Oh my word, I have a job?

The fun thing about teaching overseas is usually the funny things my students write on their papers.

Things like “My father, who likes cheese, makes me happy”. For a while, I kept track of every silly and hilarious non sequitur I came across but I soon realized that I would spend more time logging them than actually instructing.

I enjoy my job, although sometimes the slow months wear too slowly and I find myself frustrated at “the system”. It’s particularly tough because there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it or influence it.

However, as I’m sure anyone in the teaching profession will tell you, the students are what make the days of tedious grading, planning, and desk warming worth it. 

The current fad for school kids is to take photos like this, recreating an attack from the popular anime "Dragon Ball"

 I teach at 3 senior high schools in Saitama Prefecture. One is within walking distance from my apartment in Iwatsuki which is great for the snow days we had this spring. It focuses on International Culture, so there is a 3 year course dedicated to furthering internationalization. Additionally, there are more foreign-born and mixed raced students at this school.

My second school is a Commercial High School located a few stops down my train line. When the weather is nice I usually bike the 25 minutes or so to that school. Most of the students enter the workfield straight after graduation, so English isn’t necessarily a priority for them. They are all excellently behaved and the staff is quite laid back at that school. Plus, there is a friendly calico kitty that hangs out around the houses across the street from the school. Seeing her before or after class always cheers me up.

My third school is a standard, run of the mil high school. Most students don’t go on to university, but they don’t enter white collar jobs either. It’s the farthest away with a 20 minute train ride and then a 10 minute bicycle ride from the station. There isn’t much else except rice fields, a convenience store, and a few fast food joints around. This is the school I’ve had the most problems with during my time on JET; I am expected to come up with games and lesson plans without the aid of a computer or internet, some of the staff blatantly take advantage of having me in the classroom and don’t lift a finger to help or participate, and the communication so poor that I often have no idea what I’m walking in to.

This spring, the staff at the school shocked me by acting incredibly friendly and outgoing towards me. There is a new principal who likes to chat occasionally in English, and the art teacher and I have become friends. In fact, he encouraged me to come to the art club after school! So, for the first time in a long time, I am painting again. It’s so wonderful. I wish I was there more often!

Ladies and gentlemen, how we get to school. We fly.

Next up, Golden Week shenanigans! Or should I say Shanainigans…?

Cooking and Bento

I think a few entries back I talked about cooking. Well, I’m going to talk about it some more, so I hope you have a snack in hand!

The first year I ever lived alone I dropped a significant amount of weight. Most of it problem had to do with the fact that I was a broke exchange student who could barely afford to buy the mushy head of cabbage on sale, but a lot of it also was because I had no idea what I was doing. Some of my more notorious lunches at home in San Diego consisted of an entire box of Mac N’ Cheese, or baby carrots with peanut butter and Poptarts, or a whole can of Bush’s Baked Beans-I want my retroactively throttle myself too. Suffice to say, my year abroad taught me how to cook on a budget. A very tight budget.

Now that I actually have a salary, I’m a bit more lax about paying extra for good produce (except the $30 watermelons), and since New Year I have made a conscious effort to up the ante on my diet.

I’m proud to say that my meat consumption has dropped, I seldom eat any sort of refined or processed foods, and sugary snacks are a thing of the past. Occasionally I DO get a craving, and I will usually go with it. Thing is, my body feels better for it. I also haven’t gotten sick nearly as often as I did in the years past, despite working with diseased teenagers.

Last week, while perusing a department store’s going out of business sale, I decided to treat myself to a new bento box (They wanted $19, I got it for $11!). I have since used it every day to pack myself a yummy, healthy lunch that is devoid of the fried, greasy and mayonnaise laden foods typically found in my school’s purchaseable lunch order.

This is shrimp, so not meatless. It was an unusual bento day.

 Cooking in a Japanese kitchen is not without its challenges; I have approximately 2 square feet of countertop. It’s just big enough to put a cutting board on. I have 2 gas burners, one of which is designed to turn itself off if it thinks you are cooking too long. Cookies, cakes, brownies and all things baked are done in my convection oven that doubles as a microwave. I didn’t have a toaster until recently, so all toasting was carried out by the fish broiler. My crockpot has been a godsend (Thanks, mom!) and I used it a lot this winter for all sorts of things. 

Oh, remember what I said about meat? I meant it when I said I consumed less, although that’s also because the cuts of meat available here are pretty limited. No turkey, and no lamb. It’s a cruel world. Tons of pork, however I’m not a huge fan of pork, and beef is extortionate. What’s an omnivore to do?

My roommate and I decided to make an order with “The Meat Guy”, an online English meat seller. They are a bit pricey, but the quality and selection is fantastic. We ordered a 3kg (6 lbs) “Mystery Box” and crossed our fingers.

I was pleasantly surprised! There was only 1 item that I think may have to be given away-and that was beef tendon. Unless…anyone have ideas for cooking tendon? The rest of the stuff was exciting: beef tongue, 6 pork chops, 2 kinds of sausage meat, 3 all-beef sausage links, a rack of spare ribs, a crocodile leg, ground camel, and ground kangaroo.

No one sells buns either, so we made do with a baguette.

What to do with Roo? Simple. Meatloaf, my dear friends! Oh my, were we the talk of the staff room when we brought that in! And then we made some Roo burgers to finish it off. Yum yum!

Spring, Sakura, and Pre-Industrial Revolution Heating Standards

 After a longer-than-intended hiatus, and some threats made by my Grandmother over my lack of updates, I’m back!

Spring has sprung here in the Kanto area. Clothes hung out to dry now do so in one day instead of two, my electric blanket has stayed off for a while now, I can no longer see my breath inside my apartment, and the sakura had their week or so of beauty before littering the ground with pink.

He enjoyed the "Blossom Parties" a bit too much....

Spring Break was rather lackluster this year. In 2012, my mom and brother came out and their visit relieved me of a lot of boredom. This year, my housemate flew back home for week, no one visited, and there was nothing to occupy my mind except pictures of cats in Halloween costumes and other treasure troves of the internet.

I sneaked out for long lunches almost daily-at least, on the days when the weather was nice. It rained a lot this March, shortening the life of the sakura, and giving me a case of cabin fever every time I went to the office. You see, teachers don’t actually get Spring Break off here. Despite having nothing to do, if I wanted to take time off I would have to use my vacation time. All fine and dandy, except I need those days to escape the unbearable heat of the summer and visit home again! 

It was hard. I fought a tough battle on the brink of insanity. I prevailed. A few days of good weather managed to be snagged, and picnics were enjoyed before eventually being rained out.

The best part about spring isn’t the new school year and the excitement (read:panic) of new classes, but is in fact the realization that I no longer have to have bubble wrap taped to my windows, nor do I have to brave the cold and bike to the gas station to fill up a container of kerosene for my heater.

Behold, the holy grail of heating

I kid you not. These are Japanese heating methods. Yes, the country that has one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world, the country that churns out robots and levitating vacuums and coffee makers that do your taxes-it really, really sucks at efficient heating methods.

Every window I have ever seen in a private residence has been single pane and poorly fitted. My own window has a draft along the top seal, and I stuffed it full of bubble wrap and tape last autumn. It helped a little, I think, but the heat loss is incredible.

There is also little-to-no insulation between the walls, and central heating unheard of outside of hotel rooms. Instead, the most cost effective way to heat an area is via a kerosene heater. I’m used to it now, and in some ways the smell of a kerosene heater is becoming positively associated in my brain with warmth and comfort, but there’s still the worry of, say, carbon monoxide poisoning. And random explosions. Always the explosions.

My personal favorite piece of heating is the kotatsu. It’s genius, really. It’s a low wooden table with an electric heater built into the underside, topped with a quilt. Many lazy afternoons and evenings have been spent snuggled under its warmth watching Dr. Who. People have been using this system of heat source+blanket for centuries, but it didn’t make the switch from coal to electricity until mid 20^th century. In the dead of winter, I find myself thinking how awesome it would be to take a kotatsu home, and then it hits me: Central heating will trump any necessity for a kotatsu. 

Look at these hipsters, being all warm and insulated.

Ah, well, until next winter, dear kotatsu.

Kotatsu Kitty's hobbies include: eating tangerines, drinking crappy beer, and catching colds
from napping under those fuzzy blankets

 p.s. When asked about why Japan has all this cool technology but never applies it efficiently, the answer was, “Japanese people don’t want life to be too easy. We would feel bad otherwise”. Take that to mean what you will!

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.

Schneefall and Snowfall

It suddenly hit me that I only blog when I’ve traveled. How did that happen? Somehow, things which my family and friends back home probably find extraordinary have become ordinary to me. I am going to make it a point to blog more about non-travel events and ideas…After I tell you about my run in with the Yamagata Snow Monsters!

 

Yamagata is located in Tohoku, south of Akita, and was virtually unscathed by the Earthquake/Tsunami of 2011 since it’s on the western, China-facing coast. As part of my “Be Physically Present in All Prefectures of Japan” Goal, I went up there over the recent 3 day weekend with The Guy.  

Knowing that Yamagata is about as far from the buzzing metropolis of Tokyo as you can get, we armed ourselves with thermal socks, coats and a plethora of action movies in case we were snowed in (We weren’t, but we watched T2:Judgment Day anyway).

 

The shinkansen ride was 2 hours long, and we passed through really pretty snow covered countryside. Being the southern California girl that I am, I still get over-excited by snow (That fascination wore off after The Guy swept his arms through waist high snow and hit me square in the face with a wave of the stuff). Yamagata City was small, even for a capital city, and fairly quiet. Our first day there we wandered to the old castle grounds, and then went to a mountainside temple complex called Yamadera. There are close to 1000 steps leading to the main temple at the top, and the ticket lady cheerfully told us to “Watch your step, it’s a bit slippery”.

 

I suppose in Yamagata-speak, it was only a “bit” slippery, but there was still at least 4 inches of snow on the ground.
The main event of Yamagata was seeing the snow monsters! On a particular mountainside near Zao Ski Resort, a large amount of wet snow falls on the fir trees. The snow freezes into near-horizontal icicles and then further snow builds up, eventually coating the trees and making them look like lumbering giants. The Guy and I spent about 10 minutes outside admiring their other worldliness before the -7/ 19 degree weather (not including wind chill) made my feet so cold I could barely walk. The Guy was kind enough to rub my toes back to life in the lift café, but I was ready to go home afterwards. 

These guys grow up to be...

....these guys!

So, while Yamagata is a far cry from a bustling, adventure-around-every-corner prefecture, it was still nice to explore off the beaten track tourist sights. 

A near run in with hypothermia, but a successful trek!

As for my next entries, any suggestions? What would you like to hear about?

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!