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!

Leaving Sons

It’s been an interesting past few weeks, to say the least. I have definitely found myself longing for vacation, and at the same time not looking forward to the changes that are going to happen come the end of July.

My roommate is leaving. She’s going back to the UK to go back to school; she got in to her dream Ph.D. program with a full ride. I’m so proud of her. But the apartment will feel empty without her. Less tea will be made. Less Britishisms will be bestowed upon me.

On the business front, it’s going to be weird having 2 new people working in the Board of Education to be the overlords/advisors of all things Saitama. I grew quite fond of the two who are leaving, but their time on JET is up. I’m going to miss them and their guidance.

When I think about it, this whole counting-down-the-days business really reminds me of the end of high school, and the end of my study abroad program. Change is weird. Big changes are really weird. I know, I know, I’m not at all verbose (As an aside, I’m fairly certain living here and using so much simple English on a daily basis has regressed my vocabulary. I don’t think I’m nearly as eloquent as I used to be).

The fact of the matter is, since The Guy and my roommate and so many other JET Program participants I know are handing in their visas and going home this year, I feel the musty, sweaty breath of Time breathing down my own neck as well.

When I came to Japan 2 years ago, I had a very concrete idea of what I thought was supposed to happen-what I expected was going to happen. I was going to stay on JET for 3 years and hopefully be married or at least planning my wedding by now. I didn’t know what I was going to do once my 3 years had passed, but I figured I would be alright being a homemaker for a bit while working on improving myself and cultivating hobbies.

However, that wasn’t to be. I’m obviously seeing a new guy, and while I don’t know if I necessarily want to make a permanent return to the United States anytime soon, I now know for a fact that I don’t want to stay in Japan forever. Luckily, the guy and I seem to be on the same page about this.

It still doesn’t answer the bigger question of what the next plan is. I have no idea! And seeing people around me leaving, going home, moving on to new things, it makes me feel terribly inadequate that I haven’t found my niche yet. JET has been a wonderful, amazing experience, but it’s not a line of work I want to do forever. I’m sure my parents or some wise, sage folks in my life would point out that knowing what you DON’T want to do is just as helpful. They have a point, although it’s still very intimidating to consider that I have 13 months to get my life in order.

A lot of life changes happened within the first 6 months of being back in Japan, and having double that amount of time hypothetically should mean I will be ok. In the meantime, however, I’m distracting myself with all sorts of things!

My fellow Californian Kira-kira and I are going to be taking over as leaders of the Saitama AJET organization. Basically we work to connect our local group of JET participants with each other, with other JETs, and keep them informed of new changes and going ons of the program. The Guy was actually the previous leader of Saitama’s AJET; his enthusiasm is contagious and lord knows I am a meticulous planner and highly organized.

I’m also working out travel plans since I’ve been flooded with “OhmygodIonlyhaveayearleftwheredoIwanttogo?!” anxiety.

I’ve been doing training to become a volunteer for JETs.

I’ve been doing heaps of non-fiction reading, taking pleasure in learning new things and trying to see issues from different viewpoints.

I’m hoping to continue my Japanese study in the fall with a language and pedagogy course (allowing that I pass the test required to take the course).

And I signed up to be a volunteer for this summer’s Saitama Orientation. I’m looking forward to being a Mama Duck again and hopefully helping out some of the new arrivals in any way possible.

Next time I will try not to have a generic post. This one sort of ran away with me. I promise to stay on task!

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.

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!