Today was a bit slow at work, so I scanned some letters some of my students had given to me as part of a letter exchange. The letters are from second and third year students (the equivalent of American 8th and 9th graders). So far, only the girls have written me...the boys are too shy! But I am happy when any student tries to reach out and communicate :) Anyway, please enjoy!

( To see the letters, please click here! )

A little while ago, I was invited by my school's tea ceremony club, or sadou club, to participate in the Tsukimi tea ceremony at Keihi Shrine. Wait. Let's back up. From the beginning, what the hell is Tsukimi?

Tsukimi can be a lot of things, but they all refer to a full moon. In this case "Tsukimi (full moon) Matsuri (Festival)" is a quiet holiday normally in September or October which is celebrated by observing the moon. The Japanese believe that on the day of the Tsukimi Festival, the moon is the largest and brightest out of the whole year. Japanese typically celebrate by setting out "tsukimi dangou", or "moon dumplings". Beside these, they sit a palm or some type of grass to symbolize the fall harvest.





Tsukimi imagry is often of the moon dumplings and the grasses in a vase. However, a rabbit is also a prevalent symbol. This is because while westerners see "the man in the moon", the Japanese and other Asian cultures see "the moon rabbit". The moon rabbit is a formation of craters in the moon, which to the Japanese looks like a rabbit, pounding mochi (mochi is the material the moon dumplings are made of). The moon rabbit is prevalent in Japanese folklore, so it is common to see it on fabric prints and other household items (just another reason why things here are so cute)!





Another use of the word "tsukimi" is in cooking. Something is described as "tsukimi" style when it has a sunny side up egg on top of it. It is named this because the egg yolk resembles the full moon! Probably one of the most famous examples of this is McDonald's "Tsukimi Burger"! The Tsukimi Burger is a seasonal item available for only around one month and is a burger with....you guessed it....a sunny side up egg on top. Looks yummy, but I don't think I could tame it!


The Tsukimi Burger!

Now that the lesson is over (whew!)
On the night of Tsukimi Matsuri I went to the large shrine in my city to have tea and sweets at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was very beautiful. I did not take any photos, but here are some I found online that demonstrate what it was like:




It was really a wonderful night, and I was so happy to experience it. More than anything it was peaceful...and with things always being so hectic it was wonderful to sit back, relax and enjoy the full moon. :)

Hello and long time no post! In this post I will talk about Tsuruga Festival, which passed a little while ago, but it still fresh in my mind! Tsuruga festival is kind of a birthday celebration for the large shrine that is in my city (Kehi Shrine). Tsuruga festival is a carnival like street festival that lasts for around one week. On each day, they have a different activity. The large activities were a taiko concert, carrying "mikoshi", or Japanese shrines and floats, through the street, and a large parade. The type of food available at the festival was generally "on a stick". Some examples include takoyaki (octopus bread balls), fried chicken, okonomiyaki (omelet with cracked egg on top, smothered in fish flakes and on a stick!). There were also desserts, like cool pine (a pineapple slice on a stick) and crepes.

Japanese carnival games are a little different from American ones. There are some games that are the same, like "throw the ball and knock off the blocks. "Fish scooping" is a popular traditional Japanese game. In it, children take a ring filled with a sheet of rice paper. They scoop up as many gold fish as they can until the rice paper breaks. All of the fish the child manages to take they can take home! This game is made easier by playing with superballs or small toys instead of fish. Here is a short video showing how to play.



In addition to eating lots of yummy food, on the main Saturday of the festival, I dressed in a yukata! Yukata is a form of summer kimono worn by men and women for activities such as festivals and firework viewing. I learned how to wear my yukata (which actually took a very long time....maybe 2 hours!) and then enjoyed Tsuruga festival and the parade. Here are some photos from the Saturday that I wore a yukata!

( Please click here to see photos! )

Hello everyone from Shoryo!

I have about an hour to kill before my next lesson, so here is the low down on what is going on around here! School starts at around 8 am. In the morning, students have homeroom time and reading time. Then, there is “cleaning time”. In Japanese schools, there is no position of “janitor”. Instead the students take 30 minutes each morning and scrub the school themselves. The vice principal checks each area to see that it is properly cleaned and there is no dust. Japanese schools are very clean. Inside students and teachers wear special shoes meant only to be worn inside. This keeps mud and dirt out. Because students are responsible for their own mess, they are very clean and tidy.

Classes are 50 minutes long each. There is no cafeteria. Instead, large serving dishes are brought to each classroom and students serve themselves. School lasts until around 3:30, but most students do not leave school until around 6 or 6:30 because they are involved in club activities. Japanese club activities include things like baseball, school band, basketball, art club, tea ceremony, flower arranging, judo and sword fighting (kendo). Once a student signs up, practice is every day for long periods of time. Therefore, I think every Japanese student is very dedicated to bettering themselves.

Japanese students study very hard and I am very proud to be their English teacher. However, English is a very tricky language to master. The students only begin to learn English in a structured environment in middle school, and on top of that are very shy and afraid to express themselves in English sometimes. I am trying to think of activities that will interest the whole class, but it is difficult to keep everyone involved and interested. I am not sure if behavior of students is better here. Some students are very attentive, but a lot of students will talk in class. Also, a lot of students are asleep in class…maybe 1 student in every class will be asleep. I have heard that this is because of the really hard work students do here and the busy schedule. Depression is also a big problem among students though, and child suicide is, sadly, very common.

For lunch today there were scraps of beef that were boiled and a salad. I traded my beef with a male teacher and got a second salad. With every meal there is either rice or bread and a bottle of milk. Everyday I make sure to eat something for breakfast. Today I had a banana and toast with a slice of cheese on it (open face grilled cheese? I don’t know. It’s something I picked up on doing living in England). When I get off school, I stop in the convenience store outside of my house and buy a small container of orange juice and a snack. I then go to my house and cook dinner. Last night for dinner I had mixed vegetable yakisoba. The night before I had a small pizza from the grocery store (it wasn’t very good) and the night before I had salmon in a garlic, rosemary and lemon sauce and steamed carrots. I am not sure what I will cook tonight, but maybe I will go out and buy some more fish, as it is relatively cheap here.

These past few days I have been very very tired. I do not think I am depressed, but rather exhausted from starting school and the stress associated with it. The differences in school here are sometimes really startling. For example, today I taught a class after the students had physical education. They came into the classroom as I was setting up my projector and they started undressing down to their underwear and changing from the gym uniform back into school clothes in the classroom. I left the room really quickly, embarrassed, and asked one of the teachers walking by if it was ok for me to be there when the students change. He laughed at me, and said it was fine….it was very strange though. Ahhh, western shame!

Another thing that is interesting is that students are very touchy feely. They will often ask for me to bend down and show them my eyes, or to touch my hair. A lot of the time students will grab my arm or hug me. It is nice and no one has been rude, but it takes time to get used to it I think!

After school today I will do art club for a little, and then go home and sleep (I am so tired!) Thursday and Friday I am off school because there is a big festival in the city, so I am truly happy for that and intend on resting!

So I just got back this morning from my trip to climb Fuji and the English teaching seminar and contract signing. I am sorry to everyone who tried calling me, even though my phone was fully charged before I left, the roaming on the mountain killed the battery. But! I made it! Here is a brief synopsis of the climb and what the day(s) was(were) like.

At 9 am Alyza and I met and took the bus to the train station. Iker met us there and we took the train into Fukui city together. The slow train took about 1 hour and cost 950 yen, about $10. We got into the city around 10:40, and waited for the bus which left around 11:30. We were on the bus all day, hit some traffic, and finally got to level 5 of Mt. Fuji by about 9 pm. It was already a bit chilly at that altitude, and I am so happy that there were some extra mittens and scarves around to wear. In the rest stop, I bought some Snickers, peanuts, extra water and a head lamp and I was on my way up the mountain with the 20 or so other JETs trying it out. When we first started climbing, the view was of a temperate forest. But, once we reached around level 6 (there are 9 levels total) there were no more trees and the mountain was quite desolate and filled with volcanic rocks, which were very difficult to walk on.

Around level 7 some people in the group, including myself began to feel the effects of altitude sickness....which...is a horrible thing. The best way that I can describe it is if you were to step on a fish out of water. I was that fish. Continuing up the mountain, the terrain became more of rock climbing and also became more crowded because people were going slower. I really didn't mind too much though, because by that point, I was too ill to go more than 5 minutes without a break so a slow pace fit me best. I finished my climb with Justin and Lindsay, and we finally reached the summit at around 4:40 am.

The summit was terribly disappointing, the weather was terrible and there were sand storms filled with black volcanic dust that caked on your skin and clothes and flew in the eyes. I would estimate that it was around freezing temperature at the summit and that the wind gusts were between 30-40 mph. So, after working tirelessly for hours climbing that terrible mountain, and standing at the top realizing there was nothing there for me, I started my decent. The path down was much faster, but repetitive and very steep and hard to walk on. I fell three times and it took about 4-5 hours...

Overall, I can say that I have never been so happy to see a bus in my life as I was when I reached the bottom of Fuji. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. Maybe I would climb the mountain again if I was more prepared or in shape and if it was not so crowded. Being able to climb at my own pace would also be a plus. But I am happy that I did it. Here are a few photos that I did manage to take. Sorry that they are not any good!


( stairway to heaven? more like elevator to hell )

Yesterday Alyza and I took a bike ride to Mizushima! It was about a 10 mile ride up a few mountains on a winding road. To say the least, it was tiring, hot and difficult! Very scary, but afterwards I felt really good about going through with it. Then there was a ferry ride from the town to the island. The island was very small, but very beautiful with fine grain sand and clear water. It was like being in the South Seas. On the island, we sun bathed and snorkeled. It was wonderful. Snorkeling there were not too many fish, but I saw starfish, sand dollars, some small fish, one big flounder and a few jellyfish. It was lovely. I wasn't so exhausted today, so hopefully tomorrow I will be in good condition to climb Mt. Fuji! Wish me luck!


( Mizoshima )

Blackface is never funny. Why are you so politically incorrect and racist, Japan? =/

Over this past weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) the Japanese celebrated the Buddhist festival of Obon. Many people take off work and college students return to their family homes to celebrate this festival. While I do not know a whole lot about the festival, it has the same basic principals as the Mexican "Day of the Dead". It is a time when ancestors visit your home, and when you honor them by carrying out activities like going to the graveyard to clean the graves and pray and leaving offerings at temples. Offerings can be very simple, like a glass of water, or a bit more bizarre, like a magazine, beer or pack of cigarettes. On Friday, I went down to the beach for a bit and rode my bike around. At night, I met some people down by the beach and set off fireworks. Saturday, all of the JETs in the area got together on the beach and we had a cookout on the sand. I had yakisoba, grilled vegetables, a kebob and a piece of fish cooked in foil. We sat on the beach until late and watched the sun set.

Yesterday, I went down to the beach at around 2 and sat with my friends. I went swimming a lot, and managed to do a flip off the high diving board! (ouch!) It will be jellyfish season here soon, and too dangerous to swim, so I am really glad that I had a chance to swim some more before it hits. When it started to get dark, a festival called "Toro Nagashi" took place, which symbolizes the close of Obon. "Toro Nagashi" begins when people take paper lanterns that can be bought at the local gym and they set the lanterns afloat in the ocean. There are around 6,000 lanterns that are set afloat from Matsubara beach in Tsuruga. This act is supposed to symbolize sending the ancestors back to their resting place for another year. The crowd watches the lanterns float off into the distance as the sun goes down. Then, once the sun is down, there is a massive "hanabi" (fireworks) display! The fireworks were fired from two barges on the water, which were quite close. You could hear the echo of the fireworks throughout the mountains, it was very wonderful. As a grand finale, they launched some fireworks into the water. It was really fantastic. Afterwards, we met up with some more people from Fukui City and sat on the beach still late. We went night swimming, and just sat in the warm water until about midnight or one. It was fantastic.

Here is a video showing Sunday's Toro Nagashi festival, as well as a link to a Wikipedia article if you would like to know more:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dr%C5%8D_nagashi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Festival

Some photos and brief explanations!

( Read more )

From last Thursday till late Sunday night, I was in Kyoto! Here are some photos of my trip! Halfway through, my camera broke, so I only have a few and will have to wait for Alyza to update hers so I can borrow some!



( A few photos of Kyoto )

Sorry for the gap in posts! I have been super busy, so here is a brief little recap of what has been going on in my life. Monday, I had a meeting for the English camp that I had to instruct on Tuesday. After the meeting, I picked up some packages and my bank card from the bank and went home. I took a long bike ride, and enjoyed Turuga in the summertime! Tuesday, I went to the English camp from 8:30 am till about 4 pm.

The kids at the camp were all super "genki" (energetic) and it was really a good time. Their English speaking ability amazes me, and even though they are shy, they comprehend and respond to quite a bit. The types of activities we did were talking about hobbies and likes and dislikes, playing games like pictionary and scavenger hunt, and exchanging business cards (I don't know....Japanese people! haha...) Afterwards, I said bye to the kids and went out looking for elusive little boy gifts for Matt, Zach and Max. I got a few little things, hopefully it is ok.

Wednesday, I slept in till super late. In the evening, Lucia, a 2nd year JET, picked Alyza, Iker, Daniel and I up and took us to meet our host family, the Ikedas. Mrs. Ikeda is very nice and speaks very good English. They have a very big house up overlooking the city. We sat outside on the patio and ate and drank until midnight! A man named Arnold also came over to visit. He is French and works with Mr. Ikeda in the nuclear power plant. There are many young French who live and dop internships at the nuclear power plants in Turuga, so it is not very uncommon to see foreigners around, even though it is quite rural here. It was Arnold's birthday, so Mrs. Ikeda brought out a cake and we all sang. It was really fun ^^

Today I staid in and worked on some artwork. I wanted to take a bike ride, but it started to rain, so instead I walked to the stationary store and bought some watercolors so I can work a bit on art. I stopped in a used clothing store, and picked up this gem on the way:

The pine forest and beach are a 5 minute walk from my house. Yesterday, I had a meeting in my school in the morning for a few hours, went to get internet, and then went with my Alyza (I hope I spelled her name right!) Here are some photos of the pine tree forest and the beach!

( Pine tree forest and Matsubara beach )

On Friday morning I met my supervisor and before I knew it we were off, driving to Tsuruga. My supervisor's name is Yumiko Uetsuka. She works very hard to try and make life comfortable for me in Tsuruga, and I think she is very good at her job. I can only hope that she likes me too! ( Some photos I took from her car on the way to Tsuruga city )

Once we got to Tsuruga city, we went to apply for my alien registration card, bank account, and to sign my lease. Then, I went to my apartment. I took these photos the next day, after unpacking, but it is still a bit untidy!:
( Hanajiri Mansions )

Although my stay in Fukui city was really brief, here are some photos of what I was while I was there and not busy in orientation:
( Fukui city! )

Later, we met some existing JETS and some people in the area from different programs and had a cookout at night by the riverside. The food was so was amazing! The cooks worked so hard making everything, they worked until it was so late and the entire group was really full. Then we sat by the water and lit off fireworks. It was very peaceful, and actually was the first time I was full in Japan! The next morning I left for Tsuruga.


Cooking by the river in Fukui city

( one more photo of the city from under the bridge )

I am finally laying in the hotel bed in Fukui. The room is small, but I am here by myself so it is pretty relaxing. I am happy with the thought that I can sleep early tonight! Here are some pictures of Fukui city from my window in the hotel room:
( See more )

Also, here is a brief introduction to the Japanese toilet:


The Japanese toilet is a nifty little piece of technology. Every western-style toilet I have seen has has a remote control for it, offering a variety of "washing" functions. The fancier the toilet, the more functions it will have. Toilets in public places have options of playing music or a fake toilet flushing sound to mask the sound of using the bathroom, while the top notch toilets even emit scents if the user chooses. This is the toilet and remote in my little hotel room in Fukui:
( They do what??? )

It is about 7 am here, just finishing packing up and getting ready for the 8 hour bus ride out to Fukui. Last night I met up with Fumiko and, with a little difficulty, met up with Kei as well. We went out to get dinner and spent a long time talking; it was really nice.


Jetlag has been a little strange for me; the first few days I was here I was fine, but still I am only sleeping maybe 4-5 hours a night and waking up around 5 am naturally. During the day I am groggy, and my stomach hurts a bit. Hopefully when I finally have time to rest, I can take a day to sleep it off.

In Fukui, there are two theater groups and I have been asked if I know much about costume design. I think they would like for me to be involved. I have heard that Fukui has a very involved society of JETs and organizes a ton of fun activities and get togethers, so I am a bit excited. I am taking my camera with me on the bus ride, so next time that I have internet connection I will make sure to post some more photos of scenic Japan. Here are a few random photos for now!

( Photos! )

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I made it to Tokyo safe and sound! I have to be at orientation soon, but here's a little run through of what has happened so far:
-the flight was pleasant and not so long, about 13 hours. The in flight entertainment was kind of horrible though!
-bus ride to the hotel was nice
-walked around the Shinjuku area, the hotel is right in Shinjuku but I still managed to get terribly lost! I stopped in Shinjuku Closet Child and got a Milk leopard print skirt. Then I went to the new Marui, which is a bit smaller than the old one, and picked up some AP shoes. I think that will round up my shopping! haha (playing it conservative)

It's around 8:30 am now and orientation is all day, but tonight I may meet up with my friend Kei and get a beer or whatnot. Here are a few not-so-fantastic pictures, sorry for the rush post ^^

( see photos )

Thank you for coming to my journal and checking it out!  If you are a Livejournal member, please friend me.  If not, and you would just like to see what's new, please bookmark me!  While I haven't left for Japan yet, as soon as I do, you will know here!

Thanks again!

-Amanda