Jenny's Visit 3

Hey! Back again (life is busy). Tomorrow I am going to Kagoshima, Japan. And on Sunday morning I am leaving for Yakushima. Yakushima is a place I have been dying to go to since day one here. Check out this blog about it: click.

But back to Jenny's visit. Like I said, we went hiking around the famous mountainous area called Arashiyama, in Kyoto Japan.

It was beautiful. But even up in the mountains we found vending machines. :)

Nice sunset after hitting up the International Manga Museum.

We took the train from Kyoto to Osaka for dinner. Jenny tried real Osaka-style okonomiyaki. I guess you can call it a hearty Japanese pancake. There is Osaka style and Hiroshima style. They compete. Jenny later tried Hiroshima style, but she couldn't tell which one she liked better because she disliked them both. I too hated Okonomiyaki when I first came to Japan. But now I love and crave it.

And back to Hofu we go!!

We had a hanami party in honor of my sister being in town. But it was still cold, and even rainy...so we set up our hanami time under a ...thing. The Sakura hadn't bloomed yet, and it was pretty cold to enjoy the day, but we did it!

Hanami parties are always potluck style. Japanese strawberries are the best. I never want to eat an American strawberry again. No flavor!!

It was fun! I'm happy all my friends came for my sister. And then they came again for when Kyle visited me in Japan! People just like to hanami though....

Now, I gotta pack more for Yakushima.

Y A K U S H I M A ! ! ! !

Jenny's Visit 2

I spoke yesterday about my sister and I going to "Sanzoku"..an excellent restaurant and landmark in Iwakuni, Japan. This post begins just there. From Sanzoku, our beautiful friend Yumi dropped us off at the nearest Shinkansen (bullet train) station, and we went directly up to Kyoto, Japan.

The children in front of us for a couple of stops were the cutest kids ever. hehe

By the way, I'm going to insert here that bullet train travel is really something else. What is it called in the U.S. again? I know there is some kind of huge debate over this, but I'm totally on the side of bring this transportation system in America. Japan's public transportation is a billion times more convenient than in America. If I wanted to, I could easily get anywhere I wanted to go in Japan, without a car. I hate that I need my car in the U.S. I'm determined to use my car MUCH less when I return to California. I'll figure out what meager system there is, and buy a good bike.

Oh, yes, what was I talking about? Kyoto.... :)

It took us way too long to find our hostel. The subway took us within a 2 minute walk of the hostel, but when I called she confused me by telling me to cross the street. No street needed to be crossed! haha. It was a very nice hostel though. We had a private room, for about 25 bucks each. I guess the only thing that makes hostels different from your average hotel is that you have to make your own bed....and the common area is way better than anywhere. And it's cheaper.

This (above) was our first meal in Kyoto, a Italian restaurant attached to the hostel. We made friends with the waiter above. I know, I know....why eat Italian in Kyoto!? You don't understand how tired we were after finding this place. Japan is way more advanced in terms of public transportation, but there is no such thing as a simple street address!!!!!

Oh, speaking of the common area in our hostel...it was equipped with 6 totally free computers, a big screen TV hooked up to an X360/PS3 with dozens of games, couches, books, food (pay a bit on the honor system), etc. If all hostels were like this one, I'd never pay for a hotel again in my life. And I'd travel alone, since making friends with other hostel-goers in the common room is bomb.

Our first morning in Kyoto, we checked out the maps, and decided to visit Arashiyama (storm mountain).

But first--breakfast/lunch!

Here's my sister's first time eating cold soba. It's my favorite Japanese food. Only when it's cold. I don't like hot soba! You dip the cold noodles in a wasabi mixture thing.

Then we hopped on a bus that took us 45 min. to Arashiyama at the very west side of the city.

Here is one of the scenes in the Arashiyama area. But more about that in a future (perhaps tomorrow??) post!

Cheers, friends!

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Whoop! I thought I was done. But here this picture is. So I suppose I'm not. haha. Might as well leave this picture here, because I don't know if it will fit anywhere else. I'm not going to do a whole post on the Kyoto International Manga Museum. So anyways, we also went to the Kyoto International Manga Museum (the day after going to Arashiyama). It was pretty interesting. I'm not a manga person, but I could appreciate it's history and facts about it. I did not realize what a big enterprise it is....how much money goes into it, and how much money it makes every year. The amount is huge. Manga is not just for kids. I'd say it's mostly NOT for kids. Just like video gaming. Gamers are not children. I may not like manga, but I consider myself a gamer!

Okay, bye again!!!

Jenny's Visit 1

My sister came to visit me in Japan a little while back. The very first day we arrived, many of my students wanted to meet her. I think about 20 students showed up to eat dinner together. My sister is such a trooper....staying up despite Jet lag and having a great time at the dinner! She may look a little uninterested in the photo below, but trust me, she had a GREAT time with my students. At least with 3 out of the 4 tables we all occupied. One table was acting a little too cool for school, but even they had fun :)

Peace and love to Japan in this difficult time...

My sister fell asleep nicely after our dinner, and after a good 12 hour block of sleep, her jet lag was non-existent. So we went to lunch in the famous Sanzoku restaurant. I thought I may have blogged about Sanzoku before, but I can't quickly locate any such post...so I'll tell you that Sanzoku means "pirate" and this Pirate restaurant, up in the mountains is more like a mini-amusement park. There are so many photo ops there, from serious beautiful scenery, to taking your picture with sushi that is 3 meters tall.

Sanzoku is famous for it's chicken and it's onigiri (rice balls). The rice balls actually became so famous, that at least in Yamaguchi--7/11's or/and Lawsons, Family Mart (these are the 3 big convenience store chains) sell them. If you know anything about onigiri...wait, you can easily find out here: click. But if you know anything about onigiri, toss those notions out the window. Because Sanzoku's onigiri is 3 or 4 times the size and has 3 big helpings of 3 different fillings!

Also, as you can see, you eat the chicken on a stick...just like a pirate! (I ate fish on a stick).

Above: Chicken on a Stick, cooked over charcoal. Anybody who's anybody over here knows about Sanzoku chicken. :)

More on my sister's trip later! Have a great day guys!

200th post..need $200 more dollars!

Hey guys! My race (5k) is tomorrow morning. I was really hoping to make it to $500 raised for Japan disaster relief. Please help out if you can. $5 is all I'm asking for....

donate here

I have a feeling that the devastation is now being totally ignored in the American media. Can't be sure since I'm not there.....but please please please read this:

Drowning Hearts at Lady River

Read that entire thing, and then I dare you not to donate.

Japan needs your help.

Thank you so much to those of who have already donated. After tomorrow's run, I promise to get back to normal posts.

Sincerely,

Steffie

English Camp

One thing that I am really going to miss about my job is English camp!

I know it's been a while, but I just wanted to say how fun these two days are. My school has English camp during the second week in December every year. It takes a lot of planning, which I am a major part of. It's a pretty stressful time of life, there in early December...but it was well worth it. I am expected to plan everything except the actual schedule. For example: all the group games. I am to coordinate with the other invited ALTs on what activities we will do, etc.

Well, no more.

Sigh, while I get sad about me leaving.

I think Christina is going over scoring for our speech and recitation contest at the camp. I had to recuse myself from scoring and judge discussion because I am the teacher of all these kids...but it was tough! (Oh, I guess I can't say "these" kids because I can't put photos of them up..... the kids. The awesome kids you can't see... )

This year's after camp Enkai was very very cool! We ate at my favorite Korean restaurant (Mana) and all the ALTs and Japanese teachers of English bonded, playing truth and dare, amongst other things. You always gotta love not-quite-professional truth and dare!

I hope whomever my successor is has a fun time with English camp, and does a great job with it! I have spies (Brent, Christina and Erez will all still be around for the next Hofu English camp).

Kokura City

It's that time of year again! Sakura season! (Cherry Blossom season!) It has come late this year, and is still not fully in bloom here where I live. But I was able to go "sakura viewing" on Tuesday when I was farther south, dropping off my boyfriend at the airport. The season (generally about 3 weeks long in any given place) flows northward little by little. It's my dream to one day follow the sakura, up throughout all of Japan.

Sakura is one of those things that you can not adequately describe. It's one of those things that makes you hate photography. Nothing can possibly catch the beauty of Sakura season here in Japan.

I am returning home this summer, but it was am impossibly difficult decision because I am so in love with Japan. One of my top 2 reasons to stay in Japan was because... I simply can't imagine never seeing sakura in Japan again. I can't imagine a life where spring passes, and I don't get to witness anything so beautiful.

You may think I'm a big goop if you haven't seen it. If you live here in Japan, you know exactly what I mean.

So, I dropped off my boyfriend in the morning, but decided to travel home on a ticket that gives unlimited local railway travel. So instead of paying 70 bucks to get home, I paid 20, but it would take 4 times as long, with 3 transfers. But the good thing about this special ticket, which is only sold 4 weeks out of the year, is that you can use it all day long. Usually if you have a ticket from point A to point D, you can not get off and look around at B or C.

But I could. So one of the places I hopped off was at Kokura. I have been to Kokura once before, but only to watch a movie, that wasn't playing anywhere else. I will refrain from naming the movie (*cough cough Twilight-New Moon).

I decided to get off here mostly because I had just learned that Kokura was also a target of the 1945 atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kokura--just one Shinkansen stop away from me, could have been destroyed. Except it was a cloudy day, and the plane got diverted. I read about all this only a few days before on a trip to Hiroshima's Peace Museum with my boyfriend. Something as simple as a layer of clouds protected thousands upon thousands of people.

I decided to go to Kokura Castle, because I had never been on that side of the station, and the map showed a river and it seemed like an okay idea. I almost just got right back on the next train. I don't really care about castles.

Wow.

What a sight. The entire area that the castle was in was full of Sakura trees and Hanami parties.

Hanami parties are a famous thing in Japan. You gather your friends. You get a blanket or a "blue sheet" (a tarp....but 'blue sheet' is ubiquitous here). You find a good spot under the cherry blossoms. And you eat, drink and be merry. One the picture above, the little group actually has a little barbecue going. Public drinking in Japan is legal, so many groups were fun and rowdy. I actually bought myself a half a dozen takoyaki (octopus balls), and stuck myself under a tree, while trying to hold back emotion. Emotion from having all my senses overwhelmed from the beauty (and maybe from having to say goodbye to Kyle too!)

The thing I loved about being there is that no one was in a hurry. It's about 1pm on a school day/workday.....but the people that are there are there on purpose. No one is cutting through the park after misjudging the line at the bank and running back to work from their lunch break. No one is fighting. No one brought a big loud boom box with crude music for their party. The focus of everyone's party are the blossoms. Period. Everyone is looking up.

Old, young, lovers, friends, moms, babies, dogs,....everyone is looking up. Trying, like me to snap the best picture possible to show off...all knowing that it's a futile cause.

I may be returning to California. But Japan is my home too. And this will not be my last Sakura viewing.

May the blossoms be of some comfort to those in the disaster stricken area, as soon as Sakura season reaches there... My heart is still with the Tohoku region.

Here is this years Sakura forecast: Click.