My Computer Drama ...

ok .. My computer is having major issues. After chatting with Dell (repeatedly) they have figured that my computer screen is not properly functioning and needs to be replaced. Basically every time I start my computer the screen only stays lit for about 30 seconds and then the screen goes almost black. Almost. Dell was not helpful in the least (despite the fact that my computer is only 3 months old) and told me there was nothing I can do since I life outside the United States. It appears as though I am going to have to send my computer back to the states and have it repaired and then have it shipped back to Japan. It's going to be expensive, but I can't go without my computer! I'm slightly irritated, but there's nothing I can do so I'm getting over it.

What does this mean for you? It means that I won't be posting any blogs, unless I can do it from school and my phone calls will be limited because my phone is on my computer. Ugh. Keep checking, but I don't know when you're going to get part ni (part two) of my Tokyo trip.

Sorry!!

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

Tokyo Trip (part ichi) ...

This past weekend I was in Tokyo. It was absolutely amazing. I loved every part of it (except for the lack of sleep, my heavy-for-packing-light backpack & the 34 degree Celsius weather we walked 30 miles in) and I hope to go back very soon. I have so many pictures and so many stories that this blog is most likely going to come in parts. This is part ichi, or part one.

The trip came about because two of my new friends were leaving to go back to the states (New York to be exact). Their flight left Tokyo Monday afternoon so we decided to head up on Friday and spend the weekend in the massive city. I went with my friends Melissa, Xiao, Teresa and Ashley. Melissa used to live close to Tokyo & Xiao speaks great Japanese, so I felt like I was in very good hands.

We left Friday night after we all got off work. Xiao, Melissa & I met at Okayama station to board the Shinkansen (the bullet train) at 8:30. The Shinkansen is a super fast train (traveling up to 300 km/hr or close to 200 mph) that can get me from Okayama to Tokyo in a little under three hours. Here's more information about the Shinkansen:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

We arrived in Tokyo around midnight, hailed a cab, and ventured to the area where we were staying. It was dark & relatively quiet in Asakusa (the area of the city we were staying in) and I was caught slightly off guard. I couldn't figure out why it was so quiet, but it was nice. I later found out that this part of Japan is an older, more traditional area famous for the many temples in the area. Here's more information about Asakusa:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakusa

This pictures is of Asahi Beer Tower. A modern landmark, which is the headquarter of Asahi Breweries. The 22 storied golden building is designed in a shape of a mug of beer, and the hall next to it, has a giant 'golden flame' on top. The company runs its own bar 'Asahi Annex', where you can taste the original Asakusa beer, although we were unable to go. It looked interesting - & the building is shaped like a mug of beer!

Despite the fact that it was late, we decided to head to Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple not far from our hotel. The temple was almost deserted at 1:00am, which was really peaceful. We walked through the area, took pictures, admired the architecture, and got our fortunes (a popular thing to do at temples).

To get your fortune you shake the metal can and then tip it upside down. One stick falls out with a number on it. You find the corresponding drawer, open it & remove your fortune. If you have a good fortune you keep it. If you have a unlucky fortune you are supposed to fold it & tie it to a rack to escape the bad luck. I got a good fortune. Actually I got fortune #1: Best Fortune. It says:

"The tower of cloisonne with seven treasures is standing in a stately manner upon the high summit. People look at it and praise it. Your fortune is just like this tower. When you look at it more carefully, your fortune will be more excellent.

*Your wishes will be realized. *A sick person will recover. *The person you are waiting for will come soon. *The lost article will be found but it will take a little while. *Building a new house, moving marriage, taking a trip, employment are all good. *Be careful for everything that you want to do. If you are careless, you will get hurt injured."

Xiao is demonstrating how you shake the can:

& then check your stick to find your drawer. The rack behind her is where you tie your bad fortunes.
Melissa got a bad fortune. She was not happy about it.
After spending time at the temple we stopped for noodles at a noodle shop. Here you pay for your ticket at a machine and then walk up to the counter and hand it to the cook. They call for you when it's ready. It's actually convenient & fast. Before we knew it, it was about 3:00am. We decided it was time to retire, considering we had to be up at 6:00am to head to the fish market.

Purchasing tickets for late night dinner:

It would be more helpful if the machines had picture!s!


We went back to our hotel. Our capsule hotel. I know what you're thinking, "Excuse me?" Allow me to explain. Or allow Wikipedia to explain:

"A capsule hotel (カプセルホテル, kapuseru hoteru) is a hotel system of extremely dense occupancy. Guest space is reduced in size to a modular plastic or fibreglass block roughly 2 m by 1 m by 1.25 m, providing room to sleep and little more, although facilities usually include a television and other electronic entertainment. These capsules are then grouped and stacked, two units high. Luggage is usually stored in a locker away from the capsule. Privacy is maintained by a curtain at the open end of the capsule but noise pollution can be high. Washing facilities are communal and there are often restaurants, or at least vending machines, and other entertainment facilities."

The line of capsules on our floor. The ones with the shades down were occupied.

I slept in 8002, on the bottom.

Inside there was a TV, an alarm clock, a fan & a light. None of which I could figure out how to use. I tried to turn on the fan & then a loud static came over the radio. I was convinced I woke up the whole floor, so I just went to sleep.

Xiao demonstrating exactly how much room is in a capsule. It doesn't really count though because she is super tiny.

That's about it. We slept on the 8th floor (reserved for women only). The showers were on the 9th floor, although we didn't use them. We were provided with a locker, a towel, washcloth, toothbrush, & pajamas. The capsule was tiny, but we were tired & it was cheap, plus we only needed it for about 3 hours. It was definitely an experience.

Brushing our teeth in our matching pajamas. It kind of made me feel like we were inpatients at some sort of facility.

One day down, three to go. Stay tuned.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

A Three Day Weekend ...

Since Monday is a holiday (Old People's Day as it was translated to me), this weekend (tomorrow!) I am heading to Tokyo with some friends. We all have to work on Friday so we are going to board the Shinkansen (the bullet train) at 8:30 Friday night & it should drop us off safely in Tokyo around midnight.

We have a general idea of the weekend - the fish market Saturday morning, Sumo wrestling Saturday, shopping Sunday - but we do not have definite plans. I'm excited!! This will be my first time visiting Tokyo.

I'm sure I'll take a thousand pictures & I will blog all about it next week. Until then ... let's pray I don't get lost among the 12.4 million people that live in Tokyo! (Isn't that insane?)

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

I almost forgot - I might have jumped the gun on my request for mail from the states - My mom has been on top of my weekly mailings, my sister, my aunt Rainy, my grandparents, Grandma Barb & the condo have all sent some love. I greatly appreciate it!
& My fabulous friend Dad & my beautiful friend Michell both sent packages and I accidentally got word :) that my Freeburg family is sending stuff over.

I love my friends & family :) You're all the best!
(This doesn't mean stop sending mail either!!)

My Job ...

After three months, I finally feel as though I finally have a handle on what exactly my job is. My first few weeks were very confusing with a lot of schedule changes, inconsistent days, flip flopped lesson, and meeting literally hundreds ｏｆ Japanese people that I could not keep straight. The first month I didn't usually know where I was going until I ｗａｓ already there and once I finally figured out where I was going I was attempting to memorize names and recall familiar faces. Finally, I feel as though I know what I'm doing, what I want to do, and what is expected of me.

Basically I work at five nursery schools (ages birth through five) and once a week I go to the local university to give lessons.　I give English lessons to groups of children that are four or five years old and private English lessons to children of various ages (6-19. I also work with groups of classroom teachers, head teachers, principals, and professors.

My weekly schedule looks like so:

Monday:
Futuba Nursery School
2 Children Lessons (4 year old children)
2 Private Lessons (Children ages 6-17)

Tuesday:
Tomiyama Nursery School

2 Children Lessons (4 year old children)
Chogukuen University
1 Professor Lesson

Wednesday:
Kanada Nursery School
2 Children Lessons (5 year old children)
3 Teacher Lessons
Chitose Nursery School
2 Children Lessons (first and second grade children)

Thursday:
Chitose Nursery School
2 Children Lessons (5 year old children)
1 Teacher Lesson
Joto Nursery School
1 Teacher Lesson
1 Principal Lesson
1 Private Lesson (9 year old child)

Firday:
Chitose Nursery School
2 Children Lesson (5 year old children)
3 Teacher Lessons
1 Children Lesson (third grade children)

For a grand total of 26 lessons a week.

Got all of that? Can you understand as to why I was confused for the first month? I still get confused when there are schedule changes or lesson times switch, but I'm getting better.

I only see the children once a week, which can be frustrating. I feel like the old art or music teacher in elementary school that worked off of a cart and came in once a week to do a thirty minute activity. Only I work out of a bag. It's definitely a big change from having my own model classroom and my own office.

There are still things that I struggle with from time to time but now I know who to address my questions to, what concerns are safe to discuss, who's up for a good joke, and how to work the copy machine. :) Things are good.

much love
-tara-
xoxo

The Food ...

Let me preface this by saying that I am not starving. There's a wide variety of food here. Some that I love - some that I hate. Most things I try fall somewhere in the middle.

I do my fair share of eating out and the occasional eating in. I've found some things I'm good at cooking and some typical American snacks - Oreos, Ritz crackers, Haagen Dazs - that help curb the craving for food from home. And thanks to some of my important people I have snacks from home that I'm trying desperately to save for those homesick emergencies (which I haven't really had yet... although I have an intense craving for football). :)

I've managed to snap a few shots of school lunch, restaurant food, or something I've managed to cook up. I try very hard not to be offensive or insensitive so believe me there is a lot more that I wish I had pictures of. I'm sure my photo collection of 'interesting food' will continue to prosper.

Some restaurant food:

Sunday Sun: A restaurant about a block from my apartment. Closely resembling a Perkins (& open 24 hours with a picture menu!)

The infamous corn & mayo pizza from the local cafe Gusto. It's actually not that bad :)

Potatoes, sausage & cheese. Also from Gusto.

Many restaurants have something like a display window out front with plastic replicas of the food inside. Quite handy.

Official definition: Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼) (literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver, mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings), originated in Osaka.

We dissected the takoyaki and the inside looked as disgusting as it tasted (personal opinion!).


Okonomiyaki. Also called Japanese pancakes. I ordered mine with beef and cheese & the smother it with mayonnaise and 'sweet sauce'. It's actually not bad.


Some bread I picked up from a cafe. On the right is milk bread (a sweet, sticky bread) & on the left is a sandwich thingy with tuna and tomatoes.


The delivery vehicles. Most restaurants deliver via moped. I'm not cool enough to be able to call & order ... yet. :)


Some ichiba (market) food:

It's odd taking pictures in the grocery store without people staring. I only take pictures when I'm 100% sure no one is looking. So far I've only got a couple shots.

In case you were hungry for some squid. I'm definitely not.


Watermelon - both red & yellow. I haven't tried it ... I'm kind of afraid.



A classic favorite ... never mind the Japanese writing - they taste the same!

These are kind of like garden flavored pretzel sticks.

7-up! We also have Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, etc. (Sorry Deb, no Dr. Pepper)

Some house food:

Here's what I have in my house. I can't believe I'm showing pictures of my fridge - I'd never do this at home!

The inside of my refrigerator. Milk, apply juice, soy sauce, cheese, Italian dressing, bacon bits, mushrooms, etc.

Some sauces & spices - soy sauces, jams (carrot & pumpkin), garlic & oregano.

Some school food:

Hmm ... mystery lunch - just like school at home!

Yet another day of food - I ate the rice! The drink is tea, not my favorite but I'm getting used to it.
My daily deal. Water (as opposed to tea), white rice, tomatoes, mystery noodles, & mystery seafood. I think this was a crab meat or something of the sorts - I ate it & it was ok. I can't eat the noodles yet though. I keep trying.

School snack. I really don't know what it was, but it tasted good around 3:00pm after mystery lunch.

Let me remind you that I am NOT starving. I just wanted to add a little insight into the world of food over here in Japan.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

The Biota ...

I've been out & about, wandering around (in the heat, obviously) and I have been noticing the flora in the area. Most of the landscape is green and brown - a lot of trees, bushes, shrubs, what have you. Every once in a while you will see flowers or colored plants that really stand out. They're quite beautiful. I've taken to photographing them when it isn't awkward or too touristy.
My grandpa might be proud - than again maybe not - my photos are amateur.

These trees look like the trees that used to be in my front yard when I was little.
There's no escaping the sun.
The color in these trees was beautiful. A nice addition to the typically green & brown scenery.

Some flowers growing off of the street.

The underside of a strange tree...

The evergreens all grow in this strange spiral pattern.
I don't know if they grow like this naturally or if they are pruned regularly - I'll have to inquire.
The weeping willows in Kurashiki remind me of home.

I might invest in a nice camera while I'm here and attempt to take better pictures. Stay tuned.
much love
-tara-
xoxo

The Terrifying Rice Fields (c'ntd)...

I managed to snap a photo to more accurately describe what I mean when I say there are bikes tipped over in the rice fields.

Honestly - what happened here? Where are the people? Why did they leave their bike? It's been there for days!! My only theory is that they are still among the rice ... which is why I am terrified of rice fields.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

The Rice...

Rice. The root of all things in Japan. Everyday I eat rice. Rice cakes, rice flour, rice vinegar, mochi rice (small rice balls served with sauce, sometimes), spaghetti with rice instead of noodles, rice in soup, rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner. We even drink rice wine, aka sake. Once upon a time rice was even used as currency in Japan! Rice is important is an understatement. Rice has fundamental importance to the country and the culture.

A close up of the rice plant.
Rice fields pop up everywhere. Wait, let me rephrase that: Rice patches pop up everywhere. Everyone says rice fields & I think to myself, "That is nothing close to a field." At home fields are acres, that as-far-as-the-eye-can-see type. Here some of the areas are maybe 100 square feet! I call them patches. I'm doing my best to learn about rice, besides knowing that it's high in carbs (which is all I eat here!).

Before the rice is planted the fields are dried on & dried up. Similar to this small field, I mean patch. See how steep the edges are!!

The rice kind of resembles corn in the fact that it is intricately planted in rows allowing you to see the definition. (That thing in the right corner is the ramp you use to get into the field.)

When I first got here the rice was just beginning to grow and now everyday it grows taller and taller. I can imagine this is what people think about the corn back home. Knee-high by the 4th of July comes to mind. :) I don't really know exactly how tall the rice is because it grows randomly throughout the neighborhood in these areas that resemble trenches. All of a sudden the sidewalk just drops off about three feet into the rice field and there is usually a ramp going down into the field, excuse me - patch. The fact of the matter is that it's really quite terrifying when you are riding your bike passed. There are no guardrails, no fence, nothing. Sometimes I get so nervous that I'm going to fall into the rice field of, I can only assume, mud, insects, snakes, and all that is disgusting, that I ride my bike on the complete opposite side of the sidewalk. Once I saw a bike that had tipped over into the rice field - I'm convinced that person is probably missing.

I'm not exaggerating about the depth of the fields.

It's a long way down. I can't believe I got close enough to take this picture. I'm somewhat terrified of these things.

The harvest is coming soon. I'm going to see if I can watch someone or help out a farmer, if that's what they're called, to learn more about the crop. My interest is somewhat strange considering at home I know nothing about corn and really don't care to.

I'll keep you posted.

much love

-tara-

xoxo