laugh and head nod.
Shit.
She made a polite, but obviously confused face, and left.
Way to make a good first impression Margaret.
For some reason I just completely froze up.
I was going to go search for her to apologize, but I didn’t know her name or her division…and couldn’t ask….because they had told me among the long string of names and titles so I should have known.
Thankfully on my way out I stopped to chat with my friend Nonami and my new boss walked by…and they are friends! So my new boss came over and I apologized for acting like a moron, but I was nervous and the words just wouldn’t come out. My friend Nonami backed me up on this saying that I am really quite outgoing but I am nervous when I first meet people (at least when I am speaking Japanese anyway).
Liz’s parents came to taiko today. Our normal practice space was being used for karate? so we practiced outside…cuz Liz’s parents had come all this way. But it was COLD. My hands were freezing and I accidentally let go of my bachi (stick) and it flew between my legs at the girl behind me…..And since I was the only one who could translate I had to teach her parents how to play…It was difficult, but fun.
I froze.
She introduced herself very politely and said, in Japanese:
“I’m not very good at English…I hope it’ll be ok”
My mind raced…wait, how should I respond to that….what is proper? “oh it’s ok I have great Japanese?”…no… “I’m sure your English is great”…I’ve never heard her speak English…Oh no…it’s been too long…
Awkward laugh and head nod.
Shit.
She made a polite, but obviously confused face, and left.
Way to make a good first impression Margaret.
For some reason I just completely froze up.
I was going to go search for her to apologize, but I didn’t know her name or her division…and couldn’t ask….because they had told me among the long string of names and titles so I should have known.
Thankfully on my way out I stopped to chat with my friend Nonami and my new boss walked by…and they are friends! So my new boss came over and I apologized for acting like a moron, but I was nervous and the words just wouldn’t come out. My friend Nonami backed me up on this saying that I am really quite outgoing but I am nervous when I first meet people (at least when I am speaking Japanese anyway).
Liz’s parents came to taiko today. Our normal practice space was being used for karate? so we practiced outside…cuz Liz’s parents had come all this way. But it was COLD. My hands were freezing and I accidentally let go of my bachi (stick) and it flew between my legs at the girl behind me…..And since I was the only one who could translate I had to teach her parents how to play…It was difficult, but fun.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Just Another Tourism Tuesday
Today, because I had participated in the World Festa in February, I got to go on a walking tour in Fushimi instead of heading into the office. I got to see a lot of temples and areas of Fushimi I had never been to before with a bunch of Japanese people as my guide. We went to a sake brewery and saw some cherry blossoms and had some really good food that I normally wouldn’t eat on my own.
It was also nice because I got a chance to get to know some of my coworkers, and people who attend the events at the Exchange Center, a bit better.
However, being out of the office meant that I missed out on learning about 移動, or office transfers. Every April 1st, the beginning of the fiscal year, Japanese public service offices shuffle their members. People move sections and positions within sections. It is very stressful for Japanese people who don’t know where they might end up, and also for me because I would lose people I had just spent 8 months getting to know and gain new people….so I was really nervous.
I got a text from Dara, my supervisor’s girlfriend, who used to be a JET, telling me that he was moving to the first floor….(T_T)
It was also nice because I got a chance to get to know some of my coworkers, and people who attend the events at the Exchange Center, a bit better.
However, being out of the office meant that I missed out on learning about 移動, or office transfers. Every April 1st, the beginning of the fiscal year, Japanese public service offices shuffle their members. People move sections and positions within sections. It is very stressful for Japanese people who don’t know where they might end up, and also for me because I would lose people I had just spent 8 months getting to know and gain new people….so I was really nervous.
I got a text from Dara, my supervisor’s girlfriend, who used to be a JET, telling me that he was moving to the first floor….(T_T)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mom and Dad Invade Japan March 15-22
Sunday March 15
*All photos were taken by my Mom...I was a slacker.
I set off fairly early in the morning to pick up my parents in Tokyo. It felt a little odd being the one heading to the airport to pick them up, but I have enough trouble getting off a 13 hour plane ride in Japan and finding my way wherever I am going and I speak the language so I certainly wasn’t going to leave them on their own.
So I caught the bullet train out of Kyoto at about 11:30. After arriving in Tokyo I had to get tickets for the express train to Narita airport, which is maybe an hour outside of Tokyo. Of course I lost my bullet train ticket so had to explain to the guy at the ticket counter how I got into the station but don’t have a ticket…and he was all like “Well you have to go back and talk to the train station attendant at the bullet train section or else it will be \800 more ($8).” I was in a rush so I just said I didn’t care…He seemed shocked. I guess Japanese people aren’t willing to spend $8 to save themselves time and energy….or maybe I’m the weird one.
Anyway, so I got to the airport and found their gate and waited outside it. I had a very “Love Actually” moment watching all the families greet people coming out of their gates… and personally I jumped a bit every time I saw someone with a red suitcase…
They finally got out of the gate. ＼（＾＾）／
They looked tired but I was impressed at how energetic they were. I had to exchange some Yuan from my trip to Korea into Yen and then went off to get them train tickets to get back to Tokyo.
First we went to our hotel. I took us to the wrong station (after making them stand up too early to get off the train….I was a bit excited) because they meant Shibuya subway not Shibuya train station. But I just got directions to the subway and we walked over. Our hotel was well located, close to subway and train lines as well as the busiest intersection in the world.
After we got checked in I took them over to Tokyo Tower…a bright orange monstrosity that looks somewhat like the Eiffel Tower. Even with Mom’s fear of heights I got her up to the top. She even stood over the part where the floor is clear and you can see straight down…while holding on to Dad and closing her eyes of course (￣▽￣)ノ
On the way back I spotted a nice hole in the wall ramen place…and by nice I mean a good way to experience Japanese Mom and Pop restaurants, not nice as in clean or upscale.
So I got Mom and Dad ramen. I know what you’re thinking…My parents came all the way from America and I made them eat college food? Out of a Styrofoam cup?
No no no. Japanese ramen is an actual meal (though when I was in college so was cup of noodle…). It can be gourmet. So I laughed as they struggled with their chopsticks (Mom didn’t even break hers apart and just used them as a scoop). Then, after I had a little conversation with the toothless woman who ran the shop about how amazing she thought I was for being able to say a few Japanese words, I took Mom and Dad home for the night.
After putting them to bed, like the good little tour guide I am, I went out to wander around Shibuya to find a good place for breakfast….sadly, Shibuya was sadly lacking in bakeries.
Monday March 16
We woke up fairly early to set off for Meiji Shrine which is just a few stops around on the Yamanote line from Shibuya. I planned to find a bakery at Harajuku but again was thwarted by Japan’s lack of bakeries….I can find them when I am not looking for them, sure. So thus began my first fight with my mother…it had to happen sometime, why not less than 24 hours into their trip?
I asked them how hungry they were and they said they could wait a bit so we decided to hop back on a train to go to Shinjuku where I knew a good bakery. On the way to the station Mom went dashing into a coffee shop to buy a pastry. A pastry? A pastry?!?!?! A pastry in a plastic wrapper?!?!?! How dare she?
Anyway, long story short: I wanted them to have GOOD Japanese bread for breakfast (because it is amazing) and Mom didn’t realize there was a huge difference and wanted food. Those of you that know me and my mom (Claire, you remember the tent incident…no not that one, the one in my living room (^_~) )… you know that we can fight. We love each other…but we also both love getting things our way and when my way does not match her way….look out. My poor dad.
So we cooled off and went to Meiji Shrine. Hooray for the beauty of Japanese nature calming the spirit.
After the shrine we went back to get lunch. Apparently the Japanese food gods were angry at me…no bakeries, and my FAVORITE restaurant in Tokyo was closed for renovations (T_T).
So we went to Asakusa next where I knew I could find a few restaurants in view of the giant poop building (it’s a beer company and the giant gold thing on top is supposed to be the head of a beer, but it looks like poop).
Dad was brave and tried eel (yum!) and Mom got katsudon (also yum!). Mom really liked it and ended up getting it several more times). Again, she used her chopsticks as a scoop. We went to the Asakusa shopping center and Mom got to look at all the cheesy trinkets and then we saw the temple at the end with the giant dragon painting.
It was already getting late by this point and I was hoping to get them back to Kyoto for my taiko practice so I told them that they could either see a Japanese garden (which we could also see in Kyoto if they wanted) or get back to Kameoka early and go to taiko. Thankfully they chose taiko.
We went all the way back to Shibuya to get our bags, then got to Shinagawa to get our bullet train.
We made it to Kyoto with plenty of time to spare and they came to taiko with me. We didn’t have enough time to hit a restaurant so I took them to the supermarket for prepackaged meals.
My taiko group was so thrilled to have my parents there, and kept raving about how young they look and how much I look like my dad. I asked them if Dad looked like Tom Cruise too. It was adorable. They had us go through all the songs so they could see them and then let my parents try playing. It was pretty awesome being able to show them what I have learned over the past few months. Taiko is so much more than drumming…it is music, dancing, performance, etc. and it doesn’t sound like anything in America. Also they got to see just how difficult it really is.
Tuesday March 17
Today I took Mom and Dad to Fushimi Inari shrine and Todaiji in Nara.
At Nara my luck with restaurants continued. We went to a cute little shop with one woman doing the serving and the cooking. Only 2 men were in there but I thought it was just because it was an odd time of day…3 pm. Well, the guy sitting nearest us, I soon found out, was WASTED. He was 7 bottles of beer in (and I mean the big bottles about the size of a quart, not a bottle of Bud), and could barely keep his head up…I’m pretty sure he was drooling. He asked me where I was from…
Oosutoraria?!!?! No! Ooh Essu A!!
I said yes, yes I’m from America…and he started singing the Star Spangled Banner…I think.
Then he asked me about Japanese music until he trailed off and started drooling….
Back in Kameoka we met up with Liz and Laurel for dinner at our favorite café.
Wednesday March 18
This morning we visited my office. I had hoped that my parents could see the 朝礼 or morning greeting, but we ended up being ushered into my boss’s boss’s office. They did the usual Japanese song and dance of bringing in coffee and presents (pamphlets about Kameoka and buttons and pins, etc). I had to do all the translating…which was not easy. Mom and Dad talked a lot and very fast….and translating into your non-native language is tough…not to mention adding the stress of it being for my boss…It could have been better, but it could have been worse.
The group next to mine in the office was in meetings but one woman was working at her desk and she developed a huge crush on my dad. She was raving about how young he looked.
I finally got them to a real bakery, and was able to introduce them to Melon bread. Then we took the boat ride down the Hozu river, through the mountains, into Kyoto City. Mom got stuck next to a drunk guy, at 10 am, but he was nice enough so it was ok.
Then I took them to Nijo Castle…one of my favorites because it was the summer home of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the guy who united Japan after the period of warring states and began the longest era in Japanese history, started the closed country policy, and instituted many of the policies that have shaped modern Japan) and has the nightingale floors to warn of intruders.
After that we did sushi…conveyor belt sushi. Mom was not thrilled with the sushi but I think Dad enjoyed it. Me, I’m up for any meal that costs about $12 for 3 people (^_^).
Then we took a bus to Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion), though I did take us the long way. Finally we made our way to Kiyomizuderu, a temple famous for its view and the fact that it was built without nails. They were doing a light up (something the Japanese like to do, shine lights on their famous things). Unfortunately the cherry blossoms were only just beginning to bloom.
Then I took them by taxi to the yakiniku restaurant across from Starbucks at Sanjo. Yakiniku is like bbq but you have a grill at your table and you just grill the raw meat they bring you on your own.
Thursday March 19
Today was our last day in Kyoto so I took Mom shopping. Dad was a good sport as Mom went into just about every store we passed, but Mom found some good stuff so it was ok. We grabbed some Omu raisu at a restaurant in the area and I got to get them their first taste of melon soda (bright green soda).
We had left our luggage in a locker at Kyoto station (the Japanese really are great at accommodating travelers) so we went that way on our way to Osaka to catch the bullet train to Hiroshima.
We took a taxi to our hotel since it would have been difficult getting Mom and Dad on a bus with all their luggage. Our cab driver was really sweet. He kept telling me about all the places to see in Hiroshima and that we should try the oysters now because once they begin reproducing they don’t taste as good. So we got to our hotel and then went off to see Hiroshima castle and find some food. I ended up taking them to the ramen restaurant at the end of the street, but I was happy about that because a. they got better ramen than what they had in Tokyo and b. it was a vending machine restaurant, which I wanted to show them.
Friday March 20
The next day we got on the tram to Miyajimi and took the ferry over to the island. We went to get the cable car to the top of the mountain, but Mom decided she wanted to walk up, even though I told her we shouldn’t….it was only about 3 km up a steep mountain side…..
She told me I was right when we were about a 1/4 of the way in. But it was an adventure, good exercise, and a beautiful day and it helped us appreciate the beauty of the view on top. Plus Mom got to see the monkeys she wanted to see so much.
We went back down and found a nice restaurant near the giant gate. Dad was brave as usual and tried oysters. Mom got curry rice and I got katsudon but we ended up sharing.
Then we walked around the giant “floating” gate and headed back toward the ferry. Mom and Dad got Momiji manju for their co-workers (a sweet that Miyajima is famous for), though they weren’t all that fond of it themselves…me, I love a bit of red bean paste. But there are other flavors so they got those.
I have forgotten to add that we went to just about every Starbucks we passed…Mom comes all the way to Japan but we go to Starbucks (actually I do too, and since there isn’t one in my town I don’t mind so much).
Back at the hotel I stayed up to watch the last episode of Love Shuffle…where all the awkwardness and sexual tension came to a crazy conclusion…Everyone wound up with a different partner than they began with…at least it was a happy ending, tight lipped kisses and all.
Saturday March 21
Today we went to the Peace Park and the museum. I had been through the museum twice before so I left halfway through (the 2nd half is the hardest part, focusing more on individual stories than on the history, and having been through twice I thought I could skip it this time). Mom also chose to leave with me so we went shopping for gifts for people back home.
We met up with Dad when he was done and I took them to my favorite place to eat in Hiroshima…Okonomiyaki town…a giant building full of okonomiyaki restaurants where they grill it up right in front of you. Okonomiyaki pretty much means “stuff you like grilled.” It’s a fairly fitting description. It is cabbage, pancake-like batter, and stuff you like (usually bacon or some other meat like octopus or squid but you can do what you like).
Then we decided to head back to the hotel to get our bags and head back up to Osaka for our last night.
I got us lost again because I can’t read maps….I’m hopeless with them…so I just got us a taxi to the hotel in Osaka.
Sunday March 22
Mom and Dad were flying out of Itami airport fairly early in the morning so we were up at 5 and off to the station. I took them as far as the monorail and then left them on their own to get to the airport (it was the last stop on the monorail so they couldn’t miss it) and I headed home.
Matt dropped by for a visit since he had just dropped his bf off at Kyoto station to head home too. Then I crashed for a bit before meeting our friend Rie at Shijo with Laurel.
It had been perfect weather all week, and it started pouring the moment my parents left. Apparently Japan likes them more.
But it was a great week, though it exhausted me. I have become quite accustomed to my life here, and that includes quite a bit of alone time, which I severely lacked this week. Also sightseeing is tiring, but sightseeing while taking care of 2 other people is exhausting. I loved sharing Japan with them because I was able to show them why I love it so much and also that their money on my education was not wasted…but I was tired. I was ALMOST relieved to have them go home. It was shocking how easily things just went back to normal while they were here. It was like I had never left.
*All photos were taken by my Mom...I was a slacker.
I set off fairly early in the morning to pick up my parents in Tokyo. It felt a little odd being the one heading to the airport to pick them up, but I have enough trouble getting off a 13 hour plane ride in Japan and finding my way wherever I am going and I speak the language so I certainly wasn’t going to leave them on their own.
So I caught the bullet train out of Kyoto at about 11:30. After arriving in Tokyo I had to get tickets for the express train to Narita airport, which is maybe an hour outside of Tokyo. Of course I lost my bullet train ticket so had to explain to the guy at the ticket counter how I got into the station but don’t have a ticket…and he was all like “Well you have to go back and talk to the train station attendant at the bullet train section or else it will be \800 more ($8).” I was in a rush so I just said I didn’t care…He seemed shocked. I guess Japanese people aren’t willing to spend $8 to save themselves time and energy….or maybe I’m the weird one.
Anyway, so I got to the airport and found their gate and waited outside it. I had a very “Love Actually” moment watching all the families greet people coming out of their gates… and personally I jumped a bit every time I saw someone with a red suitcase…
They finally got out of the gate. ＼（＾＾）／
They looked tired but I was impressed at how energetic they were. I had to exchange some Yuan from my trip to Korea into Yen and then went off to get them train tickets to get back to Tokyo.
First we went to our hotel. I took us to the wrong station (after making them stand up too early to get off the train….I was a bit excited) because they meant Shibuya subway not Shibuya train station. But I just got directions to the subway and we walked over. Our hotel was well located, close to subway and train lines as well as the busiest intersection in the world.
After we got checked in I took them over to Tokyo Tower…a bright orange monstrosity that looks somewhat like the Eiffel Tower. Even with Mom’s fear of heights I got her up to the top. She even stood over the part where the floor is clear and you can see straight down…while holding on to Dad and closing her eyes of course (￣▽￣)ノ
On the way back I spotted a nice hole in the wall ramen place…and by nice I mean a good way to experience Japanese Mom and Pop restaurants, not nice as in clean or upscale.
So I got Mom and Dad ramen. I know what you’re thinking…My parents came all the way from America and I made them eat college food? Out of a Styrofoam cup?
No no no. Japanese ramen is an actual meal (though when I was in college so was cup of noodle…). It can be gourmet. So I laughed as they struggled with their chopsticks (Mom didn’t even break hers apart and just used them as a scoop). Then, after I had a little conversation with the toothless woman who ran the shop about how amazing she thought I was for being able to say a few Japanese words, I took Mom and Dad home for the night.
After putting them to bed, like the good little tour guide I am, I went out to wander around Shibuya to find a good place for breakfast….sadly, Shibuya was sadly lacking in bakeries.
Monday March 16
We woke up fairly early to set off for Meiji Shrine which is just a few stops around on the Yamanote line from Shibuya. I planned to find a bakery at Harajuku but again was thwarted by Japan’s lack of bakeries….I can find them when I am not looking for them, sure. So thus began my first fight with my mother…it had to happen sometime, why not less than 24 hours into their trip?
I asked them how hungry they were and they said they could wait a bit so we decided to hop back on a train to go to Shinjuku where I knew a good bakery. On the way to the station Mom went dashing into a coffee shop to buy a pastry. A pastry? A pastry?!?!?! A pastry in a plastic wrapper?!?!?! How dare she?
Anyway, long story short: I wanted them to have GOOD Japanese bread for breakfast (because it is amazing) and Mom didn’t realize there was a huge difference and wanted food. Those of you that know me and my mom (Claire, you remember the tent incident…no not that one, the one in my living room (^_~) )… you know that we can fight. We love each other…but we also both love getting things our way and when my way does not match her way….look out. My poor dad.
So we cooled off and went to Meiji Shrine. Hooray for the beauty of Japanese nature calming the spirit.
After the shrine we went back to get lunch. Apparently the Japanese food gods were angry at me…no bakeries, and my FAVORITE restaurant in Tokyo was closed for renovations (T_T).
So we went to Asakusa next where I knew I could find a few restaurants in view of the giant poop building (it’s a beer company and the giant gold thing on top is supposed to be the head of a beer, but it looks like poop).
Dad was brave and tried eel (yum!) and Mom got katsudon (also yum!). Mom really liked it and ended up getting it several more times). Again, she used her chopsticks as a scoop. We went to the Asakusa shopping center and Mom got to look at all the cheesy trinkets and then we saw the temple at the end with the giant dragon painting.
It was already getting late by this point and I was hoping to get them back to Kyoto for my taiko practice so I told them that they could either see a Japanese garden (which we could also see in Kyoto if they wanted) or get back to Kameoka early and go to taiko. Thankfully they chose taiko.
We went all the way back to Shibuya to get our bags, then got to Shinagawa to get our bullet train.
We made it to Kyoto with plenty of time to spare and they came to taiko with me. We didn’t have enough time to hit a restaurant so I took them to the supermarket for prepackaged meals.
My taiko group was so thrilled to have my parents there, and kept raving about how young they look and how much I look like my dad. I asked them if Dad looked like Tom Cruise too. It was adorable. They had us go through all the songs so they could see them and then let my parents try playing. It was pretty awesome being able to show them what I have learned over the past few months. Taiko is so much more than drumming…it is music, dancing, performance, etc. and it doesn’t sound like anything in America. Also they got to see just how difficult it really is.
Tuesday March 17
Today I took Mom and Dad to Fushimi Inari shrine and Todaiji in Nara.
At Nara my luck with restaurants continued. We went to a cute little shop with one woman doing the serving and the cooking. Only 2 men were in there but I thought it was just because it was an odd time of day…3 pm. Well, the guy sitting nearest us, I soon found out, was WASTED. He was 7 bottles of beer in (and I mean the big bottles about the size of a quart, not a bottle of Bud), and could barely keep his head up…I’m pretty sure he was drooling. He asked me where I was from…
Oosutoraria?!!?! No! Ooh Essu A!!
I said yes, yes I’m from America…and he started singing the Star Spangled Banner…I think.
Then he asked me about Japanese music until he trailed off and started drooling….
Back in Kameoka we met up with Liz and Laurel for dinner at our favorite café.
Wednesday March 18
This morning we visited my office. I had hoped that my parents could see the 朝礼 or morning greeting, but we ended up being ushered into my boss’s boss’s office. They did the usual Japanese song and dance of bringing in coffee and presents (pamphlets about Kameoka and buttons and pins, etc). I had to do all the translating…which was not easy. Mom and Dad talked a lot and very fast….and translating into your non-native language is tough…not to mention adding the stress of it being for my boss…It could have been better, but it could have been worse.
The group next to mine in the office was in meetings but one woman was working at her desk and she developed a huge crush on my dad. She was raving about how young he looked.
I finally got them to a real bakery, and was able to introduce them to Melon bread. Then we took the boat ride down the Hozu river, through the mountains, into Kyoto City. Mom got stuck next to a drunk guy, at 10 am, but he was nice enough so it was ok.
Then I took them to Nijo Castle…one of my favorites because it was the summer home of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the guy who united Japan after the period of warring states and began the longest era in Japanese history, started the closed country policy, and instituted many of the policies that have shaped modern Japan) and has the nightingale floors to warn of intruders.
After that we did sushi…conveyor belt sushi. Mom was not thrilled with the sushi but I think Dad enjoyed it. Me, I’m up for any meal that costs about $12 for 3 people (^_^).
Then we took a bus to Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion), though I did take us the long way. Finally we made our way to Kiyomizuderu, a temple famous for its view and the fact that it was built without nails. They were doing a light up (something the Japanese like to do, shine lights on their famous things). Unfortunately the cherry blossoms were only just beginning to bloom.
Then I took them by taxi to the yakiniku restaurant across from Starbucks at Sanjo. Yakiniku is like bbq but you have a grill at your table and you just grill the raw meat they bring you on your own.
Thursday March 19
Today was our last day in Kyoto so I took Mom shopping. Dad was a good sport as Mom went into just about every store we passed, but Mom found some good stuff so it was ok. We grabbed some Omu raisu at a restaurant in the area and I got to get them their first taste of melon soda (bright green soda).
We had left our luggage in a locker at Kyoto station (the Japanese really are great at accommodating travelers) so we went that way on our way to Osaka to catch the bullet train to Hiroshima.
We took a taxi to our hotel since it would have been difficult getting Mom and Dad on a bus with all their luggage. Our cab driver was really sweet. He kept telling me about all the places to see in Hiroshima and that we should try the oysters now because once they begin reproducing they don’t taste as good. So we got to our hotel and then went off to see Hiroshima castle and find some food. I ended up taking them to the ramen restaurant at the end of the street, but I was happy about that because a. they got better ramen than what they had in Tokyo and b. it was a vending machine restaurant, which I wanted to show them.
Friday March 20
The next day we got on the tram to Miyajimi and took the ferry over to the island. We went to get the cable car to the top of the mountain, but Mom decided she wanted to walk up, even though I told her we shouldn’t….it was only about 3 km up a steep mountain side…..
She told me I was right when we were about a 1/4 of the way in. But it was an adventure, good exercise, and a beautiful day and it helped us appreciate the beauty of the view on top. Plus Mom got to see the monkeys she wanted to see so much.
We went back down and found a nice restaurant near the giant gate. Dad was brave as usual and tried oysters. Mom got curry rice and I got katsudon but we ended up sharing.
Then we walked around the giant “floating” gate and headed back toward the ferry. Mom and Dad got Momiji manju for their co-workers (a sweet that Miyajima is famous for), though they weren’t all that fond of it themselves…me, I love a bit of red bean paste. But there are other flavors so they got those.
I have forgotten to add that we went to just about every Starbucks we passed…Mom comes all the way to Japan but we go to Starbucks (actually I do too, and since there isn’t one in my town I don’t mind so much).
Back at the hotel I stayed up to watch the last episode of Love Shuffle…where all the awkwardness and sexual tension came to a crazy conclusion…Everyone wound up with a different partner than they began with…at least it was a happy ending, tight lipped kisses and all.
Saturday March 21
Today we went to the Peace Park and the museum. I had been through the museum twice before so I left halfway through (the 2nd half is the hardest part, focusing more on individual stories than on the history, and having been through twice I thought I could skip it this time). Mom also chose to leave with me so we went shopping for gifts for people back home.
We met up with Dad when he was done and I took them to my favorite place to eat in Hiroshima…Okonomiyaki town…a giant building full of okonomiyaki restaurants where they grill it up right in front of you. Okonomiyaki pretty much means “stuff you like grilled.” It’s a fairly fitting description. It is cabbage, pancake-like batter, and stuff you like (usually bacon or some other meat like octopus or squid but you can do what you like).
Then we decided to head back to the hotel to get our bags and head back up to Osaka for our last night.
I got us lost again because I can’t read maps….I’m hopeless with them…so I just got us a taxi to the hotel in Osaka.
Sunday March 22
Mom and Dad were flying out of Itami airport fairly early in the morning so we were up at 5 and off to the station. I took them as far as the monorail and then left them on their own to get to the airport (it was the last stop on the monorail so they couldn’t miss it) and I headed home.
Matt dropped by for a visit since he had just dropped his bf off at Kyoto station to head home too. Then I crashed for a bit before meeting our friend Rie at Shijo with Laurel.
It had been perfect weather all week, and it started pouring the moment my parents left. Apparently Japan likes them more.
But it was a great week, though it exhausted me. I have become quite accustomed to my life here, and that includes quite a bit of alone time, which I severely lacked this week. Also sightseeing is tiring, but sightseeing while taking care of 2 other people is exhausting. I loved sharing Japan with them because I was able to show them why I love it so much and also that their money on my education was not wasted…but I was tired. I was ALMOST relieved to have them go home. It was shocking how easily things just went back to normal while they were here. It was like I had never left.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Dream World Italy
Today a fellow CIR who works in Kyoto City, Sara, came to Kameoka to give a presentation on her home town in Sardinia, Italy. Sara speaks Italian, Japanese, English, and now is learning French because she married a French speaking man from Cote d’Ivoire, who also speaks Japanese. So basically she is one of those people who sort of deflates my pride at having become competent in Japanese, while still being so nice that I can’t be mad at her about it.
Anyway, I had to get up early and head off to the center in the mountains where I work every Thursday. I was both excited and nervous about watching Sara give her presentation. I was excited to see how she went about presenting and nervous because I knew I would judge myself against her and come up short. I was right about that. However, she is a second year CIR and, while she is better than me at speaking Japanese, I was able to learn a lot from her and also notice that I have a more interactive energetic presentation style. In the end it was a good time.
The presentation actually began with a group of 3 women from Kameoka, Sophia and the Peppermints (yes that is really their name…and it was quite fitting), singing famous Italian songs. I don’t remember what they were, but I was surprised that I knew quite a few of them. But mostly I was distracted by the dresses….Oh My God. I did not know people could make such hideous clothing. Now I am not known for my great fashion sense, though I think I have improved somewhat since my days of wearing red stretchy shorts with a red t-shirt back in like 1st grade….and wow. It was like an explosion of marshmallow peeps or something. Bright orange taffeta (I don’t really know what taffeta is but I am guessing that is what it was…..), crushed red velvet….a dress that looked like someone had pulled down curtains from the Palace at Versailles or something….long gloves….huge, brightly colored flowers that clash with the dress in the hair….
They were going for elegant…..
Didn’t work.
After the musical presentation Sara gave her speech on Sardinia. I was impressed with her confidence while she spoke. She seemed to know exactly what she was saying and she was very easy to understand. I learned a lot about grammatical patterns I could use and ways to prepare presentations through watching her. I also learned a lot about Sardinia, making me want to go there….hmmm maybe after Thailand.
She also provided a variety of famous Sardinian foods…pasta, a couple styles of salami, cheese, etc.
See Mom, I’m not the only one who asks for things to be sent…and at least I never ask for enough stuff for like 100 people (^_~)
Also, today was White Day, the counterpart to Valentines Day where girls receive chocolate...I felt quite special... I didn't even get that much attention when I was dating someone...
When I got home, I had to get ready to go to Tokyo the next day to pick up my parents for their visit.
Anyway, I had to get up early and head off to the center in the mountains where I work every Thursday. I was both excited and nervous about watching Sara give her presentation. I was excited to see how she went about presenting and nervous because I knew I would judge myself against her and come up short. I was right about that. However, she is a second year CIR and, while she is better than me at speaking Japanese, I was able to learn a lot from her and also notice that I have a more interactive energetic presentation style. In the end it was a good time.
The presentation actually began with a group of 3 women from Kameoka, Sophia and the Peppermints (yes that is really their name…and it was quite fitting), singing famous Italian songs. I don’t remember what they were, but I was surprised that I knew quite a few of them. But mostly I was distracted by the dresses….Oh My God. I did not know people could make such hideous clothing. Now I am not known for my great fashion sense, though I think I have improved somewhat since my days of wearing red stretchy shorts with a red t-shirt back in like 1st grade….and wow. It was like an explosion of marshmallow peeps or something. Bright orange taffeta (I don’t really know what taffeta is but I am guessing that is what it was…..), crushed red velvet….a dress that looked like someone had pulled down curtains from the Palace at Versailles or something….long gloves….huge, brightly colored flowers that clash with the dress in the hair….
They were going for elegant…..
Didn’t work.
After the musical presentation Sara gave her speech on Sardinia. I was impressed with her confidence while she spoke. She seemed to know exactly what she was saying and she was very easy to understand. I learned a lot about grammatical patterns I could use and ways to prepare presentations through watching her. I also learned a lot about Sardinia, making me want to go there….hmmm maybe after Thailand.
She also provided a variety of famous Sardinian foods…pasta, a couple styles of salami, cheese, etc.
See Mom, I’m not the only one who asks for things to be sent…and at least I never ask for enough stuff for like 100 people (^_~)
Also, today was White Day, the counterpart to Valentines Day where girls receive chocolate...I felt quite special... I didn't even get that much attention when I was dating someone...
When I got home, I had to get ready to go to Tokyo the next day to pick up my parents for their visit.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
I'm a monster!!!!!
Today I ate lunch with Laurel at Matsumoto since she had an office day.
There I was just enjoying my meal when 3 women and their 3 kids came and sat near us. 2 of the kids gaped at us with opened mouthed stares. The 3rd kid stayed as far away as he could....until he ran away.
His mom couldn't convince him to come back the whole time we were there.....
Apparently Laurel and I are scary? ? ? ｶﾞ━━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━━ﾝ!!
If it weren't a little insulting and kind of disturbing I would find it adorable. Either way it was funny.
I was almost more concerned by the fact that I felt guilty for a moment...but why should I feel guilty because my face frightens ignorant children. Apparently I don't have to work hard to do my job...just showing my face teaches kids about cultural differences....
There I was just enjoying my meal when 3 women and their 3 kids came and sat near us. 2 of the kids gaped at us with opened mouthed stares. The 3rd kid stayed as far away as he could....until he ran away.
His mom couldn't convince him to come back the whole time we were there.....
Apparently Laurel and I are scary? ? ? ｶﾞ━━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━━ﾝ!!
If it weren't a little insulting and kind of disturbing I would find it adorable. Either way it was funny.
I was almost more concerned by the fact that I felt guilty for a moment...but why should I feel guilty because my face frightens ignorant children. Apparently I don't have to work hard to do my job...just showing my face teaches kids about cultural differences....
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
High Schoolers…the same no matter where you go
So today I gave a presentation at Nantan High School, where Liz teaches. We had discussed the possibility of my visiting her English class for a long time and she turned in a proposal about a month ago once we came up with a topic of discussion.
The way the Japanese bureaucracy is supposed to work is that she talks to her supervisor, who talks to the principal, who calls my supervisor, who asks me, then my supervisor calls the principal with my answer, who tells her supervisor, who tells Liz that I am coming.
Somehow this went awry this time (don’t ask me how, with such a simple system I wonder how they could POSSIBLY screw it up…note the sarcasm). On Thursday the 26th I was asked to give a presentation on Tuesday March 3rd. Since I hadn’t heard anything yet I had done NO prep work….so I had only 2 work days to get a presentation together AND I was going to Korea for the 2 days in between……Also that Friday I had a different presentation I had been preparing for. Usually it takes me at least 2 weeks to get a presentation together. I have to write out a script and practice it and then make all my supplementary materials. This time my 2 weeks were shortened into 2 days….
Needless to say the presentation did not go as well as I had hoped. It was supposed to be a bilingual presentation on my international travel experiences, something I am obviously quite passionate about. But without the time to really get into the vocabulary and really learn it, it just seemed kind of empty. Also, I didn’t really get a chance to organize when I wanted to say. I wanted to talk about cultural differences between the different countries I have been to and what I learned on my trips but to talk about that in Japanese would take a lot of time for me to organize. So in the end I just sort of said where I had been and showed pictures of the famous places. I told my Europe story and talked about how helpful English is when traveling (it is an English class after all), but it didn’t feel nearly as good as my earlier presentations. I just didn’t get to practice it enough. But that is because I chose to sleep last night since I am still getting over my cold…guess I learned from high school….
but I still went overboard
I got there a bit early because my colleague was heading in that direction and he gave me a ride. I had never been to a school visit on my own before. Usually Kojima-san goes with me, but I didn’t have any trouble checking in at the office and making my way up to the teacher office. Liz and Nelis met me on the way and I spent most of the time before the class just hanging out with them. I never really get to see Nelis because he lives in Sonobe (about 20 minutes or so away), so it was nice to get to spend some time with them.
We went together to the classroom. I was really nervous.
When I first walked into the classroom the students immediately screamed out “Who is that?!?!?!?” (･_･?)
I kept my mouth shut because I wanted them to be surprised when I spoke in Japanese. This was quite effective. After my introduction I launched into a bit about myself in Japanese and they all screamed in surprise. After that however, my novelty wore off, and they turned into the annoying bratty little high schoolers they are…
The things that happen in high schools in Japan would never be allowed to happen in the states. Kids put their heads down on the table and slept while I was talking. They sat right in front of me and held full conversations instead of listening to me. They turned their backs to me and talked to the neighbor behind them….I wasn’t overly shocked because I have heard about this, but I am not going to say it wasn’t a little upsetting. Even with only 2 days to prepare I had put in a decent amount of work into this presentation. I made maps of each country I have visited and put pictures of famous places next to them. Plus having people talk while you are giving a speech is really distracting. It really broke my concentration so I know it didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. ☆⌒(＞。≪)イタイ
As I left the school it began snowing/raining so Nelis drove me to the station. I am quite jealous of all gaijin with cars...But I missed the right train and had to wai 30 minutes to get the next one...no big deal for me, I had my IPod and was not that excited to go back to the office. But I was feeling particularly down. I don't like it when I don't do my best.
So I got on the train and headed back to Kameoka, walking in the rain because my umbrella was at the office...feeling quite sorry for myself. And then I saw the bus. The Kindergarten bus. Full of adorable little kids. I looked up at the bus just in time to see the 3 kids in front burst into HUGE smiles when they saw me...then this little boy ran over from his seat to a window near me and waved, with a hugely bright smile. It was so adorable I couldn't help but feel better about my life. Sometimes it's nice to be a celebrity because you have brown hair and white skin. I made that kids day just because I look different.
But it is all a learning experience. Hopefully I can give another speech like it and improve. That is the main point of it all.
(*・_・)ノ⌒*
Plus I got to spend the day out of the office and seeing a high school for the first time. I also saw where my friend Liz works and got to see my first high school. Japanese elementary and middle schools are kind of gross, but the high schools seem a bit nicer. They are more brightly lit and cleaner.
The way the Japanese bureaucracy is supposed to work is that she talks to her supervisor, who talks to the principal, who calls my supervisor, who asks me, then my supervisor calls the principal with my answer, who tells her supervisor, who tells Liz that I am coming.
Somehow this went awry this time (don’t ask me how, with such a simple system I wonder how they could POSSIBLY screw it up…note the sarcasm). On Thursday the 26th I was asked to give a presentation on Tuesday March 3rd. Since I hadn’t heard anything yet I had done NO prep work….so I had only 2 work days to get a presentation together AND I was going to Korea for the 2 days in between……Also that Friday I had a different presentation I had been preparing for. Usually it takes me at least 2 weeks to get a presentation together. I have to write out a script and practice it and then make all my supplementary materials. This time my 2 weeks were shortened into 2 days….
Needless to say the presentation did not go as well as I had hoped. It was supposed to be a bilingual presentation on my international travel experiences, something I am obviously quite passionate about. But without the time to really get into the vocabulary and really learn it, it just seemed kind of empty. Also, I didn’t really get a chance to organize when I wanted to say. I wanted to talk about cultural differences between the different countries I have been to and what I learned on my trips but to talk about that in Japanese would take a lot of time for me to organize. So in the end I just sort of said where I had been and showed pictures of the famous places. I told my Europe story and talked about how helpful English is when traveling (it is an English class after all), but it didn’t feel nearly as good as my earlier presentations. I just didn’t get to practice it enough. But that is because I chose to sleep last night since I am still getting over my cold…guess I learned from high school….
but I still went overboard
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| From Work |
I got there a bit early because my colleague was heading in that direction and he gave me a ride. I had never been to a school visit on my own before. Usually Kojima-san goes with me, but I didn’t have any trouble checking in at the office and making my way up to the teacher office. Liz and Nelis met me on the way and I spent most of the time before the class just hanging out with them. I never really get to see Nelis because he lives in Sonobe (about 20 minutes or so away), so it was nice to get to spend some time with them.
We went together to the classroom. I was really nervous.
When I first walked into the classroom the students immediately screamed out “Who is that?!?!?!?” (･_･?)
I kept my mouth shut because I wanted them to be surprised when I spoke in Japanese. This was quite effective. After my introduction I launched into a bit about myself in Japanese and they all screamed in surprise. After that however, my novelty wore off, and they turned into the annoying bratty little high schoolers they are…
The things that happen in high schools in Japan would never be allowed to happen in the states. Kids put their heads down on the table and slept while I was talking. They sat right in front of me and held full conversations instead of listening to me. They turned their backs to me and talked to the neighbor behind them….I wasn’t overly shocked because I have heard about this, but I am not going to say it wasn’t a little upsetting. Even with only 2 days to prepare I had put in a decent amount of work into this presentation. I made maps of each country I have visited and put pictures of famous places next to them. Plus having people talk while you are giving a speech is really distracting. It really broke my concentration so I know it didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. ☆⌒(＞。≪)イタイ
As I left the school it began snowing/raining so Nelis drove me to the station. I am quite jealous of all gaijin with cars...But I missed the right train and had to wai 30 minutes to get the next one...no big deal for me, I had my IPod and was not that excited to go back to the office. But I was feeling particularly down. I don't like it when I don't do my best.
So I got on the train and headed back to Kameoka, walking in the rain because my umbrella was at the office...feeling quite sorry for myself. And then I saw the bus. The Kindergarten bus. Full of adorable little kids. I looked up at the bus just in time to see the 3 kids in front burst into HUGE smiles when they saw me...then this little boy ran over from his seat to a window near me and waved, with a hugely bright smile. It was so adorable I couldn't help but feel better about my life. Sometimes it's nice to be a celebrity because you have brown hair and white skin. I made that kids day just because I look different.
But it is all a learning experience. Hopefully I can give another speech like it and improve. That is the main point of it all.
(*・_・)ノ⌒*
Plus I got to spend the day out of the office and seeing a high school for the first time. I also saw where my friend Liz works and got to see my first high school. Japanese elementary and middle schools are kind of gross, but the high schools seem a bit nicer. They are more brightly lit and cleaner.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A weekend abroad?
This weekend I went to Korea with the other members of the Lifelong Learning Division. That’s right, I went to a foreign country for 2 days….which is something you can do in Asia.
We met at 5:30 am on Saturday (that was NOT fun). Thankfully they had hired a bus to take us to the airport so we didn’t have to deal with the train schedules and transfers that are usually involved in getting to the airport. Most of us slept the whole way to the airport.
Getting through security and customs was not a big issue. As usual I was very excited to get some more stamps in my passport…and to make use of that $60 multiple re-entry pass I bought last year. You see when traveling from Japan and then back I have to have a re-entry permit and that means I get to go through the Japanese line at customs… :)
I get great satisfaction out of getting more stamps on my passport and hope to have to order more pages soon. As I have decided to go to Thailand (my 5th country in 5 months) in May, I am well on my way to making that happen.
The flight to Korea was actually shorter than my trip to Hokkaido last month (a national flight). When we arrived, we went through customs (another stamp, yay!) and then met with our tour guide. The Japanese tend to take a LOT of guided tours rather than travel alone. I never really thought about it until recently, but with Japanese being such a rare language outside of Japan it must be very difficult for those who don’t speak English to travel. I think that might be why they do so many tours. The guide was a Korean woman who spoke nearly fluent Japanese. I never found out why, because I didn’t know if that was something I should ask. Korea and Japan have a fairly rocky history and I didn’t want to enter any awkward territory. However, she has only spent a few months in Japan so I know she must have had a lot of training. She seemed impressed with my Japanese, but no one is going to say “wow you really suck.” So I have begun taking those compliments with a grain of salt.
She took us to our hotel, which was in downtown Seoul, about an hour from the airport. Our hotel was REALLY nice. I would never stay at a place like that on my own. The basement was all shopping centers and it was attached to a huge 12 story mall, with stores like Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc…ie. Stores that scare me.
First we decided to go get lunch, seeing as it was now nearly 2 pm. We got lost trying to find the restaurant the guide suggested before leaving us so we went back and ate in one of the restaurants at the hotel. I ordered some kind of chicken soup thing, only there was a WHOLE chicken in it. Inside the chicken was rice and some veggies. Kagawa-san got Korean udon noodles and Fukuchi-san got some kind of rice dish and we all shared. They also served Kim-chi in the middle of the table and we all just ate that as we wanted. Now the shocking part was that the some of wait staff spoke almost fluent Japanese but only a little English. They were surprised by me…a white girl with a bunch of older Japanese people, speaking Japanese, in Korea….
After lunch we went shopping…joy. I flew across an ocean to shop at stores like Prada? No thank you. So as soon as I could I got lost from my co-workers (they had all split up anyway so it was no big deal) and I ran outside to do some sightseeing. I had noticed a huge traditional looking building near the hotel so I went to check that out.
The streets were swarming with policemen. And I mean, SWAT style policemen with the shields and everything. But they weren’t doing anything. They were just standing in rows. So I watched and noticed that the Koreans weren’t paying any attention to them so I followed their example (something you learn to do when living abroad…when in doubt, you watch the natives and do like they do). So I crossed the street and found the temple thing I was looking for.
A huge crowd was surrounding the entrance. It turned out that I had shown up just in time to catch the tail end of a performance. There were a bunch of people in traditional garb marching and playing drums and singing out in front of the entrance.
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| From Korea Videos |
After it ended I bought a ticket and went in. It turned out that the place was Ch'angdokkung Palace. I only had about an hour and a half so I had to rush through the site and I think I missed a lot. I picked up a pamphlet to read up on what I was seeing afterward. I was mostly struck by the similarities to Japanese architecture but also the differences. The temples and buildings were shaped very similarly to Japanese temples but were decorated with all kinds of colors, which you don’ t see in Japan. I ducked into the art museum on the grounds but it wasn’t that interesting so in the essence of time, I headed back out.
When looking for the restaurant earlier I had seen a group of people getting ready for what looked like a taiko performance on the streets, so I went back to try to find that. I found them and they were in the middle of a performance. Korean taiko is MUCH different from Japanese taiko. The performers wear colorful clothing and carry smaller drums and sort of march/dance while they play. It is kind of like a combination between Japanese taiko and an American marching band. But the effect is really cool.
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So stood around watching them before walking along the side of the river for a while…I have found that I really like rivers for some reason (the Kamo, the Seine, the Rhine, the Uji).
Since I didn’t have a watch or my cell phone I made sure to head back to the hotel well ahead of our meeting time. I wandered around the shops in the basement of our hotel which were more food related. I found these more interesting because I think that shopping in the little markets tells more about a country than shopping at Prada. (ﾟｰﾟ)(｡_｡)ｳﾝｳﾝ
We all met up for dinner and then went out for yaki-niku. We all sat around a huge table as they brought us meat to cook at our table. My supervisor drank with us for the first time EVER! There was a lot of conversation going on and I joined in as best I could but mostly just enjoyed the company. I discovered that my supervisor DOES like ume-syuu (plum wine), even though he makes funny faces when he drinks it, but HATES garlic (he seems to hate a lot of things). So I tried to give him my garlic, which was grilling with the meat, and he squirmed away. After dinner, when all my co-workers were sufficiently drunk and I was still dead sober, we went to Seoul Tower. Only 6 of us made it to the Tower, the rest gave up when their taxi wouldn’t take them all the way to the base and went shopping.
Korean drivers are SCARY. The streets seem to come out of nowhere and are in really bad shape. Taxi drivers make U-turns in the middle of busy streets. But thankfully we made it safely to the tower. We climbed up the steep hill to the base of the tower. We had to buy tickets but the clerks didn’t speak Japanese so I had to translate the English for them. Hooray for being useful! ヘ(^_^ヘ)(ノ^_^)ノ
So we took pictures and waited around before going to the top of the tower. At the top, I was surprised. I have been to the top of several towers…Tokyo Tower, a huge building in France, Sapporo TV Tower, etc but none of them offered a view quite like Seoul. There were lights everywhere and it was just a different looking city. There were clumps of apartment buildings lighting up some areas and there was a river winding around the center of the city. We couldn’t see much detail at night but it was beautiful.
We made it down the tower and then jumped on the ropeway to get to the bottom of the mountain (rather than climb the steps like we did on the way up, bit counterintuitive ne?)
When we got back, I noticed something…
There was a CPK right next to my hotel!!!!! For those of you who don’t know, CPK is California Pizza Kitchen. And I am in love with their food…and they don’t have them in Japan…and there was one RIGHT NEXT TO MY HOTEL!!!!! Sadly we were leaving for sightseeing early the next morning and it was already closed for the night…. ＿|￣|○
The next morning the Krispy Kreme was closed too…
Looks like if I want an American food fix I should go to Seoul for the weekend. They had Caribou Coffee, Quiznos, The Outback, etc. Now if I can just find a Granite City I am good to go….(keep that in mind people, when I come visit…)
So some of my more energetic/drunk co-workers went to the bar while I decided to head to bed. I was fighting a major cold (for which I had taken Monday and Tuesday off, thought I had gotten better only to have it come back with a vengeance the day I left for Korea).
The Koreans know how to make nice hotels. The shower was the most relaxing shower I have ever had. They had adapters in the room for international travelers. The lights were all controlled by a panel on the telephone. The beds were really comfortable. I fell asleep almost immediately. I just hope I didn’t snore really loudly and wake up my Fukuchi-san.
In the morning I woke up when she was already in the shower so I started getting ready to leave. We chatted a bit and then I got read and we went for breakfast. All the bread shops I had seen in the basement the day before were closed when we got down there so we went outside and found the New York Doughnut shop next to the Starbucks. While eating Kagawa-san showed up. He was actually there for the second time that day (and it was only 9 am). Apparently he really liked those donuts and he went back for some to take home…the Japanese are weird.
We met up with our tourguide at 9:45 and then we boarded the bus to go to the Korean Folk Town. This was sort of like the old Colonial Villages in America only Korean…
They had the whole thing set up with traditional Korean housing and they had traditional performances. We saw a second taiko performance there. They were incredible. They did these amazing dances while playing the drums. They had these hats with decorations on them that fluttered around and they even had their head movements choreographed so that the headpieces would move in sync.
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| From Korea Videos |
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| From Korea Videos |
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| From Korea Videos |
Then we saw this seasaw performance with girls flying into the air doing acrobatics. We also got to see a traditional Korean wedding. But it felt a little strange to be watching a real wedding so we all left that pretty early.
Then we went to lunch at a place famous for its Bibimbap, which is a rice dish with some meat, egg, and spicy sauces that they bring out in a hot pot and it finishes cooking at the table. They made me try the raw beef…and really enjoyed the disgusted faces I was making. After the raw chicken fiasco last December I am surprised I did it but they were having so much making fun of me I couldn’t help it.
After lunch we stopped at an old Korean castle before heading to this huge shopping center to buy gifts for all the people who didn’t come with us (it is so Japanese to buy things for EVERYONE).
So we spent only a few minutes at what would interest me (but I should be grateful because it was Kagawa-san’s suggestion that we stop there because he knew I would like it) before we were off shopping again.
It did make me realize that I need to do a little studying of Korean history as I know NOTHING about it.
So at the shopping center I went and got some gifts for my friends in Japan and the other JETS. It was a shopping center specifically designed for Japanese tourists, which really surprised me. In fact I had to pay in Yen instead of Won (which annoyed me since I still had TONS of won left over…)
Then we went to the airport and checked in for our flights. Even though they had all bought tons of stuff already, they all wanted to shop more, so I walked around and grabbed Subway and some Caribou Coffee and just enjoyed some time with my Ipod.
I spent the flight back preparing for my presentation on Tuesday(see next post) and then slept during the car ride back to Kameoka. It was a pretty easy trip and I was glad to not have to take care of the details of it.
I think I will have to go to Korea again, for a much longer period of time, because I just didn’t get to see everything I wanted to. I didn’t get a feel for the culture at all, which is something I really try to do when I travel. But atleast I didn’t get my wallet stolen this time.
Next is Thailand so I am going to prepare early for that.
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