Rat Tales

My application to stay for a fourth year on JET went through! I received the paperwork today and have never felt so relieved. Well, there was that time when I got the acceptance notice from JET. I felt pretty relieved then too.

 

I have big plans for the next year in terms of cementing my lesson plans, continuing my professional development, and getting involved with JET on a local and national level. Hopefully I still have time to socialize and see the last things on my Japan Bucket List!

 

It’s really interesting looking back at how quickly time has gone by. Some days it still feels like I arrived a few months ago. It’s only when I compare my life to the lives of others, when I hear about graduations, weddings, break ups and other adventurous stepping stones of life that I grasp how long I’ve lived here.

 

Remember that umeshuu I started brewing last summer? Well, The Dude and I got back from our trip to the US for the holidays and after all the hell United Airlines put us through, we needed a drink. Voila! The perfect “I-have-no-energy-to-leave-the-apartment-much-less-my-bed” answer. It’s still a bit tart, however store bought umeshuu has a tendency to be sickly sweet so this is a nice balance. We found that adding a bit of Sprite or soda water tones down the tartness.

 

Surprisingly enough, our rats like the flavor too- what few drops they’ve managed to lick up behind our backs.

Hans enjoys the sweeter things in life

 Oh, yes! The rats! It’s been a hard transition to a life without pets. My kitty passed away in the time that I was gone too. It wasn’t unexpected, but it still hurt. Anyway, I got to reminiscing about pets with The Dude and my rats were a topic that kept coming back up. The Dude was really curious about pet rats, and I apparently managed to convince him they were cool, because we searched out a pet shop and brought home two little bouncing balls of energy.

 

Their names are Hans and Dieter and their presence in our lives has been nothing short of magical! Recently, I’ve been dealing with some really lame school bureaucracy, and the thought of going home at the end of the day to play with the rats is sometimes the only thing that get me out of a negative funk.

 

Thank goodness for pets. Even better is how much The Dude has fallen in love with them. He has an album on his phone dedicated to them and I fear it’s only a matter of time before he makes a Facebook page for them!

Culture Day

   Living in Japan, I am surrounded by "culture". Japanese language, Japanese style TV, manga, food, history, fashion, transportation, morals, ethics... But really, culture is relative, and you only realize what you are experiencing is "culture" when you're out of your normal "culture". The line between my American culture and my Japanese culture is blurry times, and I find myself no longer starry-eyed over things I once was. Those elements of "culture" have become normal.

   The first weekend of November was a 3 day weekend, celebrating, betcha can't guess, Culture Day. Once upon a time-about 100 years ago- it was celebrated as the Meiji Emperor's birthday. The Meiji Emperor (given name:Mutsuhito. Fun fact: all the Japanese emperor's name's have ended in ~hito since forever ago) was head of state during Japan's transformation from a feudal nation to a highly industrialized world power.After the second world war, it was eventually reinstated as a national holiday. This year, I actually did something culture-y!

    Ever made sashimi? Neither had I, but I've lived here long enough that I now am starting to see the spare bits and pieces of fish at the market less as "Ick!" and more as "Hm, how could I cook THAT?". Sashimi is just another one of those things that I was too scared to try making by myself.

    Enter Junji, a friend of TG's, who was born and raised in the Shikoku region. He is a Renaissance Man, with a wide pool of knowledge and a generally uncle-ish manner. We went over to his house to be shown how it's done, Mind you, sashimi is the actual fish. All that "sushi" people are eating is actually the name of the vinegared rice. So delicious...

    Anyway, so the first stop was the fish market, where we picked out some mackerel pike, Japanese amberjack (yellowtail), and red sea bream. The fish mongers were nice enough to clean out the insides, but we had the joy of chopping the heads off ourselves.I'm not squeamish, so that wasn't an issue, but man I need to work on my knife skills. It was labor intensive: Remove the scales (if needed), hack off the head, slice in half around the spine, repeat on the other side, remove the ribs from both flanks, slice a skinless fillet. I was terrible about slicing the flanks off, but decent at taking the skin off. After we were left with out fillets, we then cut them into bite-sized pieces. For sashimi, it is very important that you NOT wiggle your knife back and forth while cutting the fish. It messes up the fat deposits. 

    Throwing the rice together was sticky, messy affair, but the end result was a feast! Coupled with the fish head soup Junji made, his homemade beer, and hot coffee when the wind picked up in the evening, it was a lovely day.I haven't made sashimi since that weekend, but now I know if I really want to impress any visitors that I have the perfect menu hidden up my sleeve!

Let's Making Umeshu

Drinking is a huge part of socializing in Japan. In fact, it’s often said that the Japanese really only let their guard down and speak their true feelings in the presence of alcohol-whether or not they are drunk. The portmanteau “nommunication” is a combination of the Japanese verb nomu (“to drink”) and communication. It is well understood by the expat community and fairly well in the Japanese community.

I’ve had my fair share of drunken experiences- from receiving unwanted advances from men who felt they had the right to get a response from me to heartfelt confessions. I’ve become a regular at my local standing bar and made several Japanese friends there. The owner doesn’t care if I come in and just order food or non-alcoholic beverages. That kind of easy-going, laid-back atmosphere is what has kept Sabina and I going back. 

Nommunication at its best!

One of my favorite alcoholic drinks in Japan is umeshu, usually translated as “Plum Wine”. It’s not really a wine, per se, it’s a liqueur. I normally drink it on the rocks, although I have been known to add a bit of tonic water and drink it that way. It’s sweet, but not overpowering if aged properly. 

It’s also incredibly easy (and legal) to make at home!  I completely missed the bottling season last year, and when I saw the plums are being sold in the grocery stores this year I decided that now was the time to act.

So, I acquired a glass jug and supplies from some friends and set off to make my umeshu. Like I said, it’s pretty easy. 

I had to buy the plums-it is essential that they be unripe-some rock sugar and the appropriate alcohol. Technically I could have gone with any brandy or shochu over 35% alcohol, but I chose to buy the specially matched fruit liquor. 

Picking out the stems while listening to mindless J-TV

 Next, I washed and dried the plums and used a skewer to pick out the stems. After that, I layered the sugar and plums in the jug, then poured in the alcohol! I have a little alcohol left over and I am very tempted to try making other fruit liqueurs. There is a kiwi recipe that has me intrigued.

Ready to go. See you in a few months!

After sealing up the jug, I tucked it away in the back of a closet. Some say you can drink it in 3 months, but I think I might wait until the new year. Aging definitely helps the clarity of umeshu. I can’t wait to tell you about it! Keep an eye out for another post in about 6 months!

Shanainagins!

My lovely friend Shaina came to visit over Golden Week at the beginning of May. It was awesome having a little slice of home with me for 10 wonderful days in Japan! Now that I think about it, maybe one of the reasons I haven’t really been homesick is because every couple months someone from California has been able to visit me. Regardless, it really is nice having a familiar face around!

Since she was here for Golden Week-the busiest travel and holiday time in Japan- I didn’t have to work much and we went on a little mini vacation together. In the end, I got to cross 2 things off my Japan Bucket List!

One of the first things we did was take an overnight bus to Hiroshima. The parks and museums dedicated to peace and nuclear disarmament are beautiful and thought provoking. The energy of Hiroshima is relaxed compared to Tokyo, but it hasn’t completely forgotten the horror that befell it 70 years ago
.

The best way to relieve the heaviness of Hiroshima, in my opinion, was going to Bunny Island! During the war, the island functioned as a secret poison gas making factory (in clear violation of the Geneva Convention buuuuut that’s a completely different ranting story). With the Occupation, the factories were destroyed and rabbits soon overran the island. Rumor has it that they are the offspring of released test bunnies, but others say they descend from school rabbits. Either way, the result is smile inducing cuteness!

 Shaina was brave enough to sample all the food I threw in front of her, including Hiroshima’s local specialty: raw oysters!

Miyajima-a UNESCO World Heritage site

The remainder of our time together was spent nosing around Tokyo and enjoying a few relaxing days together. We trekked out to the foothills of Western Saitama for the annual Shibazakura blooms and were stunned by the gorgeous carpet of flowers.

 The super “Japanese” thing we did was kimono rental in Kawagoe with a few other friends! For 2100 yen ($20 USD), we were outfitted in kimono, socks, shoes, hair accessories and bags and allowed to wander the surrounding area for almost 8 hours. Those things are surprisingly difficult to walk in, and the shoes aren’t  helpful either. Still, it was fun, even if we did have to get a bit vocal about not having cameras rudely shoved in our faces. Ah, the allure of being a non-Japanese person in Japan doing something Japanese. It’s so….mythical. To the Japanese, that is.

Bento-ism

I recently discovered a website called JustBento.com . Bentos are an incredibly popular, packed single portion meal and the Japanese have taken the art of lunch box prep to…well, artistic new heights. Some schools have forbidden students from bringing their own lunchboxes in order to prevent jealousy and bullying among classmates (let’s face it, when you have a nation of largely stay-at-home moms, things can get pretty competitive in regards to child rearing).

 

This practice is less enforced at the high school level, and I am often impressed with the lunch boxes some of my students bring to school (and less impressed with my male coworkers who seem to either scarf down a single Cup Noodle or rely on their wife to make their lunches). Thanks to their artistry, and a delicious winter meal I had with my friend L before Christmas, I got to thinking, “Why can’t I make a bento?”.

 

To tell the truth, I do often bring my lunch to school, although it’s usually half-haphazardly thrown together with whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. A bento, on the other hand, is something that is prepared specifically for lunch. As part of my New Year Resolution to start trying recipes, JustBento.com came into my life precisely when I needed inspiration.

Clockwise from top:Kinpia Gobo, Tamagoyaki (rolled egg omelet) with genmai (brown rice) and hijiki, a small side salad, and kimchi plus homemade takuan!

 

The first thing I made was a side dish called “Kinpira Gobo”, or stir fried carrot and burdock root. Stores carry pre-packaged kinpira, but a few meals worth isn’t worth the convenience (in my opinion). A carrot and a slice of burdock together are maybe $2, and I had the rest of the necessary stuff in my pantry. Burdock is packed with fiber, it’s crunchy and the kinpira recipe is a bit spicy, so it winds up making a really delicious side and a healthy snack option.

 

A light lunch consisting of tofu garnished with leek, some cherry tomatoes, simmered pumpkin, kinpira gobo and smoked salmon

Additionally, I threw a jar of what appears to be bright yellow toxic waste into the fridge. It will continue to sit there until it decides to listen and absorb all the flavors that I ask of it. It's called “Takuan”, and is pickled Daikon, or giant radish. I feel in love with the stuff while at L’s house, and was disappointed when I saw that buying pre-made was close to $3. A bit of daikon at the store is less than a dollar! I found the pickling recipe and threw everything together. I may have to try again and make some adjustments to the sugar, salt and vinegar combination, but so far it’s been fun. My coworkers have been impressed that I’m taking more of an interest in cooking Japanese food. And why shouldn’t I? I’m here, I find cooking therapeutic, and I love trying new foods. It makes perfect sense to try and master this all before moving back to ‘Merica!

Praha!

I spent the majority of my winter holiday in Switzerland yodeling, herding sheep and trying to find elusive St. Bernards with brandy around their necks, but there was one other place I decided I absolutely had to visit: Prague.

 

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is beautiful beyond words. I recall first seeing images of it in a music video I watched in high school by my then favorite band, HIM (“The Sacrament” if anyone is curious). The city’s architecture is a plethora of Gothic, Renaissance, Romanesque, Moorish and much more, however they all blend together to make a magnificent city.

 

I’ve dreamed of going to Prague since I saw that music video and was ecstatic to finally be making it a reality. The city did not disappoint, even though it was at the tail end of my trip and I was tired and low on money. 

The highlights of included: walking across the Charles Bridge (named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor), eating more kinds of meat and biscuits in 2 days than I have in months (rabbit is delightful!), seeing the defenestration windows in the Palace (did you know that Prague is one of the defenestration- the act of being forcibly hurled from a window, usually by an incited mob- capitals of the world?) and going to the Alphonse Mucha museum (my favorite artist!).

Charles Bridge, looking back to Prague Castle

The Astrological Clock in the Old Town

 I wish that I had been able to spend more time there with more money because there were some excellent looking day trips offered by the tourist council that went outside of Prague, such as one to a concentration camp. 

A Christmas market in the square near The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

  Prague was just as beautiful and charming as I had always been told it was, despite the crowds of Russian tourists and the globs of vendors trying to sell cheap trinkets. The Czech Republic has really only opened up its doors to tourism in the past 20 years or so, so the tourism infrastructure hasn’t matured yet to the same level of other major cities in Europe.

My face the entire time I was in Prague

   One day I will go back, if only to have a cup of coffee and meander along the Charles Bridge once more.

A Miss in Swiss

First and foremost, I wish you all a belated Happy New Year!

 

In Japan, the Year of the Dragon is over and we’re now welcoming the Year of the Snake. All of the traditional New Year’s cards, called Nengajo, have lots of cute little snake motifs and designs on them. My favorite design was a pair of snakes holding hammers in their tails and pounding mocha together- a traditional new year activity.

 

Of course, Christmas and New Year meant winter break, and winter break always means that I go on a long trip. This year, I was feeling a bit “Asia’d Out” so I packed my bags and headed to Switzerland in hopes of a good time and meeting up with some friends.

 

Zurich

I haven’t been to Europe since my high school graduation trip of 2006 and I’ve matured a lot as a traveler since that whirlwind packaged adventure. This time around, I leisured in the fact that I could wake up whenever I wanted, eat wherever I wanted, and see whatever I wanted.

Something I had forgotten about, however, was money. Switzerland was by far the most expensive place I have been to. I had way more sticker shock in Zurich than I did in Australia. The Swiss do have a pretty awesome standard of living, which is reflective in the prices of daily items, but it’s still not a place for a backpacker on a budget.

The Astrological Clock, Bern

That said, the country is beautiful and people are friendly. I don’t speak German, I can’t even pretend to speak German, but most people there are comfortable fluidly switching into English. I also can’t ski, so you’re probably asking what on earth I did there for 2 weeks. Basically, I walked. A lot. I explored the cities of Zurich, Basel, Bern and Interlaken on foot. Zurich is sprawling but charming. Basel has a hippy, artsy vibe to it. Bern is stunning with its sandstone buildings, winding river and Alps in the background. Interlaken was breathtaking, nestled at the foot of the Bernese Alps and between 2 glassy, clear lakes. 

Lake Thun, Interlaken

 

Chocolate was nibbled, cheese fondue was gorged on, and sausage was savored. Money was spent and money was saved by eating breakfast and dinners in at the hostels I stayed at.

 

Christmas morning was spent meandering around the quiet streets of Basel before my friend M and I sat in on a church service in the main cathedral. I was hoping to at least be familiar with the hymns but even those were different. The only thing I recognized was the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the service as the whole congregation stood up.

 

New Year’s Eve was spent in Interlaken with a bunch of new Australian friends, dancing the night away at a club that was conveniently located in the basement of our hostel. We’d even found a cheap bottle of champagne to celebrate (no small feat since the Swiss like to close up shop several days before and after holidays, and on Sundays regardless of religious holiday).

Staubbach Falls, Lautterbrunnen

Sadly, I was unable to meet up with either one of my friends in Switzerland, but in the end I still had a wonderful time. Don’t let Switzerland’s (true) reputation for being expensive stop you from ever visiting the country-it is absolutely worth it!

The Most Isolated Continent

After spending 10 days being a lump in San Diego, I packed my bags again and began the (very) long journey to my next destination: Australia.

I’d spent hours in the spring pouring over places I wanted to go, until I found a great deal on multicity tickets from Tokyo to LA to Sydney and back. It would have been foolish to pass them up. It was probably the proudest moment of my Deal Seeking life!

So, I jetted off to the land of marsupials, monotremes, sunshine and red dirt.

First stop: Sydney!

My first impression was that the city was strangely reminiscent of San Diego. At first I found this a little disappointing, but by the time I moved on a few days later I had come to see the differences.

The people, oh the people. Maybe I was more outgoing because this was my first trip flying completely solo, but I expect that Australians, in general, are just plain friendlier than most people I’ve met on my travels.

This guy has a pretty good...Koality of life!

The customs officers gave me recommendations on where to get a taste of kangaroo (Kangaroo Pizza at the Australian Hotel, by the way, was fabulous!), and which areas to go to and avoid. The waitress at a café near my hostel and I chatted for a good 15 minutes about Japan and how she used to work there. A lovely couple at a restaurant struck up a conversation with me and were awestruck that I was traveling alone, and then looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my forehead when I told them the next stop on my trip was the tablelands of New South Wales. That’s like the equivalent of showing up in LA as a first timer and then saying you’re looking forward to going to Montana.

And that was just in Sydney.

My kangaroo pizza. Delicious, but extortionate.

I enjoyed the feel of the city, but it was incredibly expensive! A bottle of water cost $3 wherever I looked. Cafes and restaurants, while delicious, were pricey as well. I ended up making a few meals at the hostel, which turned out to be a blessing since I was then socializing with other travelers, several of whom I connected to really well.

Of course I saw the tourist sites! The Sydney Opera House was massive and beautiful. The Australian museum was informative and I geeked out for several hours there. The aquarium and mini-zoo next door were both entertaining and well maintained. I’m still upset that the platypus was too shy to make an appearance in her exhibit though. My entire vacation would have been platyperfect if I had seen a live platypus! I made sure to go to a beach as well, as no trip to Australia would be complete without seeing some surfers and waves.

I walked so much. Tokyo gave me a good practice run.

Just keep swi-er, walking. Walk those Sydney streets!

By the time I needed to leave Sydney, I was torn. I wanted to move on and see my friend J, but I didn’t want to leave my new hostel friends. And there was still so much left to experience in the city.

I was once told that it’s wiser to leave a place when you still feel like it’s too soon than to end up wishing you had left earlier. Those feelings make you want to come back. And go back I shall, one day.

Flying: Much safer than the shortcut at Satan's Ridge and Suicide Trail

Next stop, the boonies of New South Wales!

O-Town

It crept up on me again. The insatiable wanderlust I’ve had for as long as I can remember. Even if doctors find a cure for it one day, I will refuse any and all treatment. Traveling and exploring and experiencing are when I feel most alive.

For St. Patrick’s Day weekend I flew down to Osaka to meet up with some friends. I hadn’t seen Meagan since our India experience (there’s no other way to describe that trip), and I hadn’t seen Joey since Tokyo Orientation and the Los Angeles Pre-Departure hotel party in a bathroom that had a tub full of ice and alcohol.

Almost the instant Meagan and I were reunited at the airport we started acting like our normal, ridiculous selves. Poor Joey had to put up with it for the next 4 days, but in the end he joined the Dark Side and participated in the ruckus!

Osaka is a crazy city. To quote, albeit with some minor changes, “you will never find a more wretched hive of hedonism and debauchery”. Osaka made its mark as a merchant city. As such, back in the day money changed hands quickly and the city grew to be one that took pleasure in earthly delights-namely food. Nowadays it’s well known for delicious street food, dance clubs, business, host clubs, hostess clubs and being a great stepping stone into the Kansai region. It’s bright, it’s loud, it’s dirty (by Japanese standards) and its atmosphere is gloriously laid back and fun in comparison with snooty, uptight Tokyo to the north.

I loved it, yet I wouldn't want to live there.

Throwing salt to purify the ring

Are you not entertained?!

 Our first day, our trio went and saw Sumo with a big group of JETs from Wakayama. This was my second time viewing the sport, and I definitely liked it better this time around. I was very surprised to see that there were quite a few foreign wrestlers in the ring. It’s been a trend over the past few years that the top wrestlers have been Mongolian, but at this particular event there were at least 5 in the more serious matches. 

The evening was spent getting dressed up, coordinating with Meagan’s Kagoshima JET friends and going in search of an Irish bar for St. Patrick’s Day. Eventually, we found a place where we could have a few drinks, then stumbled our way to late night karaoke.

Interesting Teigan Trivia: I do not pride myself on my math skills, but apparently a little alcohol and a lot of sleepiness make me gifted. We took a taxi home early Sunday morning and I was sleeping for most of it. The moment the car stopped moving and the driver told us our total my head snapped up and I spouted out what each of us owed individually. Then promptly went back to sleep.

Sunday was spent sleeping in and slowly exploring the city. We managed to drag ourselves through the rain and go to Osaka Castle, which is very beautiful on the outside but, in my opinion, lacks a certain authenticity inside. I wasn’t keen on paying to go inside, so we ended up meandering around the grounds and eating Sakura (Cherry Blossom) flavored ice cream. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

Osaka castle

I put on my Tour Guide Teigan glasses on Monday and herded the gang into Kyoto. Although the sakura weren’t blooming, we still found the place lovely. As we strolled through the old entertainment district, Gion, we spotted several maiko and Geisha. Their kimono, hair, and make up are all simply breathtaking.

Entrance gate to Kiyomizudera

A maiko on her way to work in Gion

The highlight of the trip for me personally was the quick visit we made to the Human Rights Museum in Osaka. Understand that no country is perfect (the United States in particular has yet to own up to several events that I personally find abhorrent), but sometimes Japan comes off as this blessedly perfect nation rich in cultural heritage and history.

To put it bluntly, denial, apathy and cultural nationalism are largely responsible for this. It’s a long discussion to get started with, and I doubt anyone really reads this anyway so I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty. Suffice to say Japan has a legacy of discrimination against ethnic minorities, indigenous groups, women, homosexuals, the physically and mentally handicapped, people living with HIV/AIDS, Atomic Bomb survivors (possibly the biggest WTF moment), Hansen’s Disease sufferers, and the homeless.

As such, this museum is probably the only one of its kind in Japan dedicated to discrimination. I had wanted to visit the past 2 times I’ve been in Osaka, but the timing never worked out.

Unfortunately, we were rather rushed because we had made lunch plans. However, the volunteers who staffed the exhibits were incredibly knowledgeable and kind, and despite most of the plaques having only Japanese explanations, there were subtitled videos and an English audio guide. Overall, it was really worth it to at least glean a little bit more information about how some of the aforementioned groups live in Japan and what steps they are taking in order to be seen as equals within society.

Our long weekend adventure had perfect timing to cheer me up after a stressful few weeks. I met new people, reconnected with others, ate some scrumptious food, and had a memorable time in the den of debauchery known as Osaka.

Stupid Cupid

Valentine’s Day was last week. Officially, it was my first Valentine’s Day in Japan, since I was conveniently traipsing through Cambodian jungles at the time of my study abroad. That ought to tell you something about what I view as romantic…

V-Day in Japan is a bit different than in the west. Perhaps it’s because this is still a patriarchal society, or because the Japanese are not predisposed to overt gestures of love- who knows? Anyway, it is customary for ladies to bake or make sweet treats for their men on Valentine’s Day.

To an extent, this goes on in the workplace with 義理/Giri/Obligation chocolates. You can usually tell who the popular stud in the office is based on the number of colorful little bags on his desk.

W-sensei

At Iwatsuki, it was the ever-adorable W-sensei. Not surprising, considering he’s the youngest guy in the staffroom.

So, due to this whole “Guys get chocolate, ladies make chocolate” scenario, I wasn’t honestly expecting anything. From the love of my heart, not due to obligation, I made two pans of chocolate chip brownies with dried cherries added in. They were a hit, and I was finally able to prove to my coworkers that, yes, I can cook! And they were kind enough to remind me that I will indeed make a good housewife one day….(sigh).

My students, on the other hand, apparently like me at least half as much as I like them; before the day was over, I had a small mountain of sweets on my desk. More than W-sensei. Take that!

Let's have some om-noms!

Ladies get their own chocolate back-sometimes out of love, sometimes out of obligation- on March 14^th, White Day. White Day is a strictly Japanese invention, and when I first heard about it, I was a bit perplexed. Why not just keep Valentine’s Day and make it for both sexes? It’s practically become that in the US anyway, although the lads do bear a bit more of the expectations….Poor dears.

Oh, wait, what do I mind? Chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate!