Up By 5 am, Again

This jet-lag stuff is tough this time around. It’s one thing to jump continents, but traveling clear to the other side of the planet has thrown me for a serious loop. It is almost 5 am and I am wide-awake.

Although, I am pretty sure it’s the tummy ache that has me stirring. Maybe I lose the ability to eat fried foods like tempura upon arriving in Japan, and the ability to eat ice cream on my return home.

It's like one of those ridiculous hypothetical questions, “Would you rather never travel the world and enjoy eating all of your favourite foods, or travel but lose the ability to eat something you really enjoy every time you take a flight that is more than 10 hours long until you can only stomach lettuce, dry toast, and green tea?”


Tempura fried ice cream anyone? Forget about it!

I'm Home

I am in Toronto, Canada. It’s Wednesday here and I arrived late, Monday afternoon.

I would have posted a message sooner, but the 13-hour time difference has kept me pretty much keeled over for the last 48 hours. And, it’s cold here too. Only 22 degrees today, yet everyone still seems to have their air-con cranked. Burrrrrr!

It’s been nice to catch up with family. On Friday, I will make my way to Ottawa and Noah and set myself to the task of finding some sense of normal around here.

So far, I find the rice here to be very inconsistent, the streets amazingly wide, and the beds far too soft. But, the bread is good, the sunsets late, and the ground doesn’t shake, so I guess you win some and lose some in this moving game. I also have the familiar sound of the cicada for consistency.

How The English Club Tried to Kill Me: Saying Goodbye

On Friday morning, I will wake up, shower, inspect the apartment so that I can be sure I haven’t forgotten anything, and head for the airport.

The last few weeks have been all about goodbyes. My goodbye tour, I call it. Saying goodbye to the city and country that have been my home for the last year and all of the wonderful people I have met. And, it turned out to be very different from the tour I had planned. But, such is life. The girls’ trip to the beach didn’t happen and Fuji remains to be conquered (I was thinking about letting myself be talked into that one.)

Instead, my trip to Kanazawa with my friend Reina was my last far-flung adventure, and plenty of afternoons were spent at the hospital. There is, of course, the packing, but nothing could have changed that.


The first big goodbyes were said on June 27th. This was my last day of classes at Nitta Akatsuki and the teacher and students managed to organize a lovely surprise party complete with singing, snacks, presents, and tears.




After school that day, Maruhashi-sensei’s family hosted a sushi party. Giant platters of the stuff along with freshly, homemade udon noodles. It was so lovely to spend some time with this family. Three generations sharing a meal and laughs together. Just wonderful.


Ota’s city festival was on July 18th and 19th. I wandered the streets on Saturday afternoon watching the food stalls set up and visiting with my friend Minoru, a volunteer organizer for the day. He treated me to shaved ice and yakisoba. As the afternoon cooled off, my friends began arriving and we enjoyed the energy of the night outdoors and in local pubs.


On the Sunday, I headed off to meet my Japanese family, the Ueda women, for some farewell fun in Yokohama and Tokyo. Lunch was our first stop and we went to an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet. Then Chinatown. Then fireworks. But the fireworks ended early for us after the police decided we could no longer sit in the place they had seated us only 20 minutes before. So, we found a fantastic Chinese restaurant and savoured our meal before the crowds descended. We capped off the nigh with cocktails at a hotel bar with a view.


Tuesday was a double-header. At 4 pm, I was in the school cooking room flipping pancakes for students and working up a sweat. By 6:30 pm, I had showered and was running late for a yukata party organized by my cooking school teacher.


Otsuka-sensei had bought me a lovely blue yukata and red obi, along with gaita and the valuable time of a kimono teacher to help me put it all on. The women from my cooking group were there too. And, so was a cable TV cameraman!


The next night was my goodbye work enkai. About 30 of us piled into a second floor Japanese style restaurant for mountains of sashimi and bubbling hot sukiyaki. It was lots of great fun. But, by the end, I was too tired to go out and enjoy the second party.


One day of rest. The official goodbyes at school were Friday. There was a speech for teachers and staff and a big goodbye address to the whole school, which for some reason I forced myself to attempt in Japanese. It was nerve-wracking and incredibly hot. I think some of the students actually melted away. In my dress clothes, I was dripping with sweat and trying desperately to imagine life in an igloo. I survived the day. And, at four o’clock, a raucous thunderstorm helped wash away some of the stress and sadness.


Saturday was full of laughter. I ended up smack, in the middle of Japan, or so the people of Shibukawa claim, for the annual Heso Matsuri (Bellybutton Festival.) ALTs from all over the prefecture turned out and we took turns wishing each other well before setting off on our separate ways.

Sunday was lunch with my good friends in Ota, Minoru and Tsugio Urano. We went to a little café in the city centre and then sipped homemade ume juice at their home just chatting and swapping travel stories.


On Tuesday morning at 10:15, the English club threw a party in my honour. It was a candy party and we laughed and played games while indulging in all things sugar. At one point, I was instructed to mix a candy concoction. It turned colours and grew into a foaming mass of purple goo. I was then told to eat some, and so I did. It was awful! And I suddenly recalled the time my sister and I tricked my aunt into eating a fizzy candy. Oh, how the tables turn. But, I survived. And it was so touching to know that some students felt so strongly about my time with them. I am going to miss them a lot.

Tomorrow night is a little sushi party with friends.

I met my successor, packed up my stuff, gave up my bike, and will soon be on my way. I have so many memories to take will with me. I am a very lucky person.

(P.S. A couple of large cockroaches also came by to wish me well, but I put a stop to that by patching up the hole in the bathroom wall. YUCK!)

It’s HAWT!

The temperature climbs to about 35 degrees Celsius daily and I have become addicted to air-conditioning, a concept I normally hate.

I walked in the door about half an hour ago, exchanging the wretched and buggy humidity outside, for a hot and stuffy apartment. I stripped down, cranked the air, doused myself in cold water and downed several glasses of ice cold water (I normally avoid cold drinks along with air con.)

Giant and LOUD insects are taking over the city and I’m renewing my commitment to freeze my garbage to keep the toasty apartment from stinking up while I’m working at school.

Speaking of which, there is air conditioning in the staffroom, but that’s basically it. The fans are cranked and the widows are opened wide in the hopes of generating a little breeze. But then, there’s the giant insect issue again as the indoors and outdoors merge. Only, the students are less than eager to share their classrooms and lessons are suspended while bees, and even butterflies, find their way out.

Tuesday and Wednesday are sports days at school. The students will be exerting themselves in this unbearable heat.

Oh, and it gets hotter. Last year, the region of Gunma, Japan that I call home hit about 46 degrees. It was the hottest place in Japan – hotter even, than the southern prefecture of Okinawa.

This year, I have the advantage of warming up with the weather. Maybe it’s a little less of a shock to the system this way. Maybe.

But you know, the one consolation I have is that I’m not alone in my suffering. Even people here from hot countries like Trinidad and South Africa admit that the heat here is pretty intense. So there! See, it has nothing to do with me being Canadian, even if my students are shocked to learn that we get warm temperatures in the double digits. Now, where is that ice pillow…?

An Update…

Yeah, so I disappeared there for a bit again. Not as bad as the April blackout, but still a lengthy hiatus. Sorry.

There are reasons that I haven’t been blogging as much as I, and perhaps you, would like. (Yeah, I flatter myself, I know.) Usually, the whole blogging thing gets backlogged if I am over-busy, or over-stressed. And, given that I am getting packed and ready to make my way home to Canada in a few short weeks, that definitely applies. But only to a degree.

This time, the biggest reason from my not writing was that I just didn’t know how to even begin describing a real-life nightmare.

Exactly two weeks ago, a good friend of mine here in Ota was riding her bicycle when she was hit by a truck. It was a Monday afternoon.

But, it wasn’t until about 9 am the next morning when I learned of the accident by cell phone text message. I bust into tears in the school staffroom. And it took an entire eight hours after that before some of her friends were able to work our way into the ICU just so we could hold her hand.

The last two weeks have been a blur, an absolutely heart wrenching blur. And everything, everything, everything has become a second priority. Packing for home, eating and sleeping, cleaning my apartment, even my lesson plans have taken a bit of a hit, which I feel horrible about.

I will spare you the details of all that has been going on around here. I will spare you the litany of emotions I have experienced.

What I will say is that now I actually feel ready to mention this and, perhaps, even get some sleep. My friend has been recovering little by little. She finally opened her eyes this weekend. And somehow, having that good news to report, I am finally able to tell you what happened.

(P.S. Thank you to my family and friends for your love and support. A little bit of strength from loved ones at home goes a long way towards being able to support those who need it most here.)

Sixtieth

This is post number 60: an anniversary of sorts. And now that I am in contact with my successors, and getting ready to move my life yet again, it seems like a good time for some reflection.


Things I accomplished:
- Coming to Japan - I am so happy to have followed through on this dream. I truly believe that everyone should experience living in a different country at least once.
- All that I have learned - Whether was developing a teaching style, or exploring new places, or even discovering new things that I really enjoy, I have learned a lot over the last ten and a half months.
- Re-learning how to ride a bike - It is possibly the closest feeling there is to flying.
- Learning to cook Japanese food
- Maintaining a strong relationship with Noah
- Living truly on my own for the first time in my life
- New friendships


Things I regret:
- Not learning much Japanese - I intended to but found there was just too much to juggle.
- Not finding the clear vision I was looking for about what to do with my life
- Missing important life events with people at home
- Not doing and learning enough art here - I wish I could have had time to learn woodblock printing or Japanese pottery or drumming. I go to the Ikebana club from time to time, but I am at a loss to understand what is going on.
- Not climbing Mt. Fuji - No time, and no energy
- Getting sick when Erin came to visit
- Living in a Leopalace - This is only an occasional regret. Sure, it’s not traditional and there is no tatami… but its clean and comfortable.
- Forgetting my camera on days like today
- Not seeing monkeys with Noah
- Not blogging and writing more about my experiences
- Having to go home (rejoicing and regretting)
- Buying pineapple wine - Now I need an occasion to drink it and I don't know when or how I will get a chance.

Things I will miss about Japan:
- My new friends here
- Riding the trains and watching the beautiful scenery go by
- Riding my bike on the sidewalk
- Having my own little apartment
- Feeling like a celebrity and those jaw dropped looks I get when my students spot me outside of school.
- My students
- The flowing green rice fields and the mountain backdrop
- Lots of delicious Japanese food
- Having a good, steady job
- The sense of safety and security I have here
- Exploration and discovery
- Onsen!
- A given price is the total cost… taxes are accounted for and tipping isn’t done
- It’s so clean!


Things I will be glad to leave behind:
- The feeling of illiteracy and dealing with language barriers
- Having to carry large wads of cash and remember to hit the bank before the weekend
- The more rigid gender roles that exist in Japan
- Hierarchy
- The loss of anonymity (I still can’t believe the post office called my school. Twice!)
- Sticky, sticky humidity
- Being told I have a “small face”, whatever that means
- Being a foreigner
- Winter without indoor, central heating
- Really big bugs and random snakes
- Needing help to do simple things, like reading a bus schedule

Things I miss about home:
- Noah!
- My family and friends
- Plentiful and cheap fruit!
- Conversations about politics and other important issues
- Central heating
- Cultural diversity
- Favoruite foods cooked by the people I love

Things I am worried about dealing with when I get home:
- Re-learning how to share a home with someone
- Having to move apartments… or not move…either way
- Being in Ottawa
- Making a plan
- Food portions - I know this sounds silly, but I don’t want to go back to North American servings.
- Being misunderstood or misunderstanding others

A Symphony of Frogs

It rained today. Not something unusual considering it is the rainy season here now. The rice paddies are flooded with just the tops of new plants peaking out above the water.

And, at night, the paddies come alive.

A chorus of frogs is making good use of the little paddy at the end of my block. And, on nights like this one, their songs fill the humid night air. They sing me to sleep.

I wanted to share with you a true audible pleasure. Please listen to the the video.

10 Food Facts for People Moving to Japan

1. Japanese food is not what you think (well, not ONLY what you think.) Ask a person in Japan what he thinks we like to eat in Canada/America and he’ll likely tell you hamburgers, fries, pizza and cola. Well, yeah we do eat these things, but also so much more. The same can be said for Japanese food. Yes, you will find sushi, rice and noodles, but the Japanese have lots of wonderful, creative dishes. (And not so wonderful ideas.) For example, did you know curry is a popular Japanese food?

2. Japanese food is, on average, oilier and fattier than you think. Lots of things are deep-fried. Mayonnaise is a staple. Milk is often whole. Don’t believe the myth that you’ll lose weight living in Japan. It may be the opposite. Try to follow the lead of the people in Japan and limit your serving sizes to balance things out.

3. The Japanese take their food very seriously. And, it shows. Every region, and every town has its own specialty. Japan is a land of gourmet. In fact, according to the latest Michelin Restaurant guide to Tokyo, Japan’s capital has more top ranking eateries than Paris.

4. You can find most of your favourite foods at the grocery store. Some things may be a bit tricky to locate, but it’s just about all here. And, if you live near an international store of some kind, you may be able to get lots of your favorites from home. Some exceptions, however: good, crunchy peanut butter made with JUST peanuts; zucchinis; Macintosh apples and, big green peppers. Other things can be found, but are either difficult to track down, just don’t taste the same, or are very expensive. This includes things like fresh basil, hard cheeses, button mushrooms, pickles, olives, pita, etc.

5. Yes, food here is expensive. It may take you a little while to find the good, local food shops, but once you do, you will discover that it can often times be cheaper to eat out than eat at home. With rising food prices globally, and food disputes with China, lots of groceries are pretty pricey. Still, it is important to eat a good mix of food including fresh fruits and veggies, so budget and plan ahead. Oh, and if you do spend ten times as much for some strawberries, for example, you may actually find they are ten times as good as anything else you've ever tasted.

6. Carbs are in, fiber is out. Raw vegetables are not a large part of Japanese cuisine. Most vegetables are either cooked or pickled. This may throw your tummy for a bit of a loop, so try to remember and make an effort to eat healthy.

7. You will need help at the grocery store, and you will make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to confirm with another shopper to be sure you have the right kind of soy sauce, flour, or seaweed product. Don’t worry if your chocolate treat turns out to be read bean, or your mint ice cream is really green tea. It happens to the best of us. Try signing up for a cooking class to learn your way around the grocery store and the Japanese kitchen.

8. You will find new and delicious things you will absolutely love and miss. Things like yuzu, soyjoy bars, burdock, and black sesame and honey paste will one day be long lost favourites.

9. Being a vegetarian is a challenge. Just because there is a strong history of Buddhist influence, doesn't mean you’ll find lots of vegetarian treats. Lots of things are made with fish stock, so be careful. And for the vegans, you’ll find soymilk and tofu easily enough, but not soy cheese or soy ice cream. Allergies can also be difficult to manage for the same reason. And, new foods sometimes lead to the discovery of new allergies. For example, one young woman found out the hard way that wasabi causes her to projectile vomit.

10. Try, taste, and explore. There are so many things to taste in Japan. Many things are seasonal or local delicacies. If you don’t try things when you get the chance, it may be too late. Try the bitter goya in Okinawa, and the lavender ice cream in Hokkaido. Pick up persimmons in the fall, fresh mochi for new years and sakura treats in the spring. And, most of all, savour the experience.

Japan's Parliament Recognizes Ainu as Indigenous People

As part of my work at my Friday visit school, I've been asked to do some social studies lectures on my country, Canada. I have about 30 minutes to try and get some very simple information across about a large and complicated country. Even so, I made it a priority to talk about the First Nations.

I present a very basic overview. I show samples of art and talk about the fact that these were people who lived on Turtle Island long before the Europeans came. And, I don't gloss over things. I know I am an ambassador of sorts for Canada, but that doesn't mean I can't mention the bad with the good. So, I tell them about genocide, and residential schools and poverty. I also talk about the struggle for change and show them a brief video of last year's day of action in Ottawa. I tell the students that things are changing, but slowly.

"Well, at least Canada is doing something," one English teacher said in response to my presentation. His remark was in reference to the struggles of the Ainu, Japan's indigenous people in Hokkaido. It was only three days ago that their status was officially recognized by the Japanese government. It's a first step.

Read more about it here.

Mascot Mania

Okay, let me just preface by saying I am NOT making this up. There are a lot of things around here that I sometime feel should start with that disclaimer. This is a good one. And, it’s not because this is a stupid or strange idea. It is a matter of just plain ol’ cultural difference.

Where I come from, we don’t seem to have as many mascots, and we don’t seem to go for all things cute… as much. Yeah, we do logos, but we don’t need a character for everything. Then again, Japan may be ahead of us and this is just an indication of what’s to come for folks at home (I say this having read about the trends in branding that developed here during the Edo period.)

Here it is… Japan’s new lay-judges have their very own mascot. He’s a giant, green parakeet. Look how cute!

The justice minister apparently donned the costume at the official announcement this week.

Now, I don’t know exactly what the lay-judge program is all about, but surely, Saiban-inko, as the giant bird is know, will help me with that problem. That’s his job.

I was reading this story in the newspaper over lunch in the staff room today and could not contain my laughter. How odd, it seemed to me to have Big Bird as a judicial mascot. “What is it?” a teacher asked in Japanese. The thing is, to me this is hilarious. To him, it’s just the way it is, and it isn’t really all that funny.

A Rainy Afternoon

Taking a break from my piles of homework, I decided to for a bike ride this afternoon in the rain. We’re just starting the rainy season here and I’ve been told to expect wet weather of various types for the next few weeks. It was tempting to stay dry, and indoors, but I ventured out none the less.


I stopped first at a lovely shrine complex near my house and behind a luxury hotel. It is a fox shire and very opulent compared to others in Ota. A large torii gate at the front, beautiful red lanterns and lush trees. There’s even a small ice cream shop, although I didn’t treat myself today.

Instead, I decided I would bike north along the river and check off something else from my Japan to do list. Ten months in Japan, and I still had yet to taste my first Mos Burger. I went for the chicken teriyaki burger with a small order of fries and a melon cola to wash it down. It was fine.

My last stop was more investigative.


For weeks now, I have been passing this very odd scene on the bus ride to my visit school each Friday. A beautiful grey stone building with these large red and rusted doors. And next to it, a graveyard of sorts. Large, ceramic dogs, shattered and strewn around a parked van. But why?




A collection, perhaps. Or a practical joke. Maybe it is some kind of an elaborate anti-theft device. Strange and eerie, regardless.

More pictures here.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Kudasai

I’m not sure why I wanted to go so badly. It could have been that ridiculous Tom Selleck movie, Mr. Baseball. Well, on Saturday I finally got my chance to see an honest to goodness Japanese baseball game. It was so much fun! See, for me, the best part of a sporting event is watching the people who are watching the game.


Packed, and ready to go, I left my home at about 7:40 am and made my way to the train station. It wasn’t until shortly after 11 am that my friends and I finally arrived at the Seibu Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama, home of the Lions. And, even though the game was set to begin at 1 pm, had we been on our own for this outing, we would have arrived way too late for seats.

Lucky for us, we had some co-conspirators on the inside. The trip and ticket purchasing was organized by the JET council in my region. Thankfully, they had the foresight to be there about an hour earlier and were able to grab some space for us to watch the game.

Our tickets, at about $16 a pop, were of the cheapest variety – outfield, general seating, bring your own tarp. The floor was soft rubber green. Very cushy under our bums, but it was sometimes hard to help a slow downwards slide towards the field. Shoes removed, we enjoyed a picnic lunch before the start of the game. We supplemented our food with the ball park fare - Baskin Robins ice cream sandwiches and beer from on-tap backpacks. No peanuts. No crackerjacks. I didn’t spot any hotdogs or nachos either.


The real fans were busy pre-game too. There was a warm up to watch, and players to meet. Some lucky young fans tied long string to jerseys, ball caps, gloves and other gear and went fishing for autographs over the outfield fence.

A quick survey of our surroundings revealed that we were in Giants’ territory. The entire dome was divided in half according to team loyalty. Home team fans on one side, visiting team fans on the other. We were part of the other, a sea of orange and black.

Let’s go Giants!


The game got underway and it suddenly became very clear that we had a job to do. Our section was responsible for cheering for our team. We were loud, boisterous… AND choreographed. That’s right, choreographed.

Standing up on milk crates, at the front of the general seating section were three cheerleaders. The job of these men with whistles and cue cards was to conduct a somewhat rowdy orchestra of fans. A cheer would be announced and the corresponding movements demonstrated enthusiastically. We were told when to stand, when to sit, what to yell and when, and when to stop and move on to the next chant. None of this “the pitcher has a rubber arm” business here. If your boys were up to bat, you were on your feet cheering them on without pause, often at the price of actually being able to pay attention to the game.

There was the traditional scantly clad variety of cheerleaders too, but only for the entertainment of the home team crowd. There were noisemakers, and flags and towels to wave in the air whenever a run was scored.

In the end, our team lost. With the home team victorious, fireworks and streamers shot off. And then, one of the most interesting moments of the whole game. The Lions’ mascots and two players came out to thank their cheering section. Balls were tossed into the crowd and bows were exchanged in gratitude.

I’ve often heard sports fans refer to their favourite team as if they were a part of it. Stuff like, “We won!” Or, “Our defense sucks.” It’s always struck me as odd. But not here. Here, the fans, at least the ones with the cheap tickets, really are a part of the game.


Watch what happened when the Giants scored a run.

Check out more pictures here.

Earthquake!

My heart is racing. And, it’s not the typhoon outside that’s doing it. I am fine with typhoons, I’ve discovered. Just stay dry, and you’re good.

No, it’s the coffee I had today to keep me wide-awake and marking essays all afternoon. I managed to get through the stack of 80 papers easily today, but that’s nothing compared to the 240 exams that are about to hit my desk in less than 48 hours.

The combination of the pounding in my chest and the destructive force outside my window reminded me that I’ve been meaning, for the last couple of weeks, to tell you about our most recent earthquake here. It was, to be succinct, scary.

It was thewee hours of Thursday, May 8th. I was sleeping, as soundly as possible on a rock-hard futon, when I felt the first one. It shook me awake. They always shake me awake. It’s amazing how much sway is added by simply being on the second floor.

To be relaxed is to be warm and heavy; to let your body feel as if it is sinking into the ground, imagining that the earth is cradling you. But, when that earth starts to shake… Well, for me there is nothing more jarring.

It was sometime just after one AM when the first one woke me. The ground was rocking from side to side. I have learned to detect the difference between the up/down of a truck rumbling by and the side-to-side motion of an earthquake even in my sleep. Eyes wide open, I knew it was over and tried to relax. But, not even 10 minutes later, and it was happening again. Well, that did it. I was up and wide awake and needing to do something productive to calm down and relax.

So, I did two things. One smart… the other questionable. I phoned my parents to take advantage of the time difference, and I discovered the website for the Japan Meteorological Agency where I could watch the seismic updates stream in. At 1:45 I was reading about the two quakes (6.3 and 6.2 off the coast to the east of me) and talking about how shaken I was when the room began to quiver again. It felt long. It was long enough for me to say things like, “Oh my God, I think it’s another earthquake.” And, “Everything is shaking.” PAUSE. “It’s still going.” PAUSE. “It’s still going. Everything is really shaking. What do I do?” PAUSE. “Should I go outside? How long should I wait before I go outside?” PAUSE. “Is it over? I can’t tell if the shaking now is the earthquake or just me.” It took me a good hour and something to relax enough to fall back asleep.

That was the biggest and longest earthquake I’ve felt since arriving in Japan. According to the JMA, it was a 6.7, but the epicenter was well off the coast of Ibaraki, the prefecture to the east of Gunma.

And now, having said all that, I can’t even begin to imagine the terror that the poor people in Sichuan are experiencing now. So many people dead. So many missing. And still, the aftershocks continue.

What do you do when the very ground that holds you up is the source of the destruction around you? Where do you go? How do you hide from it?

I could spend a lifetime here in this part of the world, and still never get used to the earthquakes. I miss my home on the stable Canadian Shield.

Cheezucakey

Maybe not magic words, but certainly mystery words. Delicious mystery words.

I’m not sure when it started, Caitlin swears it was mid November, but with some regularity the word “cheesecake” seemed to turn up often in our cooking class.

“Nanni nanni nanni nanni cheezucakey nanni nanni nanni…”

Nanni being the Japanese equivalent, it seems, for “blah,” or blank, or something.

Huh?

At first, we thought it might be some information about an upcoming recipe we would tackle in class. Something like, “Next week, we will be making cheesecake, so please attend.” But with weekly mentions, and no sign of such a dairy dessert, our hopes dampened.

And then, it started coming up in overheard conversations with other students. Perhaps a comparison? “You bake it, just like you would a cheesecake.” Or maybe, “This is easy. It’s not as if we’re making cheesecake.” I'm just guessing here, of course.

The frustration grew. Not knowing much Japanese, people sometimes tend to sound like Charlie Brown’s teachers. “Wah waw wah waw wah waw wah waw...” And then CHEESECAKE! Words I know. But only the words. No cheese, and no cake to be made or eaten. Week after week.

Well finally, after months of name dropping, guess what we made last night? Yes, cheesecake! Cheesecake with peaches and pears and brandy. The thing is sitting in my fridge right now. Only now, after all the suspense and buildup, can it taste half as good at the cheezucakey I’ve been dreaming about all these months? Only one way to find out.

On Ramen

Now that I can read some Japanese, I've discovered something.  

There are a heck of a lot of ramen shops in this country.

Japanese plumbing sucks... but it doesn’t drain very well

Warning: this post isn't for the squeamish. If you're the kind of person who can't even scoop the gunk out of the stopper in your kitchen sink, I suggest you stop reading now.

Still there? Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.

This past Sunday I discovered a whole new world.  A multi-coloured world... of mould.  Yes, mould.  Let's see, we had grey, greenish-grey, blue, black, blue-black, orange, pink, and -- get ready for it -- a gooey, putrid white the likes of which I have never seen before. 

Where was this kaleidoscope land? In my bathroom; the drains mostly.

Before I go on, I should say that I am not a messy or dirty person. I keep my apartment tidier than most, and I clean regularly. It's just that I can't keep up with the plumbing here. In fact, it is quite possibly the one thing I truly HATE about my home in Japan.

I am used to certain things in a drain. I am used to metal pipes. I am used to airlocks and actual drainage. I am not used to plastic pipes with interlocking pieces that come apart and provide little nooks for things to grow. I am not used to constant pools of water that keep things wet and moist and collect scum just under where I stand to brush my teeth everyday.  I am not used to coming home from a holiday and smelling strange stinks because things have grown due to a lack of running water.  Appetizing, huh?

I spent at least two hours just cleaning the drains in my bathroom this weekend.  There are three.  The sink and the tub both connect to a larger one in the middle of the floor.  

The tub drain was the easiest to take care of. I keep a filter on it to prevent hair from going down, so it just needed a good scrub.  There was some mould inside, but it was all reachable with my sponge.  

The sink drain was horrible.  I removed the little metal filter with my fingers, only to discover a horrid, white slime.  It was inside the drain, coating two strange holes on the sides, just before the main pipe. It was almost a centimetre thick in some parts, smelly and it covered some more familiar blue-black stuff underneath. I had to scoop it out with my sponge. Gag!

The main drain was horrendous. I could see the black stuff around the top and lifted out the top cover to give it a good scrub, as I normally do. I was tipped off just days earlier to the fact that the drain could actually be taken apart even further and so after some investigating, I found that I could twist and lift the inner cylinder out. I was almost sorry I did. Inside, was the pool of never draining water full of grey sludge, and hair, and other things best left unidentified. The exterior of the cylinder was covered in some flaky grey stuff I could chip off. All of the pieces were given a good soak and scrub.  Anything that looked like it could be scooped out was, and tossed in a garbage bag.  I threw in several drain cleaning tablets and prayed.  

My bathroom is sparkling clean now.  But only for a few minutes, I'm sure.  

Strawberry Fields Forever

Ever have strawberries for lunch?  And no, I don't mean a few on the side, or added to a salad, or even baked in a pie. I mean just strawberries. Plump and juicy, plucked fresh. And, all you can eat.

Apparently, it's a thing in Japan.  People go "strawberry picking" here. But they don't really mean picking. They mean eating, devouring, stuffing-your-face-to-the-point-of-nearly-vomiting.

Okay, I may be making it sound bad.  It's not.  It's lots of strange and confusing fun.  Basically, you pay a flat fee (prices differ depending on the time of year), and you have 30 minutes to wander around a greenhouse and eat as many berries as you possibly can.  I managed about 36 -- it's a rough number because I was laughing so hard, I kept forgetting to count.

Number one was so juicy and sweet. Amazing! Two to 17 were average, some sweeter than others, but all generally good. 18 to 22 were superb! Strawberry 28 was the best I've ever tasted. I thought 31 would be my last, but then the condensed milk arrived and so I had 5 more for dessert.

Kirei Japan

Maybe it's because I came expecting to find beauty that it seems to appear everywhere in Japan. But, it's not always in the most likely places.  Yes, Miyajima, Matsushima and Nikko were pretty, but it is the momentary glimpses that are the most breathtaking.  

A full moon with a misty halo hanging above the school soccer field.  A bright red torii gate just beyond a turn in the road.  White cranes in a green rice field set against the jagged mountains, grey in the distance. Even the cabbages with their outer leaves tied up in librarian-style looking buns  are endearing.

Yesterday, Reina and I were biking to the train station.  "ORANGES!" she yelled as we turned a corner. And there, over a dull, stone wall, hundreds of bright spheres and lush green leaves filled the sky.

My favourite is the persimmons in late fall.  Dark, gnarled trees, looking lifeless after having shed all their leaves, with plump, orange globes hanging from every branch.  

Now, I watch as other knotty trees spring to life.  White, and pink, and fuchsia blossoms like Christmas lights cover every limb and infuse the air with their sweet perfume.   

I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

On Japanese Plumbing

Question:  How do you know when the bathroom is overdue for a cleaning?

Answer:  When whatever it is that lives in the drains starts to show its face outside.
Oy, what is that?!?!?!

おしりかじり虫 !

Name: Oshiri Kajiri Mushi
Translation: Bottom Biting Bug
Ocupation: Biting bums

Occupation?  Okay, go with it.  Everyone else here seems to. And really, it is pretty fun stuff.  The bug-eyed guy with the four sharp teeth for chomping on ass seems fairly popular here right now.

I was first compelled to find out more about this creature because of one teacher who sits across for me in the staff room who is constantly singing the first bit of this ditty in a super cutesy voice.  It got me curious.

A friend posted this link weeks ago on Facebook and I had been sharing this video there, but it just didn't feel like enough.  So, here it is for all the folks back home - a taste of what is cool in Japan.  (Well, this and those great green sweatshirts that say, "Passing Fad" on them.)

I will also post a link for a website with some information about the origins of this little monster.  It's a cute story about a husband and wife team and their kitchen encounter.

Check out the PingMag story.