Also, 2 things I want to write before I forget...
One of my students was making a sentence using "I want to eat ____ for dinner."
He said, "I want to eat kiyukiyubee for dinner." I at first assumed this was some sort of meat on rice Japanese dish I had never heard of, but when my Japanese teacher looked at me with the same amount of confusion, I knew something was amiss. "Kiyukiyubee?" He spelled it out with his finger in the air, "Q-Q-B."
Then it clicked...BBQ.
Also, another teacher told me that she asked the first year students what the U.S.A was. A boy raised his hand eagerly, "I know!" "Yes?" He stated proudly, "The Universal Studios America."

I'd like to make a Best/Worst of 2008 list or something like that...hopefully will get that done within the next couple of days. Also, check out the 2 new links on the right side - Totally Looks Like and Once Upon a Win...

Radiohead, Kota Totori - 15 Step

I promise I have not become a huge anime freak since moving here.
But Radiohead - 15 Step - by Kota Totori

is cool!

Nichijyo Nihon 3

Every once in a while, I like to wander around one of the shopping meccas of that are Osakan department stores. Hanshin, Hankyu, Daimaru, Keihan...they are all 10+ floors of everything high class department stores should be.

Anyway, I usually jump into the sea of people that flood the basement level food stores to check out the most expensive grocery stores in town. In addition to normal foodstuffs, they have loads of prepared food vendors, and every kind of specialist you could imagine - tsukemono (Japanese pickles), tofu, Chinese food, sweets, rice crackers, herb tea, green tea, world coffees, countless others.

I'm always drawn to the perfect fruits. These are not the "Let me chop up this leftover banana and put it on a bowl of cereal" fruits. These are not, really, for personal consumption. These perfectly round, brilliant red apples, grapes so plump they look ready to burst, never blemished achievements of science and agriculture are the mannequins of the fruit world. And for this, they are not what one buys for family and for one's own consumption (so I've been told).

No, these special fruits, often sold in layers of packaging fit for diamond jewelry, are for gifts. It is in fact, their exorbitant prices that make them apt for gift-giving. After all, going to buy a $5 cantaloupe for the boss isn't going tack anything on to that end-of-the-year bonus. So, you're hoping for the highest percentage raise in your career yet? Only one thing will guarantee it (maybe...)

The $210 musk melon (sort of like a honeydew-cantaloupe cross).
$210 for one piece of fruit may sound crazy, but I guess if it means an extra thou/month next year, it's worth it after all...

After I quickly snapped a photo of it, a kind older woman came to tell me no pictures. Wouldn't want to disturb the sleeping beauties, I guess. Their glass case wasn't protection enough...
This International Herald Tribune article has some more info on the subject of gift fruit.

Kouyou

Kouyou is "foliage" or "changing leaves" in Japanese. That time of year has come again and I checked out the beginning of the changing leaves in Kyoto this weekend. They we're quite at their peak yet, but some of the Japanese maples were definitely on their way. I went to Kinkakuji, the golden temple, for the first time...and the red and orange leaves added a beautiful contrast to the green trees and gold temple.

Nichijyo Nihon 2

I know what you're thinking...classic American soda taste + yogurt = huh?
Before you say "god those Japanese are crazy" think again.
The thing is, this soda tastes nothing like Pepsi or like yogurt. Anyone who has tasted one of many Japanese "sodas" can vouch - these are clear carbonated drinks, akin to cream soda and ginger ale...usually called "ramune."
Anyway, Pepsi white basically tastes like a smooth ramune. Sorry, it's hard to describe.
Check out the Sangaria Company's US site for more Ramune fun.
Also, check out this top ten list of weird Japanese drinks and the follow up list of even more weird Japanese drinks.
My take: Pepsi Blue Hawaii was okay, but I won't be trying Bilk any time soon...

Bunkasai

First off, thanks to Justin for making the best avatar ever (see left...) Woot for being Warhol-ified!

Perfection - This year's culture festival went well. I made a video with the English club (which is unfortunately too large to post on here...)
I'm sure I've mentioned before how the Japanese seem to pick a thing, their thing, hobby, and once it is chosen, damn if they don't do that one thing to perfection. I've had many people ask me about my interest. What is my thing? I don't know, I have many things that I'm descent at, but no one thing that I focus all of my attention on.
Anyway, I think it is this attitude, tied with the group-focus here, that creates sights such as my school's chorus competition. Now I know that at some not-so-great schools, the chorus competition can be a drag, students goof off, and god forbid they put their heart into their singing. I think of a musical my class had to do in 7th grade, a medley of 50s, 60s, and 70s pop hits, and god knows I tried to hide and open my mouth as minimally as possible to avoid complete humiliation.
These kids, however, feel compelled to give their all, as they are in competition with the other homerooms of the same grade.

Here are some of my student's drawings. She is 14 or 15 years old...



And some pictures from the Fureai Festival, the day after Bunkasai...
Miyamoto-kun making mitarashi dango

Playing shogi (who wants to teach me?!)

And a beatiful plate of sashimi I got at the post-bunkasai party...

A few weeks ago, I went for a weekend trip to Mie Prefecture, southeast of Osaka.

First stop – Isejingu, what is considered to be the most revered shrine in Japan. I was forewarned that tourists cannot enter the main shrine complex, but instead have to crane their necks over fences, or peek through the slots to get a glimpse of anything on the inside. Nevertheless, the whole city of Ise is alive with the history of the shrine and it was an enjoyable visit in spite of not being able to see much of the buildings themselves. The entire area leading up the shrine is a pseudo-Colonial Williamsburg – buildings are kept in the Edo period style, with dark wood and cobbled walking streets. A myriad of traditional Japanese snacks and goods are sold along the way, keeping up the tradition of merchants who thrive from pilgrim route trade.


The first guy is making ink (mom and dad told me they saw this same thing on a tv show at home about Japan...) and the second place is a fish market where people lined around to get a free sample of freshly grilled fish (me included).

What one can see of the shrine is beautiful in its simplicity. Many shrines are often painted with bright reds and greens, what I think has been passed on from Chinese or Korean tradition. But Isejingu is kept in unfinished wood. The top spires of each building are painted gold, which provide a nice contrast to the earthy woods and surrounding conifers. Even though no one can enter the shrine (save what must have been an incredibly wealthy family holding a wedding there, along with Shinto priests of course), that doesn’t stop many Japanese from visiting the shrine each day.

After visiting Ise, I went to Futami, a seaside town just a few train stops away from Ise. As soon as Justin and I arrived, we headed straight for the oceanfront. Futami, a small, old tourist town, is home to Meoto-iwa, the “wedded rocks.” This shrine area consists of a seaside temple, complete with countless renderings of kaeru, frogs, what must be the shrine’s protective animal. The wedded rocks are two large boulders in the ocean tied together by a thick rope.
We stayed in a hostel that was actually run by the caretaker of a hillside temple. Tucked away on a hillside forest, the hostel, though basic and bare, was quiet and cheap.


Both to and from Mie, we took the longer train route. Though it was more troublesome to worry about making the right connection times, we went through a lot of beautiful countryside. There were a few small train lines that literally clinged to the sides of hills, passing alongside rather than tunneling through mountains. Additionally, taking this route allowed us to go straight through Ueno City, where we stopped on our way home.


Ueno is mainly known for its humble castle and for being home to the Iga Ninja clan, which, along with Shiga prefecture’s Kaga clan, is one of the most famous ninja schools in Japan.
 
So, of course, we bought into this ninja business (I found myself saying, “hey, am I really ever going to go to a ninja museum ever again?”) and went to the reproduction ninja house and museum. The house was a little kitchy, with our tour guide, donning a pink ninja robes (unfortunately sans face mask), demonstrated the secret features of the house. The museum offered a lot of interesting information (as well as a great photo-op)..for example, did you know that if a ninja had to remember something very important, he may injure himself upon hearing the information to ensure he would remember it? Also, ninjas used dyed rice to make color patterns to leave messages for other ninjas. And, ninjas often used Ueno City’s own ninja train (seen here) to get around the city. Well…


All in all, we had a nice weekend and I’ll be looking forward to the next trip out. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make it somewhere before the weather gets cold again!