The Last Week ...

Sorry, sorry, sorry. My sincerest apologies for not blogging in over a week. I have no excuse. My jet lag excuse is no longer good.

Nothing super exciting has been going on. I'm pretty well adjusted to the daily life. I have my routines, I now know where I am going daily, I haven't got lost on the train, my bike is still in action, and my communication skills are improving. Very slowly, but surely.

We have begun to branch out. Amanda and I have gone to a few new restaurants that did not have picture menus & prayed the entire time. They've been pretty good. We went to a global cafe the other day & I ordered something that looked like possibly hamburger with gravy and eggs. I was really stretching to define what exactly was in the picture. Amanda decided the past looked safe. Usually it's easy just to point to the picture & then pray that they're aren't additional questions. I ordered a-ok but when Amanda ordered she had options, that neither of us could understand. A very nice lady helped translate and we found out the pasta could come with apricot sauce or tomato sauce. Amanda played it safe & ordered tomato sauce. When the food came I realized that what I ordered was nothing close to what I thought. It was rice with green sprinkles (no idea) and eggs covering the rice & syrup poured over the entire thing. It was different, but good. Sometimes pictures aren't as helpful as you think.

Last Wednesday Amanda and I went to a welcoming celebration for some English-speakers coming to the area. They are a part of a program called JET and we are allowed to tag along to some of their events. We went to the Gorilla Bar & it was all you can eat (& drink) for two hours & they had karaoke. This was my first karaoke experience & it was very similar to home. Some people can sing rather well and some should never pick up a microphone again, but it was fun. We met a lot of new people in the area, exchanged some phone numbers, and will hopefully have more people to spend time with. And speak English with. :)

This huge fake gorilla was hanging around outside the window ... we were on the 5th floor. It made finding the place slightly easier. Slightly.

On Saturday Amanda and I went shopping in some familiar shops. We took the train into downtown Okayama and walked around, took some pictures, bought a few things, and ate at McDonalds (my first time)! It was relatively normal, except I ate a shrimp sandwich... kind of like the fish sandwich, only shrimp. Everything else was pretty standard. Oh wait - here they have different kinds of McFlurries (which are my favorite). They have Oreo chocolate, Oreo carmel, KitKat, and some green something or another - probably green tea. It was amazing. They even gave us coupons. How great.

Downtown Okayama:

I LOVE the gap. We visit there on occasion. It makes me feel very 'at home'.


This was our McDonalds - just like home!! The fries & the drink were even normal size, as opposed to miniature like most things. I tried to take a close up of the shrimp (I felt very touristy) but there were little shrimps in my sandwich. It was good, but different.
Saturday evening we went to a movie. Naoko gave us free tickets to go to the theater & we went to see Harry Potter. Amanda and I are both big Potter fans, as everyone should be. The movie theater was huge & the seats were nice & everything was good. We didn't have to sneak candy or soda in because that's the standard here. There are vending machines in the lobby of the theater - different from $5 gummy bears back home. There wasn't any popcorn though, which was slightly sad. The movie was in English with Japanese subtitles. The previews were in Japanese - we recorded one for fun (although I was slightly afraid I might get into a tad bit of trouble ... I think even in Japan it is illegal to record in a theater). I did it anyway...

I was holding the camera kind of funny, but you can hear the whole thing. Amanda and I were giggling at the end because it was so intense & we had no idea what had happened. We gathered some ideas, but we think we might have to go to the Japanese movie just to check it out.

(Just click on the 'play' button)

There were a total of 6 people (including Amanda and I) in the theater. I was pleasantly surprised by house nice it was.



A picture of me & my new boyfriend Dobby. Isn't he cute?
After the movie, Amanda and I took the Hogwarts Express (otherwise known as the train) back to our station, Kitanagase. We rode our bikes home & that was that. Sunday was a lazy day with lots of working & a small amount of shopping. I like those kinds of days.

So far this week it has been back to work. I'll give you the details of my job at a later time ... I think a nap is in store for me.

These were some pretty sunsets I photographed from my balcony. I don't like to hang out there after the sun goes down - I'm still afraid the bat might return. Sickening.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

Oh yes, thanks to those who answered my cry for mail. Well, my mother. Thanks mom!!

Some Interesting Things ...

I'm sitting here going through my mail. My Japanese bills that I obviously can't read, despite how hard I try and junk mail. Apparently junk mail is universal. But as I look through my mail I think - it would be so nice to get something in English! Hm ... I've been here three weeks without any mail. Something from the states. Something from my loved ones 7,000 miles away. Hint, hint. or how about this - HINT, HINT! :)

I'll just go ahead and repost my address in case anyone forgot.

Tara McPherson

704 AXiS Ima

4-15-23 Ima Okayama City

Japan 700-0953

Boxes, presents, expensive postal are not necessary. Just a little love in an envelope. I have things here to send, but I'm still waiting to go to the post office until pay day! :)
Enough of my pleading for American contact.

A lot of people can't exactly locate me on a map. Okayama City is not usually shown on a map of Japan. You have to look at a more detailed map. I am about one hour (on the bullet train) W-SW of Osaka and about three hours (again, by bullet train) SW of Tokyo.

Obviously that did not work as I had intended. Maybe a link would be more appropriate. http://www.ease.com/~randyj/japanmap.htm

I'm on that map.

Look for me & then write me a letter & then send it :) Sounds like a great idea to me.

much love,

-tara- xoxo

The Weekend ...

In the last week Amanda and I have been checking out the neighborhood, being brave and going to new restaurants, shopping like champs, and discovering the nightlife. So far, so good.

To finish off the week last week Naoko took me to the library in Okayama. I've finished reading all of the books I brought with me (Danielle Steel's, Harry Potter, etc.) and was in need of new ones. There is a book store by my house with a small English section, but I'm talking small. Like a small shelf upstairs in the corner. I thought about buying books, but I barely got everything here, I won't have room to pack books to bring home. I mentioned this to Naoko & she offered to take me to the library saying that they had a large English section and it wasn't too far from my house. Fantastic.

We get to the library & it looks huge. We go inside, I stand next to Naoko and smile while she gets me a library card, and they hand me a map - in English!! I find my way to the English section and notice that it is relatively large. I'm excited. Although my excitement deflates when I realize that 97% of the English books are nonfiction. Nothing against nonfiction, but it's not something I read at night before bed. Oh well. I do find a shelf with some fiction. Old American and English works. Pride & Prejudice, The Iliad, Moby Dick. I didn't read these in college and I don't want to read them now. Please let there be something. Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Poe. Come on! Finally I find a little section that has some late night easy readers. I find a couple Danielle Steels, Confessions of a Shopaholic (me? never.), Bridget Jones, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks. Now were talking. I now have books. Life is good.

On Saturday the teachers from one of my schools offered to take Amanda and I to the garden. I didn't know what it meant, what it was, or what to expect, but I agreed to go. We went around 7:30 (it's completely dark by 7:30 here) and paid 350 yen (approx. $3.50) and walked in. The garden was amazing. There were lights everywhere. We found out that in the late summer they open the garden at night & light it all up to give people something to do in the evening when the heat has subsided (although it was still hot outside). The Okayama Korakuen Garden is famous in Japan and is considered a cultural heritage site. Okayama castle is located on the grounds as well. It was truly beautiful. Here is a website to learn more about the garden. http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/travel/okayama_korakuen_garden.htm

My camera does not take good pictures at night (even in night mode) so the pictures do not do the place justice.

Enyo-tei House - The house where the Japanese feudal lord stayed while visiting Korakuen:

There was a beer garden around here somewhere.

People were lined up all along the water to take pictures of the beautiful scenery.

After going to the garden we went to a restaurant for some Korean Barbecue. It was really good. You order the meat & cook it at your table, along with the vegetables. We ate beef and chicken and Amanda and I tried pig's tongue. Interesting, to say the least. We drank Sapporo beer & Chu-Hi (it is kind of like a Smirnoff Ice. Kind of.)

The teachers who took us out. They were a riot.

Amanda and I weren't sure about the pig's tongue. We looked at it for a while. I just kept thinking, "It can't possibly be as bad as the squid."

One, two, three, GO! It was really chewy.

After dinner Amanda and I went to a place called the Aussie Bar. It's a bar where a lot of westerners hang out. We meet people from all over there. A lady from Syria, a man from Turkey, another girl from New York, and the bartender is from Australia. It's quite the melting pot. It was a lot of fun. And late into the evening I successfully communicated with the cab driver & figured out how to get us home - & not down the street either. Right to our front door! I feel accomplished.

Our new bartender friend, Ash. The lack of focus has nothing to do with the operators impairment. :)

Sunday was a day of relaxation and a lot of sleeping. I wasn't particularly feeling very well, it might have been a slight bug. It couldn't possibly have been the brown bottle flu. :)

This week is back to work. A full week of work. I will probably be tired, but I will be reading :)

much love

-tara-

xoxo

A Japanese Amusement Park!

On Tuesday a group of teachers took Amanda and I to Miroku no Sato, and amusement park in Fukuyama. We caught the 8:57am train to Fukuyama station (about an hour away) and one of the teachers picked us up and drove us to the park. We were told to bring our swimsuits.

It was so incredibly hot. Hotter than normal, is that is even possible. The sun was shining in all it's glory & the heat was intense. We headed to the waterpark first. We settled in to a shaded area under an umbrella that we had rented and were instantly ready to hit the water. There were waterslides, a few different swimming pools, a child-sized area, a concession stand, and picnic tables & layout chairs. Very similar to back home.

You could rent these little huts. Of course they were all taken, but the idea is great. I could have slept in there!

Typical - the concession stand line was a mile long. Just like home :)

This thing was new to me. You waited in line for about a half hour and then they let like 20 people in at a time. The blue & white thingy is filled with air & you use the ropes to pull you up to the top & then it looked somewhat like a trampoline because everyone would start jumping up and down & then fall/slide down. Is it wrong to admit that it was somewhat funny to watch people get 1/2 up and then fall down? If so, I did not admit anything.

There was one noticeable difference. The Japanese swimming attire. Some were in swimsuits, but some people were wearing long shorts and long sleeves - to swim in! Amanda and I were stripping down to our swimsuits & these people are putting clothes on to get in the water. Some even wore wetsuits with long sleeves. They do not want the sun to touch them. Interesting. Amanda and I were welcoming the sun (with a mild SPF) and paid for it later with matching sunburns! :)

How cute.

We went on the water slides, swam, invited ourselves to play a game of water volleyball with some Japanese kids, ate lunch, and caught a lot of sun.

This kid was super cool. His name was Shipei (she-pay) and he was in 6th grade. He was hilarious.

Lunch was interesting. Amanda and I had a picture menu and were starving. I was starving so I wasn't up for trying something new. We decided on hot dogs and french fries. :) We each had a beer and they brought over some fried balls of something. Amanda told me that it was octopus. I remembered what my dad told me, "Don't do it!" My curiosity won and I decided to try. Mistake! I should have listened to my dad. In the two weeks that I have been here I have not gagged when trying any new foods - not even the anchovies or the raw fish. I gagged. This was disgusting. Even worse was when I finally swallowed Amanda and I decided to dissect this round ball of grossness. Inside were little octopus tentacles. Literally. You could see all of the little suction cups and I swear it was still moving. Ok, it wasn't - but it was gross. Never again.

We reluctantly left the waterpark. It was so hot & the water was nice. We headed for the rides. It's different than Six Flags. You get tickets and pay per ride. The park was small, it reminded me of Arnold's Park in Okoboji, but it had a number of different attractions. Amanda and I went on the pirate ship (my personal favorite) and the roller coaster. I'm always a skeptic at amusement parks (what if a bolt snapped and I plummeted to my death?) but I go on the rides anyway. The roller coaster here was no exception. I was terrified. Not only were we up extremely high in the air, but the park itself is on a mountain which makes the view terrifying, yet beautiful. I felt as though I was taking my last breaths on this ride. Not only that but I had the great idea of recording the journey, which made it hard for me to hold on for dear life. Watch and see! You can hear my screams and the fear in my voice.

Here's the video. Hiromi (he-rome-ee) is a person on the ride with us. Oh, and no one on the rides makes any noise. Hardly any laughing or screaming. Amanda and I were laughing and screaming the whole way. People thought we were insane. Also, the Japanese people hang on for dear life on the rides. They think we are equally crazy for putting our hands in the air.

Enjoy! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3055135000218669572&hl=en

It is a HUGE deal when we can get a child to hold our hand. They are afraid of us and if it actually happens, everyone photographs it. It's kind of weird.

After two rides, ice cream, and minimal shade we decided to abandon the 'amusement' and head to a section of the park that represented pre-bombed Japan. It was a replica of how life was before war times and what the cities and towns looked like. It was really interesting - and some parts were even air conditioned!

An old fashioned shoe shop, although some still look like this. All of the wood pieces are the bottoms of the shoes.

An old style toy shop.

Growing tomatoes - slightly different than at home. They hook the plants up to these fence like things but the tomatoes taste the same. Delicious.

These pictures are from an old style portrait studio. I took them for my grandpa.

Anyone have to use the bathroom before we go home? These signs were all over the place. Different from the signs back home!

We left the park and headed home. Amanda and I were so tired we slept on the train on the way back. I could never figure out how the locals could sleep on the train - it's bumpy, noisy, crowded, and what if you missed your stop? But now I know - if you're tired enough, you can sleep on the train.

All in all, a good day. Tiring, but good.

-tara-

xoxo

Shodoshima Island

The teachers from one of the schools Amanda and I teach at offered to take us on a trip on Sunday. We were excited to learn that this trip involved a ferry ride to Shodoshima Island, visiting the soy sauce museum, making a trip to the Twenty-Four Eyes film village, and going to a monkey park. Amanda and I got up earlier than normal (around 6:30am), biked to the train station and met up with about 7 teachers and 2 children to begin our adventure. Adventure is an understatement.

We drove to Okayama port to catch the ferry. The ferry ride was beautiful. It was exciting to be out on the water and traveling somewhere new.

Once the ferry docked we headed straight to the museum. Who know there was so much to learn about soy sauce. Apparently there are 5 different kinds, with different smells, different tastes, and for different purposes. We learned about the process from beginning to end and learned that the museum was also a factory. They make soy sauce & other soy products on the island, including soy ice cream (sounds so strange, huh?). Of course I tried it.

The inner workings of the soy sauce factory:

Adorable. Absolutely adorable.

Then we drove to the site of Twenty-Four Eyes. I still don't have the full story on Twenty-Four Eyes but I do know that it was an adaptation of a novel by Sakae Tsuboi, a female writer. The story is set during wartime and early postwar Japan and it centers on the relationship between a primary school teacher and the 12 island children in her first class, hence the title Twenty-Four Eyes. The movie focuses on the relationship between the rebellious teacher who believed in education during a time of war and her 12 children who survived hardship together. I think. I have to get the movie. It sounds brilliant, and slightly like myself, which is intriguing. The site was amazingly beautiful.

A statue dedicated to the teacher and her 24 students:

"The most moving story of a devoted female teacher and her twelve small pupils." or in my world - "The most moving, yet entertaining and complex story of a devoted, and often tired teacher and her fourteen wild pupils from Freeburg".

Feeding the fish for 100 yen.


Amanda and I taking a break in the boat. Not true - it was a lot of work to get in that unsteady, rickety old boat. & Getting out was worse!

The map off the Twenty-Four Eyes location.

We ate lunch at Twenty-Four eyes. True Japanese lunch - take the shoes off & sit on the floor. We ate cold noodles, which were very good. The noodles come in the wood bowl (drowning in water and ice cubes) and a cup of soy sauce comes on the side along with green onion and ginger. Using your chopsticks, of course, you pick up the noodles and dip them in the sauce and then loudly, if you so choose, slurp the noodles. This is common practice. I wonder if they wonder why I eat so quietly.

Then we ventured on to the monkey park. In theory, this sounds fantastic. Wild monkeys all around you in their true, natural setting. No cages or wire barricades dividing you and the adorable, intelligent animals. Not circus or zoo like. So humane. In reality, this is terrifying.

We trek up the side of a mountain (ok slight exaggeration, we walk on an uphill path) and see a few monkeys off in the distance as we go. Ohhh .... Ahhh .... Look!! All very safari-like. At a distance they're great.

Then we get closer and see that they are directly on the path. Right where we are supposed to walk. Completely unafraid and making no motion to move. We continue to walk and get really close. I feel slightly under attack.





We make it through & continue on towards the loud indescribable sounds. Kind of like a cat's meow. Kind of like a psychotic cat. And then all of a sudden there are literally hundreds of monkeys. Hundreds. I know I can exaggerate, but I'm not this time.

See. With one deer in the mix.Can you find the monkeys? They're everywhere! I think there are 12 in this photo:

Too close for comfort.
Especially when they look so crazy close up. How can you argue with that? This monkey looks crazy.


They are everywhere. Up high, down low, inside things like pipes and holes, jumping from fence post to fence post. The same post I'm leaning against! The noise is kind uncomforting. Like they are very angry at you. It was quite the experience. I now have a new perception of monkeys and I hope the next herd, school, troop, pack, whatever a group of monkeys is called, that I encounter is caged.
And in case you didn't think monkeys were crazy based on pictures alone, I have figured out how to add a video. I am no professional by any means (there are many sudden movements, horrible commentary, and all in all the video is NOT good), but I do have a short video. At least you can hear the monkeys & Amanda and I in panic.

Try clicking here - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1008535689277491772&pr=goog-sl

We drove back to the port. The scenery was beautiful. So many hills and mountains. The rock formations are amazing. Everything is so unlike Iowa.


We drove onto the ferry and headed home.


As much as I hate bridges, I managed to get this shot.
We ate dinner at a pasta house down the street from my apartment. It was amazingly good. Japanese style (no shoes, no chairs) but the spaghetti was great. Not grandma's, but it will do until Christmas.

much love
-tara-
xoxo