Driving through Shinshiro, I saw a TON of Japanese soldiers. Since the Japanese army is somewhat of an enigma to me, I grabbed my camera. One soldier held up a peace sign. It's not a great picture, but it was just weird enough for me.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
My brilliant kids
We learned parts of the face a few weeks ago. They didn't forget - we played a monster body parts game for Halloween, and they were brilliant, every last student. This group is first and second graders (they are combined in the smaller schools).
Note the nose-picking peace sign pose.
Note the nose-picking peace sign pose.
The Road to Nagura
Sometimes I feel overwhelming thanks for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place. It's so amazing that this is my home.
Since I haven't really talked about it, here's a list of times when I'm not thankful:
When I come across a clear-cut slope.
When I hear about all the adventures my city friends have.
When I'm sick to death of the few restaurants we have here.
When I just wish a restaurant would stay open past 7.
When someone announces what I bought at which store a few months ago, and I realize that I'm being scrutinized by everyone, but most of the townspeople have more tact.
But really, most of the time, I think I have it really good. I'm already sad knowing that my time in Shitara is limited. It's the kind of place where, even if I get lost, I am happy to just wander lost. I love my job. I love the kids, even if I still don't know most of their names. I love the translations I get to do for the delegation to Samoa. I love that I get to write the English version of speeches to be presented there to the Prime Minister. I love that I can run into my drunken amazing coworkers and encorporate them into my gaijin party. I love that I get a WHOLE page every month in which I can write whatever I want, and people are actually interested in reading it. I love setting up and taking down town events. I love that I'm going to help do PR for the rural areas of my prefecture by selling tomatoes and river fish in Nagoya next weekend.
That's all for tonight. More pictures next month (that's tomorrow!) and more stories of what's up soon. Happy Halloween and Daylight Savings weekend everyone. My clock didn't change, so now I am 14 hours different from the east coast.
Since I haven't really talked about it, here's a list of times when I'm not thankful:
When I come across a clear-cut slope.
When I hear about all the adventures my city friends have.
When I'm sick to death of the few restaurants we have here.
When I just wish a restaurant would stay open past 7.
When someone announces what I bought at which store a few months ago, and I realize that I'm being scrutinized by everyone, but most of the townspeople have more tact.
But really, most of the time, I think I have it really good. I'm already sad knowing that my time in Shitara is limited. It's the kind of place where, even if I get lost, I am happy to just wander lost. I love my job. I love the kids, even if I still don't know most of their names. I love the translations I get to do for the delegation to Samoa. I love that I get to write the English version of speeches to be presented there to the Prime Minister. I love that I can run into my drunken amazing coworkers and encorporate them into my gaijin party. I love that I get a WHOLE page every month in which I can write whatever I want, and people are actually interested in reading it. I love setting up and taking down town events. I love that I'm going to help do PR for the rural areas of my prefecture by selling tomatoes and river fish in Nagoya next weekend.
That's all for tonight. More pictures next month (that's tomorrow!) and more stories of what's up soon. Happy Halloween and Daylight Savings weekend everyone. My clock didn't change, so now I am 14 hours different from the east coast.
Sukkah
This is the sukkah I made. I know it might not look like much, but it sure took a lot of hard work!
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Sounds of the City
I have discovered a pleasure greater than sitting in the tub and reading the New Yorker or Believer magazines.
A combination of rediscovering internet radio and inheriting speakers has revealed unthinkable ecstacies:
I can now take my evening bath while listening to WFUV City Folk Morning.
Better than listening to it come in staticky for two minutes while throwing on my work clothes and heading out the door.
Previously, the best place to listen to FUV was in my car, so I'm pretty sure the timing had something to do with my bad luck with Simone (my car in Japan) this morning.
A combination of rediscovering internet radio and inheriting speakers has revealed unthinkable ecstacies:
I can now take my evening bath while listening to WFUV City Folk Morning.
Better than listening to it come in staticky for two minutes while throwing on my work clothes and heading out the door.
Previously, the best place to listen to FUV was in my car, so I'm pretty sure the timing had something to do with my bad luck with Simone (my car in Japan) this morning.
Not even Calvin Trillin can save me now...
I'm not sure where I went wrong but parking karma just came a bit me in the axel. I was running a little late, I'd left my bike at work, and it was raining, so I decided to drive to work.
How is it possible that I live in the boonies, and not only was my parking lot full, but there was NO STREET PARKING???!!!! This is beyond me. I parked in a store employees only parking lot and ended up having to go back out and move my car after walking into work late. Bad start to a day.
On the upside, on the desk next to mine, there is a bag that made me smile.
PERIOD
The rain stopped and a beautiful rainbow appeared the distant hills. Struck by the beauty of the scene, I kept standing there for a while. This super blandscope will remain in my memory all my life.
Well, at least once this rain stops, I'll get to enjoy a super blandscope.
May the parking force be with you all - it certainly isn't with me!
How is it possible that I live in the boonies, and not only was my parking lot full, but there was NO STREET PARKING???!!!! This is beyond me. I parked in a store employees only parking lot and ended up having to go back out and move my car after walking into work late. Bad start to a day.
On the upside, on the desk next to mine, there is a bag that made me smile.
PERIOD
The rain stopped and a beautiful rainbow appeared the distant hills. Struck by the beauty of the scene, I kept standing there for a while. This super blandscope will remain in my memory all my life.
Well, at least once this rain stops, I'll get to enjoy a super blandscope.
May the parking force be with you all - it certainly isn't with me!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Ben and Killer Bees
Yum! Killer bees fried on a grill with salt and pepper! A few of these and your head will start swimming...
The annual Bee Festival will be held on Wednesday November 3. Be there or be sqare.
The annual Bee Festival will be held on Wednesday November 3. Be there or be sqare.
Firetruck! Firetruck! Firetruck!... Brrrrrring!
This is the firetruck Ben and I hitched a ride in back in September.
Aichi JETs go to Horaiji
Finally getting some pictures up... This is when a big group of us hiked to Horaiji. Later that night we had a fun party at Matt's. The blackout was a big highlight.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Morning after Brazilian Party
Around 6 a.m., on a Japanese beach somewhere near the city of Tahara. It was one of the most beautiful mornings of my life. As the loud techno music faded, we found this small samba circle going. I samba-ed through sunrise and beyond.
Nanahara gals and Mia
The elderly Mrs. Nanahara bought this yukata for me. We were deciding between this one and an elegand blue iris pattern. She smiled and said, you're young, and pink really suits you. So pink it was! This was on our way to the Obon Festival in August. The girl on the right is Mai, who is the Nanahara's youngest child. She's also one of my students at the middle school.
Who's the Big Cheese Around Here?
Honcho, as in, the Head Honcho, comes from Japanese.
It means leader. Who woulda thunk it?
According to my supervisor, "koban" has also been assimilated into the English language. Has anyone ever heard this word used in America?
Sorry for the two Japanese vocabulary lessons in a row. I'll post some pictures soon!
It means leader. Who woulda thunk it?
According to my supervisor, "koban" has also been assimilated into the English language. Has anyone ever heard this word used in America?
Sorry for the two Japanese vocabulary lessons in a row. I'll post some pictures soon!
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Window on Society - 社会の窓
Possibly one of the best phrases in Japanese has got to be "Shakai no Mado." Literally, it means window of society. What it actually refers to is a person's fly.
Just thought I'd share.
Just thought I'd share.
The Stick Man (as promised)
I remember the first time I saw him. I was standing with my bike in the driveway of the warehouse where Ben lived, and we were talking as he latched the gate after me. I heard a weird rhythmic stomping. I turned around and gaped at the approaching Stick Man, then shuffled closer to the gate. The Stick Man's head and neck were wrapped in white cloth. He wore a long sleeved shirt, shorts, and heavy looking boots. In his right hand, he held a long stick. As I looked, panic stricken, at Ben, Ben said, "He's nothing to worry about. He's out jogging every day. You know, every small town has a local crazy."
Now, I have had a fair share of exposure to local crazies. But they're different. They are city crazies. You expect them, you understand them as part of the scenery, and you generally don't spend too much time in dark, deserted places where your chances of a more dangerous encounter might happen. Well, Shitara after 7 PM is as dark and deserted as Times Square is bright and busy after 7 PM. And with the cicadas' and crickets' chorus as the background music, the "THUD, THUD, THUD" is pretty terrifying.
Coming out of my ballroom dance class the other day, one of my classmates warned me that I would run into him. "It's 9:30. He's like clockwork." When we peered down the street, there was no sign of him, and we stood and talked a while. "Ah! There he is!" she pointed, not too subtly. Of course, with the white cloth wrapped around his head, he probably didn't notice. He was jogging, as he always did, from the center of town out in the direction of my apartment, which is always where I ended up losing track of him. "You know, he's really harmless," she reassured me. Then she added, "He still kinda gives me the creeps."
Yeah, me too. I kicked my headlight on, and rode quickly past him, into the safe and silent shadows of my danchi.
Now, I have had a fair share of exposure to local crazies. But they're different. They are city crazies. You expect them, you understand them as part of the scenery, and you generally don't spend too much time in dark, deserted places where your chances of a more dangerous encounter might happen. Well, Shitara after 7 PM is as dark and deserted as Times Square is bright and busy after 7 PM. And with the cicadas' and crickets' chorus as the background music, the "THUD, THUD, THUD" is pretty terrifying.
Coming out of my ballroom dance class the other day, one of my classmates warned me that I would run into him. "It's 9:30. He's like clockwork." When we peered down the street, there was no sign of him, and we stood and talked a while. "Ah! There he is!" she pointed, not too subtly. Of course, with the white cloth wrapped around his head, he probably didn't notice. He was jogging, as he always did, from the center of town out in the direction of my apartment, which is always where I ended up losing track of him. "You know, he's really harmless," she reassured me. Then she added, "He still kinda gives me the creeps."
Yeah, me too. I kicked my headlight on, and rode quickly past him, into the safe and silent shadows of my danchi.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Eating the sun
There was a partial eclipse today. Luckily, I was at an elementary school this morning, where they actually get excited over these things. All the kids had different gadgets to look at the sun. The best one belonged to a guy who might have been the grounds keeper. Solar eclipse is written with the characters for sun and eating.
Must go to bed. One sentence, more often, is better than nothing at all. I'll try to post more frequently. In future episodes, look forward to the Stick Man, Ballroom Dancing, and Soccer... Stay tuned!
Must go to bed. One sentence, more often, is better than nothing at all. I'll try to post more frequently. In future episodes, look forward to the Stick Man, Ballroom Dancing, and Soccer... Stay tuned!
Friday, October 01, 2004
Sukkot
So, besides some apples (without honey, despite having bought some for that purpose...) and a rather strange version of tashlich where we threw "Melon Pan" (a type of sweet bread that is popular all over Japan) from under a bridge into the Kamogawa in Kyoto, I mostly did not observe the holidays this year.
I did, however, write my column this month about the celebration of Sukkot. That got me excited about building a sukkah, although the only place I could do it was my own balcony, half of which is taken up by trash I don't know how to throw out (including that awful peeling couch). Furthermore, my balcony doesn't meet the requirement of not having shelter already above it. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, everyone insisted there was nowhere to build the sukkah.
So, balcony it was.
Typhoons pumelled the area, so I was a few days late, but I eventually bought a large sheet of bamboo held together by twine, and hung that up by my laundry polls. I hung persimmons and "goyas" (lumpy vegetables - not sure of the english name, but it's apparently very bitter) - they were cheap because they are in season. I then collected branches in the woods and attached them all to the bamboo. The fruits and vegetables were the hardest. I used a needle and thread - I only got six up, but it took forever. The branches are a bit sparse, but I was told not to pick them off the trees. I did anyway, but I didn't want to look too conspicuous (left the chainsaw at home), so I didn't get very much. A lot of the leaves are above my reach, and I saw a venemous snake (albeit a dead venemous snake) on the road in front of my apartment the other day, so I was not to keen on romping through the brush.
I took some pictures with a disposable camera, and if they turn out, I'll post them. All my digital things are going a bit haywire, so no promises for pictures! It doesn't look like much, but I put a lot into it, and I am proud of it!
I did, however, write my column this month about the celebration of Sukkot. That got me excited about building a sukkah, although the only place I could do it was my own balcony, half of which is taken up by trash I don't know how to throw out (including that awful peeling couch). Furthermore, my balcony doesn't meet the requirement of not having shelter already above it. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, everyone insisted there was nowhere to build the sukkah.
So, balcony it was.
Typhoons pumelled the area, so I was a few days late, but I eventually bought a large sheet of bamboo held together by twine, and hung that up by my laundry polls. I hung persimmons and "goyas" (lumpy vegetables - not sure of the english name, but it's apparently very bitter) - they were cheap because they are in season. I then collected branches in the woods and attached them all to the bamboo. The fruits and vegetables were the hardest. I used a needle and thread - I only got six up, but it took forever. The branches are a bit sparse, but I was told not to pick them off the trees. I did anyway, but I didn't want to look too conspicuous (left the chainsaw at home), so I didn't get very much. A lot of the leaves are above my reach, and I saw a venemous snake (albeit a dead venemous snake) on the road in front of my apartment the other day, so I was not to keen on romping through the brush.
I took some pictures with a disposable camera, and if they turn out, I'll post them. All my digital things are going a bit haywire, so no promises for pictures! It doesn't look like much, but I put a lot into it, and I am proud of it!
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