adventures in ibaraki

good news: it's fall again

2009-10-22T22:59:00.008+09:00

I seem to have gotten out of the habit of updating my blog at some point. Life here has just gotten better and better, if you can believe that. I've gotten to do and see more incredible things than I ever expected to in my whole life. I am content.

Sailboat on Lake Kasumigaura in Tsuchiura. I went on a 50 minutes cruise around the lake and saw some of these up close.

My friends and I climbed Mt. Tsukuba early one morning (around 3am) and saw the sunrise. It was a wonderful and ridiculously tiring experience. I think we made it to the top around 6am, but we spent the remainder of the morning wandering around and back down Tsukuba-san. These people are precious to me.

a whole year

2009-08-23T09:03:00.023+09:00

These are pictures from the Kirala Festival in Tsuchiura earlier this month. I had a good time eating and drinking and watching the big parade with friends.

This week, I've been in Japan for one year. I started training for my job at this time last year with absolutely no idea how awesome the year was going to be.

Last week, I went to three cities in China! for the week-long Japanese summer holiday, Obon. I'll post more pictures from that trip soon!

sisterly love

2009-08-06T22:46:00.015+09:00

Katie came to Japan and stayed for a week in July. We had a really good time sightseeing and talking, hanging out with friends, and doing most of the things I normally do each week. I was sad that I couldn't take more time off work to hang out, but she did a really good job of finding her way around the Tokyo area while I was working. She even met a random (and possibly slightly creepy) Japanese fellow one night while I was at work and had some dinner with him. I was pretty impressed. I was really glad that Kate got to meet most of my good friends and experience what my life is like here. That meant a lot to me!

Here are just a few pictures. The picture at the top is at O'arai Beach in northern Ibaraki. We went to Fukuroda Waterfalls (also above) one day with our friends Megumi and Abie, and then we stopped by the beach in Hitachi-naka and stuck our feet in the ocean for a few minutes.

Kate and I ate Japanese sweets for breakfast one day. A mango parfait, sweet red beans and mochi (rice cakes) with ice cream, and pancakes. We decided it was the best breakfast ever. My sister is one of the only people who could possibly appreciate this kind of food as much as I do.

This was on our day-trip to Kamakura. These cute little guys were everywhere. There were lots of hydrangeas too. I'm not an excellent tour guide so I got us a little lost, but we saw Hasedera Temple and the big ol' Daibutsu (sitting Buddha).

I'll be so happy to see my sista again in December. :D

humid & happy

2009-08-02T00:42:00.019+09:00

There's always something going on here in Tsuchiura. I want to share more of my life on here, but whenever I finally get a chance to write, it's so hard to pick the highlights. Every day, something noteworthy goes on. I can't even explain how lucky I am. Katie visited me a few weeks ago so I'll be posting pictures from her visit very soon. It's hot and humid here. This is not entirely surprising given that the country is an island. I must still mention that it is indeed humid here. My calendar has curled off the wall on both sides. I can't decide whether that is impressive enough to take a picture of, but for now I'm going to say that, no, it's not, relatively speaking.

Since I've been in Tsuchiura, the train station has been just a train station. But last week, the station mall, which I didn't even really know existed before, re-opened right inside and by the train station. It is marvelous. There are lots of stores inside including clothing stores (with some clothes that fit my big American self!), an Excelsior Cafe (a real coffee shop!!), a bakery, and an international food store. Not to mention the cute "perch" icon written everywhere and the cute birds perching on the perches all over the perch shopping center. It's all new and makes the once quiet (and still quite quiet) Tsuchiura seem like a happenin' place. I love Tsuchiura, happenin' or not, but I do enjoy having options and places to go on my lunch break at work.

These are two of my good friends-Maiko and Nao. Maiko is my brilliant anesthesiologist friend who ran the 10 mile race with me, and Nao is brilliant teacher friend I work with and hang out with all the time. My everyday hang-out buddy, if you will. I've lost count of how many times we've done karaoke all night. This is the town singer. I can't remember his name, but he's everywhere. He plays at restaurants and festivals and at least once a week at the train station. He has an extremely impressive voice.

This is the inside of my regular Wednesday night hang-out place. It's right between work and my apartment (about a 3 minute walk from work), and sometimes there's live music on Wednesdays. It's a really small, organic, vegetarian, and slightly hippy restaurant. I also take yoga lessons here sometimes when there are not bands playing or people eating. This is one of my homes here.This is the owner, Haru san. He's one of the funniest, most loving people I've ever met. He's a really good cook and teacher too.

And this is his adorable little baby, Rin. And Koto san, the best guitarist (and guitar teacher) in the city, is holding him.

And this is my second almost-weekly hangout. It's an Indian restaurant a few minutes away from my work (and Tsuchiura station). The owner is from Sri Lanka, and these guys in the picture (on the left and right) are from Nepal. The one in the middle is a soccer player on the Ibaraki soccer team. Yep, I know someone famous.

Fields of yummy things. Possibly lotus root. Beautiful. This is what I get to see every time I go running. Hydrangeas were everywhere in June when it rained almost every day. There were huge bushes of them on the sides of roads. I've never seen naturally growing hydrangeas like these. Have you?

another texan in 日本

2009-06-13T01:54:00.010+09:00

I was lucky enough to have not only one but two amazing friends visit me in the same month. Stephanie came the week after Claire, and we had a really great time. She, too, endured the 17+(maybe plus a lot more) hour indirect flight to Tokyo along with all the bonus swine flu checks. She even showed up in Tsuchiura without any assistance because I had to work on the night she came. She's a smart cookie. A Master's degree will make you brilliant and resourceful, and she is now an experienced world traveler. Impressive. The 土浦 Health Center kept calling me to inquire about her health status, and I assured them in very broken Japanese that she did not have influenza of any sort.

Above is Steph pretending to be Buddha. And behind her is Buddha, the Ushiku Daibutsu 牛久大仏. It's the biggest statue in the world according to the Guiness Book sign posted on the inside of the Buddha, which we were fortunate enough to ride an elevator up to the top of (inside).

This was a really nice park near Tokyo Station.

At Asakusa Temple. We bonded with this guy, and he gave us some unsolicited information about all that is Japan. He got a chance to practice his English. He really enjoyed the phrase "On the other hand..." and used it appropriately in conversation at least 10 times during our 10 minute conversation, which might not be appropriate.One of the most popular Kaiten Sushi restaurants in Asakusa, according to the rickshaw driver. It was delicious, and Stephanie bravely tried a surprising amount of raw fish and other strange and wonderful foods. We even went to a friend's birthday party at a cute little bar near Tsuchiura station. Good times. I am a lucky person to have such great friends. Thanks for coming, Steph!!!

claire

2009-06-13T01:06:00.015+09:00

This is at least a month overdue, but I will post anyway. During the second half of Golden week, my favorite person on Planet Earth, Claire, flew millions of miles to visit me. I still cannot believe she came all the way to Japan. She was only here 3 days, but we had such a good time, and it was so so good to see her after many months of not. She arrived around the beginning of the swine flu craziness but managed to make it through the 17+ hour flight and quarantine process with impressive amounts of energy. I learned at the airport that it is quite difficult for some Japanese people to announce foreign names over the loudspeaker. Syllables were added, "l"s and "r"s confused. Luckily, we were able to reunite, despite the painful (and slightly comedic) attempts. Thank God for her. I do.

The first picture at the top is of Claire with a piece of paper from a temple with her fortune on it. She had a good one and was pretty pumped. The future is looking bright for Meadezies! The second pic is on good old RingRing Road.

We visited Kamakura with friends and got to see Buddha, the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and some pretty temples.

There were a LOT of people in Tokyo and in Kamakura that week. It was scary. At one point, we were jammed into the train and couldn't breathe (or stop laughing for that matter). This was the first night when Claire got to Tsuchiura, and I made her eat at an いざかや and try various types of Japanese food, which she may or may not have been in the mood for but happily accepted anyway. I love her so much.

golden week

2009-06-03T01:34:00.022+09:00

During Golden Week (a national holiday from the end of April to the beginning of May), some friends and I went to the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe) for three short but very fun days. It was hard to choose just a few pictures from all the ones I took to post on here. They're all out of order and really poorly laid out, but I have taken way longer than intended trying to make them look acceptable so now I'm going to post them with the knowledge that they're not. Also, I didn't really take many good pictures in Osaka since we weren't there for very long so all of these pictures are from Kyoto and Kobe.

The picture above is きんかくじ Kinkakuji, The Golden Temple in Kyoto.

To the left is Nao and me in Kobe's China Town.

Below/to the left is Shaun, Mike and me on a boat ride around the harbor in Kobe.

Somehow, this is one of the only pictures I took in Osaka. It is not so impressive. The city was really brightly lit and really crowded.

Kyoto is famous for Matcha (Green Tea). We tried green tea and a Japanese dessert at The Golden Temple. おいしかたですね。We also ate lots of other Matcha desserts. We ate big Matcha parfaits at a parfait shop in Gion. Mmm.

This is Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. 伏見稲荷 <--This may or may not be correct. It is more likely incorrect. There are long "tori" archways up the mountain so we took a little hike and saw lots of these and temples/shrines along the way up.

My former Manager, Yuriko, and her friend were also in Kyoto the same time we were so we met them for dinner in Gion. We ate at a small restaurant at a really small shelf-like table against the wall. It was interesting and of course delicious.

This picture and the next two are of a really pretty river in Kyoto. I forget the name, but we stopped there and ate at a tiny restaurant along the river. The tempura was really good, and the view was awesome.

These are my friends: Shaun, Mike, and Nao. They were good travel buddies.

Kyoto

Kobe - There was a big earthquake there about ten? years ago that did a great deal of damage, but the it's a really beautiful place now. We went on a boat ride and a ropeway ride up a mountain, where we saw a pretty garden and greenhouse. We also tried Kobe beef, which I'm sure I would have been extremely impressed by if I was a big steak fan. :D It was good.

kasumigaura marathon

2009-04-19T19:29:00.014+09:00

Now that I've experienced all the seasons in Japan, Spring and Fall are officially my favorites. I think it's safe to say they would be my favorites in any place, but the colors and types of trees and flowers here really make it unique. The cherry blossoms are all gone now, and green leaves have taken the place of the pinkness. I miss the cherry blossom trees and had never seen anything quite like them before. It's starting to get warm outside, and I am hoping that summer takes its time getting here because I am not ready to experience the heat and 100% humidity quite yet.

Today, I ran my first 10 mile race in the Kasumigaura Marathon. This race was held close to the station and not far from my apartment, near Lake Kasumigaura. There were over 20,000 participants in the race. It is an internationally known race for blind runners so there were lots of blind people running with partners. I finished the race in an hour and 42ish minutes, thanks only to all the encouragement and excitement around me. There were little kids and old people yelling "ganba re" (you can do it!) the whole way. There were also little performances which kept me extremely entertained. There was a high school band and cheerleaders, a few traditional Japanese musical happenings, a random man playing some kind of flute-like instrument and wearing tights..., fireworks, and I've already forgotten what else. I wish I'd had my camera with me. I ran part of the way with a friend (an AEON student with whom I'd decided to run the race a few months ago), and I also saw a few other students after the race. The course went through our city, up a lot of hilly roads, and through little neighborhoods and wooded areas. I am sunburned and will most likely be sore tomorrow, but that might have been one of the best experiences of my life.

fukushima

2009-04-19T17:58:00.015+09:00

I visited Fukushima city last weekend (in Fukushima prefecture). My friend Susan is working there now. It's a couple hours north of Tsuchiura by bullet train. We went to Hanamiyama, a pretty place with a mountain full of colorful cherry blossom trees, which I didn't know existed until we went there. We stayed at a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese-style hotel) in Iizaka, which is a nice hot spring town.

Amazing dinner. All of this food is for one person. Lots of tiny dishes with beautiful looking, wonderful tasting food.

Keiko and Susan at dinner. We got to wear a yukata (a lighter version of a kimono) at the ryokan.

Hanamiyama

sakura and o-hanami

2009-04-08T00:24:00.012+09:00

Cherry blossom season has arrived! I've been in Tokyo the last couple weekends to see the trees in bloom (they bloom a little earlier in Tokyo than in Ibaraki). Millions of other people were right there with me. It was extremely crowded, but somehow it didn't really matter because I was so distracted by the beauty of the Sakura trees. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. And the "O-hanami" tradition is pretty fun. People gather together in groups to drink alcohol and eat snacks under the trees. The weather has been perfect lately too, which just makes it all that much more wonderful.

Ueno Park

This is a shrine surrounded by Sakura that Kayla and I stumbled upon in Omote Sando. Kayla (from Austin) was in Tokyo for a day on her way back from Singapore and Malaysia for work, and I got to see her for a few hours. We had just enough time to walk around, get a little lost, and do just a tiny bit of karaoke. It was fun!

more of Ueno Park

in Tsuchiura along the Sakura River

springing forward

2009-03-13T00:09:00.010+09:00

A couple weeks ago, Mike and I went with two of our students to Kairakuen, a park near Mito (an hour north of Tsuchiura) that has really pretty plum (ume) blossom trees from late February to early March. We had a good time and saw a bunch of gorgeous flowers in bloom. The cherry blossom (sakura) trees will be blooming soon too so I'm looking forward to that. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we went to the park. Luckily, Mike had his so I've stolen his pictures and posted them below.

Bamboo forests are amazing. Apparently they stay cool in the summer and are some of the safest places to be in the event of an earthquake because of their strong roots. If ever there's a big earthquake, I'll probably hop on the train and head to Kairakuen. ^_^

We said "cheezu" with the lovely kimono-wearing ladies who stand at the park all day.

a visit from mr. ed

2009-03-08T17:59:00.012+09:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Eddie came to Japan for work, and he gave me a ridiculously thorough tour of Tokyo and the surrounding area including Tsukiji, Nokogiriyama, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Jyugauoka, Ebisu, and probably some other places I'm forgetting. I feel enlightened to say the least. Below are some pictures, and you can see more pictures here, as I can't seem to fit enough pictures on the blog to do the tour justice.

Tsukiji Fish Market - We got there around 6am, and I felt really in the way of everyone who was trying to do their job (carry fish, cut fish, sell fish, etc.). The market was way bigger than I expected, and I left smelling very fishy and not really wanting to eat sushi for breakfast. So we had McDonalds instead.

This actually looks no more appetizing now than it did at 6am. However, I have tried tako-yaki (the grilled octopus balls I mentioned in my first or second post) again, and I have decided that it is edible and possibly even good if eaten in the right place and time. Never thought I'd be able to say that. The Emperor's Palace. We couldn't see it up close, but it looked pretty impressive even from far away.

Ed + cow bread on the ferry

The big sitting Daibutsu (Buddha) on the mountain at Nokogiriyama. It was a nice little hike up after both a ferry ride across the bay and a ropeway ride up the mountain. I've been on more ropeways up mountains in Japan than ever before.This hawk was sitting right in the middle of the cup in Buddha's hands. Then, he left and circled our heads. Slightly scary. A pretty sunset on the ferry ride back. This is a cool place to visit if you get a chance.

hiroshima

2009-02-22T00:13:00.015+09:00

I flew to Hiroshima with my friend Christina a couple weeks ago. Wednesday was a holiday so I took a couple other days off, and I was able to spend some time exploring the city and some beautiful surrounding cities. Christina was a really good travel buddy. She was amazingly helpful with her Japanese skills, and she booked the flight and took care of all the accommodation details. I had a really good time! Above is the famous torii gate in Miyajima. We were also able to see this and actually walk up to it during low tide.

Miyajima. There are lots of little shops and booths, and the city is famous for momiji manju (little leaf-shaped cakes filled with different flavored fillings).

Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni. Apparently, it's one of the 3 famous bridges in Japan, and it is quite impressive looking. It reminds me a little of the Texas Giant at Six Flags.

A-Bomb Dome. The bomb was dropped basically right above this dome so somehow most of it was preserved while almost everything else in the city was completely destroyed. They decided to leave the dome the way it was as a reminder of what happened and also as a reminder of the need for peace. After the devastation in Hiroshima, the city became a symbol of peace. The Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park are really worth visiting too. To me, the city is a really sad place but also a place of a lot of hope.

Hiroshima castle. It was rebuilt in the 1950s I believe, and there's basically a whole museum inside with lots of military equipment from when the city used to be a big military city.

We also had all the famous Hiroshima food (Okonomiyaki, eel and oysters, Iwakuni zushi, and lots of yummy sweets), went to an art museum with a Japanese garden that had plum blossoms, rode the street cars (kind of like trolleys) to get from place to place, and stayed in some really nice (and nicely priced) hotels. I'm so glad I could take this trip. It's definitely a place you should visit if you have the opportunity.

More Pictures from Hiroshima

a thousand dreams in oven

2009-01-15T23:30:00.018+09:00

This little bit of Engrish was on the bag that held another bag that held my cup of coffee last week in Tokyo. When you order coffee to go, it comes in a bag. All the cafes (including Starbucks) do a really good job packaging things to make them extremely bike basket-friendly and even more eco-unfriendly. I'm just saying packaging materials are used in abundance here...unlike in alden times.

This big piece of bread is proof that you can put a smiley face on any object, usually one with small dot eyes and a tiny mouth, and it will automatically become the cutest thing ever. Many things are appointed a smiley face. On the back of my pancake mix, the frying pan, the measuring cup of milk, and the egg all have cute faces on the directions. I might have already mentioned this a few times because I think it's rather fascinating.

This was the sumo tournament I went to last weekend in Ryogoku. It was amazing! I sat in a box on the floor with three other people and watched the matches, one after another. We went on opening day so it was sold out. I was so lucky to be able to see this and to have Japanese friends who explained some things to me so I wasn't completely clueless. Afterwards, I had a really good dinner with these kind souls to the upper right. Sumo is a really big deal in Japan, and the wrestlers are really well known by most people here. The matches are very short, and the majority of the match time is spent with the players trying to intimidate each other by throwing sand in the air and lifting their legs up to the side (as seen in the picture above). It's so much more interesting watching this in person than on TV. I'd definitely recommend going sometime if you can!

two thousand and NINE?

2009-01-06T23:16:00.012+09:00

It really is the year 2009.

These are some of my New Years Resolutions:

-to be cleaner and more organized (since it's become quite apparent that I am a complete slob in this tiny place)

-to learn Japanese - enough to at least have something that resembles an actual conversation with someone

-to learn to love those I don't love completely

-to start jogging and maybe run a half marathon

-to read more

-to complain less

These are just a few obvious ones.

Above is a picture of my new favorite place in Tsuchiura. Near Kasumigaura Lake is this huge windmill and a park that surrounds it. This is a beautiful place; I was amazed. When I went the other day just to sit and people watch (and draw, which I actually have no skills for but attempted anyway), I saw people flying kites and playing different sports. There were two kids in particular who I was watching play with their dad for over an hour without any arguing whatsoever. They were laughing and smiling the whole time and being loud and cute. I was impressed. At one point, their tennis ball flew over to my feet, and I was afraid the dad would see the picture I had so stalkerishly drawn of them. But he didn't. Safe!

However, I also discovered this week that not 100% of Japanese people are as peaceful and kind as I assumed they all were after my creepy stare fest. Here is a morsel of proof. Last night, I was reprimanded in English by a Japanese woman who thought I was trying to get a discount by ordering chicken curry at her Indian restaurant. Chicken curry, my friends, is clearly only offered in the afternoon, and please please don't make the mistake of ordering it at night time or you too will be scolded. I also learned not to try to make small talk with someone after they reprimand you. I almost want to add "become a vegetarian" to my New Year's Resolutions after that.

To the right is a New Year's decoration that's commonly seen on peoples' front doors in Japan. I forget what they're called. New Years is a pretty big deal here, and it's celebrated on January 1st as it is in America. People

make omochi and go to shrines, and while I didn't get to do either of those things, I thought this decoration was pretty enough to buy.

I really enjoyed my one week of winter vacation. It was the first chance I had gotten to take as many day trips as I wanted and run all the necessary and unnecessary errands I'd been wanting to run since I got here. Now I feel like I am officially a resident of the Ibaraki prefecture. The only thing that reminds me that I'm not fully Japanese is the (humongous) language barrier.

The next picture is of my newly IKEA'd out room. I was able to get myself there to buy all the lovely things (including 3 baby cacti!) that make a house a home. Or a room an apartment. Or something. And I posted more pictures on Facebook of everything if you're interested in looking at them at some point. I'm sorry I can't stick to one website when posting pictures.

Also, before I forget, I really need to post about the Fish Doctor. A few weeks ago, my coworker Susan and I went to the sento (public bath) and saw these fish in the main area (where there is also a restaurant I might add). The fish are in a tank, and their purpose in life (because we all have one) is to eat all the dead skin off your feet. It sounds gross, I know, but we decided to be brave and try it. I cannot describe how disgusting this was or how weird it

felt, but I can post a picture that will probably disgust yo

u. Actually, this picture is the only one I could find on google images that doesn't make me want to throw up, but if you want to see what it's really like, please search google on your own, but remember that I warned you. All this to say that I enjoy trying new things, but some things I can promise you I'll only do once in my life! Xoxo.

happy christmas!

2008-12-18T23:58:00.015+09:00

While Christmas Day is not recognized as a national holiday in Japan, the month of December definitely does not shy away from Santa Claus, Christmas trees, light displays, and snowmen (though snowmen here are only made using 2 balls of snow which has brought up an excellent question about why we use 3). Anyway, "Happy Christmas" is written in many places around town, and every store sells Christmas cakes. These cakes are very popular, and they're not cheap. If anyone in Japan celebrates Christmas on the actual holiday, they probably buy some KFC and a Christmas cake and cozy up under their kotatsu.

I decked out my apartment with a 10-inch tree and lights for a total of 200yen (about $2.00). There's an illumination display in Tokyo that I got to see last weekend, and Tsuchiura has its own version of Christmas lights. They're more like Nightmare Before Christmas lights though ...and there's an equally scary display of lights strung every which way on a tree in front of Mister Donut. Mister Donut is a very happy place. This is their holiday donut treat. I don't know what it is, but soon I'm going to eat it to resolve my curiosity. They have possibly the cutest advertising campaign ever.

I'm looking forward to winter break (from De

cember 28th to Jan 5th) so very much. I think it helps that I'll be working on Christmas Day so that I don't end up dwelling on how much I'd rather be home with family! Although the truth, of course, is that I would. Next week, I get to teach a class all about Christmas complete with American Christmas trivia, cookies, movie clips, and a craft of some sort. So I'm looking forward to teaching (but not planning) that. :D

Did I mention how blessed I have been here the last 4 months? I have been so blessed by many friendships and lots of support here and back home. Happy Merry Christmas. Love you all!

new findings

2008-11-20T09:14:00.015+09:00

Click here for more November pictures :)

This is the oatmeal that has recently arrived in stores for the winter in Japan. At first, I thought the mushrooms shown in the picture were included in the box so I didn't want anything to do with it, but I've just found out that the small box doesn't, in fact, include mushrooms. I can now enjoy my favorite food any time I want. Thank you to those who have spent your life savings in shipping to sustain me in the meantime. Now I know that I can just go to the rice section (duh) of the grocery store and find oatmeal without mushrooms.

I have a newfound love for downloading tv shows (especially The Office) and podcasts from itunes and putting them on my tiny ipod nano. These are especially handy when making long trips on trains. Also, you can also use itunes' (free!) podcasts to learn any language.

A couple weeks ago, I started a cooking class here. It will probably be for just a month unless I decide to continue, but I've already learned how to make some delicious things. We've made inari zushi and another sushi using kiku (edible flowers that are only ok to eat for a very limited time in the fall season). Last weekend was a special Christmas holiday meal, which was not actually so Christmas-y. It was, however, very tasty - a Chinese chicken salad, meatball soup, baguettes with different spreads, and pineapple cheesecake.

The cooking instructor speaks English well and used to work as a manager and head teacher at my school years ago. She and her husband were nice enough to drive Susan and me to Mount Tsukuba "Tsukuba San" last weekend. The weather was a little foggy and rainy, but we were still able to see some really pretty colors from the top. In the future, I'd like to hike it!

This is a picture from Tori no Ichi, a festival held in Tokyo every year. I went over the weekend and got to see all the rakes that are decorated and displayed for sale in hundreds of booths. They are supposed to bring good luck and good fortune (raking in big $), but ironically, they are too expensive for many to afford. They are really beautifully made though. They sort of remind me of the mums/garters we made in high school for homecoming. It was very crowded but well worth the crowds just to see what it was all about.

growing accustomed

2008-11-06T00:58:00.007+09:00

"Bento Corner" is the name of a blog where a mom posts pictures of the bento lunches she makes for her kids. It must be kind of a common trend based on the number of seaweed cut-out/punch-out tools I see in stores. This might seem ridiculous, but you have to admit that it's the cutest thing you've ever seen. When I buy lunch in the grocery store, it's just as neatly made as these but unfortunately doesn't usually include faces. Also, I was never a huge rice fan before coming to Japan, but I now crave it at every meal.

I've been here for two and a half months! I think I've gotten used to everything strange/different here. Things I once found really surprising are not so strange anymore. Here are some examples I can think of:

I might have mentioned that the vending machines are ubiquitous (not sure if I can use that word, but I'm going to), and they sell cigarettes and hot drinks in cans in the winter. And corn soup! And I forget whether I've said this, but corn is a common topping on pizza. And pizza is expensive (like $30 for a small one) but delicious.

I felt an earthquake the other day while talking to my momma on skype, but all was well, and I went to sleep soundly a few minutes later.

I have come to the realization that I cannot buy shoes, and I can only buy certain types of clothes in this city because they only make things up to size M, and their size M is a Japanese person M (probably an American S). I've gotten used to getting stared at like a freak. It's as if I'm the only one dressed up for Halloween (which I was the other day) all the time. The fashion is more normal to me now - Flannel is really in right now for girls, and everyone has really cute boots; if not boots, then heels always. And they also wear knee high tights with skirts...I don't quite get that, but I do have some flannel and am looking for boots.

I'm completely used to the cars driving on the left side of the street now and the slurping of noodles in public. I can't say I'm an expert at this yet, but I'm slowly improving my slurping skills for fear of being perceived as rude for lack of slurping. Starbucks sizes are tall, short, and shorter or something like that. I've learned to order short to blend in.

A couple hours ago, after watching Obama's acceptance speech online (yay!), I turned on the TV and happened to catch a show where two men were playing a game. Someone put pantyhose on both of their heads and then tied them together and made them run away from each other, which made their faces smush up. And now "My baby takes the morning train" is playing in the background of a winery tour.

I miss you, friends. Xoxo.

nikko

2008-10-22T01:00:00.012+09:00

click here to see more pictures

Hello! I'll finally update beginning with my trip to Nikko this past weekend (Sunday and Monday for me). I wrote a post last week, but I accidentally deleted it so maybe I'll go back and re-write it at some point.

Nikko is a beautiful city to visit in the fall, and it's full of tourists so I guess everyone knows it's the place to be. The leaves on the trees have already started turning a million different shades of red, and the mountains looked amazing covered with them. I rode the train for 3.5 hrs there and met some friends (2 of the 3 strangers before the trip, friends now), two Aussie girls and one Canadian. They're sweet. One of the girls also lives in Tsuchiura and works at the other branch of my company which teaches kids. I'm so glad to know someone else in this city! It was really fun getting to spend time with them all.

On the train ride there, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life when I left my backpack on the train, which continued on even after I got off...It took a couple extra hours and the help of a very nice man and some less than very nice people to find it. Many lessons were learned during the course of this trip with the main one being the following: prepare to make idiotic mistakes because you will, and keep practicing Japanese because you'll need it.

And yet, the trip was still amazing. We visited temples and shrines, a garden, the Kegon Waterfalls, Chuzenji Lake where I rode in my very first swan boat. I also had my first onsen (public bath) experience and slept in my first hostel where I shared a very tiny dorm room and bunkbeds with 3 guys from Germany because I booked late...probably one of the more awkward experiences of my life. The weather in Nikko was a little chilly during the day and of course more so at night, but I was prepared with a big jacket.

I'm in awe of all the things I've seen and done here so far. More later. :)

no.2 - ishioka festival

2008-10-03T00:56:00.008+09:00

my co-workers (teachers-Susan and Genki and manager-Yuriko) at the Ishioka Festival :D

these kids were trying to win tiny turtles by scooping them up in styrofome dishes, but the task seemed nearly impossible to all who watched. poor kids. poor turtles.

picture update no. 1

2008-10-03T00:05:00.011+09:00

These are some pics from a couple weeks ago of my coworkers Emi and Susan (assistant manager and emergency teacher at my school). They have been my main sources of friendship, knowledge, and help since I've been here. We've done something fun every Sat. night since I've been in Tsuchiura. On this particular Sat. night, we went to an okonomiyake restaurant for Emi's birthday and made our own okonomiyake (like a big pancake made of a variety of different foods).

I bought a tasty snack at the store the other day. As I was looking up the name online because I couldn't figure out what I was eating, this is the closest description I found. And I liked the description so here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Taste: These snacks were shaped like pea pods, but they were actually not pea pods, but some sort of dough made primarily from peas, shaped to look like pea pods and baked. A first the taste was kind of salty, but it turned more and more into the taste of peas as we ate more. You definitely need a beverage with this snack. Our tasters like

d these.

Thanks for that, chip critics. Such insight.

This is the side of the huge store where I bought my bike and a variety of other things. Notice that it's called "Precious Outlet". I guess it's precious. Darling even!

a cute vw van/food stand outside the mall in tsukuba

MIShaps/adventures

2008-09-25T00:32:00.011+09:00

The emergency teacher at my school whom I've had the pleasure of pal-ing around with told me in regards to each experience I have here that I'll "either have a good time or have a good story." I have a few good stories so far.

This is a list of the most awkward/ridiculous experiences I've had so far in no particular order:

I knocked down an entire row of bikes and had to pick them up one by one.

I thought I was on the right bus back from Tsukuba to my city, but after 30 minutes or more, it became crystal clear that I was not. Mostly because I had made a complete circle and was back where I started. This was a sad and costly mistake.

Yesterday, when I was meeting up with someone in Tokyo, I was supposed to meet them at this famous dog statue in Shibuya. I was in a hurry so instead of looking around a few extra minutes, I asked a window clerk, "Inu wa doko desu ka?" (Where is the dog??) Luckily, I was pointed in the right direction as if that's a common and not at all ridiculous question.

I left my keys at a convenience store in the middle of the night one night. I went there to pay a bill, which is how you pay bills in Japan strangely enough. Also, it's safe to walk around at night in Japan which I'm still not used to. However, this could have been dangerous considering that I have no cell phone (still), no friends in the area (on that particular night), and no spare key.

I ordered food from a little outdoor stand/restaurant a few nights ago. I had a feeling I didn't want to eat tako (pronounced "taco" but NOT the same), but I soon found out this was all the little stand had to offer. The lady relaying my options (tako or tako ball) seemed so kind, and I could not bring myself to walk away. So I ordered tako. And like an idiot, I decided to eat there instead of taking my food to go. I saw a picture on the wall which confirmed my fear that tako was in fact some kind of octopus-looking creature chunked into tentacle-y pieces. So I ate octopus balls and grimaced . Horrific I tell you. But the only trash outside was for unburnable goods so I couldn't dispose of it and run away. Luckily, I think the nice lady could sense my pain and brought me a to-go box which I promptly disposed of as soon as I got home in the proper burnable and unburnable compartments.

tako ball. looks tasty enough, right?

incorrect. the contents of a tako ball. this picture makes it look a little more appetizing than it actually is.

On a scarier/more exciting note! I'm pretty sure I experienced my first earthquake a few days ago. It was early in the morning so I thought maybe I had dreamt it, but the earth was a-shaking, it was later confirmed. I have now been here over a month. How the time flies.

ring ring!

2008-09-17T01:22:00.007+09:00

These pics were all taken while in motion on "Tsukuba Rin Rin ro do" (tsukuba ring ring road :)). It's SO pretty, and you can see the mountains in the distance as you get farther away from Tsuchiura.

i love this one

a fellow rider

i don't know what this stuff is, but there's an abundance of it

the beginning of the trail

my humble abode

2008-09-16T23:42:00.004+09:00

my entire kitchen. it turns out a kitchen aid mixer is not essential after all, esp. when you don't have an oven :)

washing machine, bathroom sink, and kitchen (right), toilet room and shower/bathroom (left), trash with different compartments (left), and bedroom (straight) with a desk to the right and a closet and futon to the left that you can't see.

These are a couple pics of the shoebox I live in. I actually think it's kind of spacious for one person, although I've had to stretch my imagination to create storage space for certain things. For example, I have a small, 3 level shelf w/ wheels that goes in between my tiny fridge and my bathroom sink (which is only about 6 inches wide). That's where I keep all of my food. Also, keep in mind that everything I buy has to be either carried home or tied onto my bike w/ bungee cords. I'm not skilled at making things stay on the back of my bike so hopefully I will learn quickly.

In other news, work is going fairly well. I'm learning to go in early and stay late sometimes so I can make sure I'm ready to teach my classes. During the day, I teach small classes/private lessons with mainly women. A couple of the ladies are really advanced and take discussion classes, which I find enjoyable. In the evening, which makes up most of the classes, I've been teaching lots of business men and a few sweet high schoolers. So far, I love the students. Sometimes they seem really nervous or scared of me (and of speaking English) at first, but mostly they're really fun to teach and very easy to talk to. I have many different levels of students and about 10 different textbooks, but most of the classes have the same basic structure. There are just a couple books that are more ridiculous than you could possibly imagine. I'm not sure what the writers were thinking. No kids come to our school, which I've realized I'm really grateful for! I don't think I'd have the energy to run around and sing all day on top of everything else.

I've spent my mornings shopping, venturing out, sitting in Starbucks, and prepping for classes. I get home from work at 9:30 or 10 most nights. This weekend, I'm making it my goal to get to Tokyo!

a few pics

2008-09-09T10:43:00.006+09:00

these are some houses in my neighborhood this is a little waterway 5 mins from me

my beautiful, pink bike. love it with all my <3.

i'm still trying to get the hang of this. everything is in japanese. eventually i'll put some more pics up :)

first impressions

2008-09-08T21:09:00.003+09:00

Hi friends and family :D. I'm starting a blog because I know I probably won't be able to talk with you as often as I'd like. Hopefully, this one won't be as disheartening in content as xanga 2000.

I've made it through training and a week of work in Japan. My initial impressions can be summed up best with the following words and phrases:

humidity. bad hair (mine only). tiny people. tiny cars! small apartments. hot. narrow roads. good food. bikes w/ baskets! lots of walking. rain. futons. 100 yen stores. good bread. fabulous convenient stores. friendly folks. compact buildings. escalators galore. no english. crunchy clothes (no dryers). no dishwashers. no garbage disposals. clotheslines. balconies. weird tv. tea. drink bars w/ ice cream. karaoke regularly. sitting on floors. cute shoes for tiny feet. izakayas. delicious, expensive fruit. bike parking garages. suits. high school uniforms-britney spears style. fried foods. temples. bike trails. lack of cereal variety. iced coffee in a can. little storage space. separated trash (burnable and non). amazing service.

So far, I am loving it - much more than I thought I might! I feel challenged but also at peace. I can hardly understand anything that goes on around me. Maybe later on, I'll feel frustrated by this, but right now I'm intrigued because I feel like there's a greater chance that I'll eventually be able to communicate in another language. I now have a better understanding of how foreigners in America must feel. I have searched for things at the store and have not been able to find them because I don't know what the package looks like or because I don't know how to ask. My proudest moment of the week was finding and buying a bike. I found it at a "home center"- kind of like Home Depot/Wal Mart- that's about a 20 minute walk from my apartment. A cute, old man set it up for me. It came equipped with a basket, a bell, a light!, a lock attached to the bike, and a hardcore kickstand/back fender. Bikes in Japan come with a minimum of all these things. I'm not gonna lie, I am definitely having to re-learn how to ride a bike, and I feel like an idiot. An idiot in danger. I probably need to invest in a helmet and knee/elbow pads. Luckily, I'm not in Tokyo so I don't think I'll be killed :D.

I work with mostly sweet, sweet people. We karaoke'd the first night I was here, and my coworkers are planning a welcome party in a couple weeks. Teaching is a little intense, and I feel disorganized. I'm sure this will get better in time.

Sundays and Mondays are my days off. Yesterday, I ventured out into all that is Tsuchiura. Today, I did the same. I found a bike trail that goes on for 25km or something ridiculous. It goes through fields and past temple-like buildings (possibly temples?). I also found a park nearby that used to have a castle in it. Now there's a big empty spot where I assume the castle used to be. I explored the Ito Yokado (shopping center/mall) and exhausted the 100 yen and grocery stores. I don't think there's much of the city left to explore. Next, I plan to venture to Tsukuba, the neighboring and slightly larger city. I want to shop there and hike Mt. Tsukuba!!

My feet are scraped, blistered, and tired of heels and overuse. But I haven't paid a CENT for fuel! :)