Wednesday, November 14, 2007
no fun to be sick sick
For the few of you who still check this blog every once in awhile: sorry for the lack of updates recently! I've been sick and out of commission for a few weeks now. Sad to say inspiration and motivation have been quite lacking. However, things are on the mend, if slowly. Hopefully I will get up the rest of my Tibet travels soon!
Friday, October 12, 2007
media matters
Lewis Black and Stephen Colbert comment on recent ridiculousness surrounding a certain pin that a certain politician didn't wear. And on general hypocrisy and distraction in the Congress.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
journey to the west, part one
The first week in October was “National Day” (which was actually a week long), a holiday which doesn’t seem to have any particular significance outside of school being cancelled and everyone taking off to visit family or to do some sightseeing.
I decided to spend the week with a group of fellow CSA people going to visit an orphanage which CSA supports in Qinghai. Despite warnings that the trip would not necessarily be fun, that it could be “miserable,” I thought it would be a great opportunity to see more of the country and get a foot in the volunteer wagon.
The trip began with a 24-but-actually-turned-out-to-be-26 hour train ride from Beijing to Xining (city in Qinghai). We eight quickly got to know each other and assume our roles for the trip: The Han (the token among us), The Activist (one of my roommates in Beijing, also known as The Provider because she cooks for me), The Pacifist (because he never picks fights), The Belgian (aka Mama G), The Documenter (perhaps the instigator? he filmed it all), The Californian (“cool mom”), The Indian (she is also Pretty, for the record), and finally, The Yak (me).
The train ride was actually relatively comfortable if you could get past the squatters and the less-than-friendly staff. We met two young Tibetan monks (sharing an ipod) in the dining car who told us that Tibetans can eat meat if someone else kills the animal (and that someone else is apparently usually the local friendly Muslim butcher).
I was surprised to see that the majority of people in Xining appeared to be Muslim. Everywhere there were men wearing white skull caps and women sporting colorful scarves to cover their hair. Similar to Beijing, Xining seemed to be a city in transition – sidewalks torn up, uncovered manholes, construction sites with tents for the workers set up nearby. And yet there were many large and beautiful mosques, lots of shops and cafes, and plenty of areas where you could swear you were in any other modern city.
During our short stay in Xining (our final destination was Golog, a much smaller city that required an additional 12 hour bus ride) we visited the local temple, made friends with a Tibetan monk (who explained his choice to become a monk in quite practical terms—he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting with a wife and he could make enough money to get by), and visited one of the more upscale bars (where two of our group took part in a dance contest and won face cream, as well as local celebrity status—The Pacifist was recognized by two different people the next day at the temple).
It was in Xining that I first discovered that not everyone in China can speak Mandarin. For some reason I had been expecting that everyone would have at least limited knowledge of Chinese. However, when I tried to speak to monks at the temple I was usually greeted with a friendly smile and a headshake, "ting bu dong" ("I don't understand")--they only spoke Tibetan.
More to come about the trip soon – I’m behind on sleep, homework and blogging for the moment but I have every intention of catching up (in that order).
I decided to spend the week with a group of fellow CSA people going to visit an orphanage which CSA supports in Qinghai. Despite warnings that the trip would not necessarily be fun, that it could be “miserable,” I thought it would be a great opportunity to see more of the country and get a foot in the volunteer wagon.
The trip began with a 24-but-actually-turned-out-to-be-26 hour train ride from Beijing to Xining (city in Qinghai). We eight quickly got to know each other and assume our roles for the trip: The Han (the token among us), The Activist (one of my roommates in Beijing, also known as The Provider because she cooks for me), The Pacifist (because he never picks fights), The Belgian (aka Mama G), The Documenter (perhaps the instigator? he filmed it all), The Californian (“cool mom”), The Indian (she is also Pretty, for the record), and finally, The Yak (me).
The train ride was actually relatively comfortable if you could get past the squatters and the less-than-friendly staff. We met two young Tibetan monks (sharing an ipod) in the dining car who told us that Tibetans can eat meat if someone else kills the animal (and that someone else is apparently usually the local friendly Muslim butcher).
I was surprised to see that the majority of people in Xining appeared to be Muslim. Everywhere there were men wearing white skull caps and women sporting colorful scarves to cover their hair. Similar to Beijing, Xining seemed to be a city in transition – sidewalks torn up, uncovered manholes, construction sites with tents for the workers set up nearby. And yet there were many large and beautiful mosques, lots of shops and cafes, and plenty of areas where you could swear you were in any other modern city.
During our short stay in Xining (our final destination was Golog, a much smaller city that required an additional 12 hour bus ride) we visited the local temple, made friends with a Tibetan monk (who explained his choice to become a monk in quite practical terms—he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting with a wife and he could make enough money to get by), and visited one of the more upscale bars (where two of our group took part in a dance contest and won face cream, as well as local celebrity status—The Pacifist was recognized by two different people the next day at the temple).
It was in Xining that I first discovered that not everyone in China can speak Mandarin. For some reason I had been expecting that everyone would have at least limited knowledge of Chinese. However, when I tried to speak to monks at the temple I was usually greeted with a friendly smile and a headshake, "ting bu dong" ("I don't understand")--they only spoke Tibetan.
More to come about the trip soon – I’m behind on sleep, homework and blogging for the moment but I have every intention of catching up (in that order).
Thursday, September 27, 2007
wire mesh extravaganza
Having decided that tutoring English is most definitely not my calling in life, I've been searching for other means of supporting myself.
Last week I took a short, ahem, business trip, to attend the wire mesh capital of the world's 7th annual convention. Yes, I answered an add online to "earn 1000 rmb in a day" to pose as a Western businesswoman interested in wire mesh.
Nine other exotic foreigners and I were loaded onto a bus Thursday afternoon, carted to this little town of 320,000, put up in a fancy hotel, 'baijiu* and dined' with local businessmen, stood on stage for the opening ceremonies the next morning, toured the wire mesh convention, attended yet another banquet, got back on the bus and were back in Beijing by Friday evening, a taste of the *real* China under our belts and 1000 rmb richer for the trouble.
Thursday evening we went out on the town in search of KTV and wound up at the local evening dance party. They have these outside my apartment building as well -- kind of like a neighborhood get-together with ballroom dancing. Except when we showed up to this one someone changed the music to this awful rave techno music. A small mosh pit of sorts formed (with a larger circle of curious onlookers) around us. When we broke away the crowd actually followed us, taking pictures and trying to get us to come back.
I had more people come up and ask to take my picture in those two days then in all of my travelling in Asia thus far. I keep thinking -- where are all these pictures of me ending up?? I guess keep your eyes out on the internet...
Honestly I had mixed feelings about the whole experience. On the one hand I met a lot of interesting people (including one Swede who's lived here for almost 3 years and never had a real job, and at least half of them had been to this type of convention before). I also made a good amount of moolah and got to see a bit of the countryside. But at the same time, I couldn't quite kick the nagging feeling of guilt for leading these people on. Every time some hopeful-looking young person came up to me at the convention, handing me their business card and information packet, eager to practice their English, sometimes asking for a picture, they inevitably asked for my contact information...
On the other hand, it wasn't my idea -- someone much higher up than me was running the show. In the end we were just a form of entertainment, something to be gawked at, to play with. Now who's being objectified, who's being taken advantage of? Well, in the end I can't say I'm too worried about it. I think it was an interesting experience for everyone involved.
* baijiu is a Chinese liquor that tastes something like glorified rubbing alcohol. Apparently, being able to hold your baijiu bodes well for success in the business world here -- guess I won't be going too far.
Last week I took a short, ahem, business trip, to attend the wire mesh capital of the world's 7th annual convention. Yes, I answered an add online to "earn 1000 rmb in a day" to pose as a Western businesswoman interested in wire mesh.
Nine other exotic foreigners and I were loaded onto a bus Thursday afternoon, carted to this little town of 320,000, put up in a fancy hotel, 'baijiu* and dined' with local businessmen, stood on stage for the opening ceremonies the next morning, toured the wire mesh convention, attended yet another banquet, got back on the bus and were back in Beijing by Friday evening, a taste of the *real* China under our belts and 1000 rmb richer for the trouble.
Thursday evening we went out on the town in search of KTV and wound up at the local evening dance party. They have these outside my apartment building as well -- kind of like a neighborhood get-together with ballroom dancing. Except when we showed up to this one someone changed the music to this awful rave techno music. A small mosh pit of sorts formed (with a larger circle of curious onlookers) around us. When we broke away the crowd actually followed us, taking pictures and trying to get us to come back.
I had more people come up and ask to take my picture in those two days then in all of my travelling in Asia thus far. I keep thinking -- where are all these pictures of me ending up?? I guess keep your eyes out on the internet...
Honestly I had mixed feelings about the whole experience. On the one hand I met a lot of interesting people (including one Swede who's lived here for almost 3 years and never had a real job, and at least half of them had been to this type of convention before). I also made a good amount of moolah and got to see a bit of the countryside. But at the same time, I couldn't quite kick the nagging feeling of guilt for leading these people on. Every time some hopeful-looking young person came up to me at the convention, handing me their business card and information packet, eager to practice their English, sometimes asking for a picture, they inevitably asked for my contact information...
On the other hand, it wasn't my idea -- someone much higher up than me was running the show. In the end we were just a form of entertainment, something to be gawked at, to play with. Now who's being objectified, who's being taken advantage of? Well, in the end I can't say I'm too worried about it. I think it was an interesting experience for everyone involved.
* baijiu is a Chinese liquor that tastes something like glorified rubbing alcohol. Apparently, being able to hold your baijiu bodes well for success in the business world here -- guess I won't be going too far.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
general betray us
"General Petraeus has actually said American troops will need to stay in Iraq for as long as ten years."
Moveon.org published an add in the New York Times calling General Petraeus on his lies and inconsistencies regarding the "success" of the surge and the level of violence in Iraq. All independent sources in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi government, report that violence has increased and sectarian tensions have worsened in recent months. Actually, I'm amazed that the Times ran the add at all. See the add here.
FINally, voices for peace (which consist of at least 60% of the population according to recent polls) are making their way into the mainstream media and what does Congress do? Pass a resolution condemning the add. Absolutely ridiculous. The Congress is supposed to be a representative body, one of the representative bodies, of US citizens and yet when people everywhere are demanding that troops come home and we end this disgraceful war Congress doesn't just ignore those voices, they take it a step further by actively condemning them.
Go www.moveon.org and sign a statement to be sent to Congress to say that you will not be silenced.
Moveon.org published an add in the New York Times calling General Petraeus on his lies and inconsistencies regarding the "success" of the surge and the level of violence in Iraq. All independent sources in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi government, report that violence has increased and sectarian tensions have worsened in recent months. Actually, I'm amazed that the Times ran the add at all. See the add here.
FINally, voices for peace (which consist of at least 60% of the population according to recent polls) are making their way into the mainstream media and what does Congress do? Pass a resolution condemning the add. Absolutely ridiculous. The Congress is supposed to be a representative body, one of the representative bodies, of US citizens and yet when people everywhere are demanding that troops come home and we end this disgraceful war Congress doesn't just ignore those voices, they take it a step further by actively condemning them.
Go www.moveon.org and sign a statement to be sent to Congress to say that you will not be silenced.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
a clear day
My bike was stolen! Well. It would be more accurate to say, I can't find it. So I had to buy a new one. Apparently the "turn-over" rate for bikes is pretty high here. I have to admit I wasn't upset though for the excuse to go back to the bike seller down the street and attempt at conversation. *sigh* But, as new roommate A pointed out, it would never work -- two different worlds and all that.
The weather's been nasty these past few days. Rainy and chilly and with even more of the yellowy smoggish tint to the atmosphere. But today it finally cleared up and I had the lovely experience of looking up on my bike ride to school to see the mountains in the distance. It's easy to forget that anything exists outside of the city when you literally can't see past the city most of the time. I haven't decided if it was refreshing or depressing.
Back home furniture has been re-arranged and the icky rug that was in my room has somehow found it's way down to the front entrance of the building where it will no doubt start sprouting something soon what with all the rain and mud getting trecked all over it now.
Also, I'm making a concerted effort to stop going to Western-style restaurants/cafes as a crutch. There, now it's written down and there's no backing out.
Some advice ~ If you ever decide to post an add on a website for English tutoring, some people may interpret that to mean you are looking for a date, and if someone responds to your add calling himself an odd name like, oh I don't know, "Joker," and says he wants to be your "friend," do yourself a favor and don't think that he might actually just want an English tutor and agree to meet with him. It will turn out that he is just creepy. Seriously, it's not a good idea.
The weather's been nasty these past few days. Rainy and chilly and with even more of the yellowy smoggish tint to the atmosphere. But today it finally cleared up and I had the lovely experience of looking up on my bike ride to school to see the mountains in the distance. It's easy to forget that anything exists outside of the city when you literally can't see past the city most of the time. I haven't decided if it was refreshing or depressing.
Back home furniture has been re-arranged and the icky rug that was in my room has somehow found it's way down to the front entrance of the building where it will no doubt start sprouting something soon what with all the rain and mud getting trecked all over it now.
Also, I'm making a concerted effort to stop going to Western-style restaurants/cafes as a crutch. There, now it's written down and there's no backing out.
Some advice ~ If you ever decide to post an add on a website for English tutoring, some people may interpret that to mean you are looking for a date, and if someone responds to your add calling himself an odd name like, oh I don't know, "Joker," and says he wants to be your "friend," do yourself a favor and don't think that he might actually just want an English tutor and agree to meet with him. It will turn out that he is just creepy. Seriously, it's not a good idea.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Kucinich 2008!
The only presidential candidate (with the possible exception of Mike Gravel) worth listening to. Click here to see a speech he gave back in January -- sure he could use a speech delivery coach at moments, but ultimately his message is important. A candidate who actually says something when he talks. And backs it up with action -- read example here.
Here is an interview he did with Maher in April. I'm not sure if the video will work or not since as I mentioned before, I can't view this blog. Someone let me know...
Sunday, September 9, 2007
me and my bike
So I've traded in my metro card for a bike lock and sore legs. It's good exercise and honestly it seems like the fastest way to get around (if you know where you're going and it's not all the way on the other side of the city). Imagine New York city traffic but with less attention to detail -- and by detail I mean red lights and stop signs and driving on the correct side of the road, that kind of thing -- plus a bike lane -- and by bike lane I mean bikes, cabs, the occasional bus -- and you get the morning/evening commute picture. It is rather chaotic at times but people seem to make do and while there is an excess of honking, it seems more ornamental, a gesture perhaps, just letting everyone know you're there. So far I haven't seen any fists shaking or people yelling at each other.
I've made the trip over to Chao Yang, the Northeastern part of the city, twice now, the first time it took 2 hours to get there (see above note re knowing where you are going) and the second time it took about an hour and twenty minutes. It is an eventful ride though. I get to bike past a bunch of Olympics-related construction (is it really possible that it will all be finished in less than a year??), including this, the National Stadium, which just so happens to resemble a spaceship. Vaguely reminiscent of the space transporting machine from Contact. Anyone?
Something new to get used to -- getting stared at all the time. When complaining about this to a friend here the response was a good-natured, well at least you're not blond. Getting looked at so much wouldn't be as bad I guess if it weren't for the fact that half the time I get the distinct impression that I'm being looked at more as a funny lab experiment gone wrong than anything else -- what is wrong with her hair? What's with all the spots on her face?
I've made the trip over to Chao Yang, the Northeastern part of the city, twice now, the first time it took 2 hours to get there (see above note re knowing where you are going) and the second time it took about an hour and twenty minutes. It is an eventful ride though. I get to bike past a bunch of Olympics-related construction (is it really possible that it will all be finished in less than a year??), including this, the National Stadium, which just so happens to resemble a spaceship. Vaguely reminiscent of the space transporting machine from Contact. Anyone?
Something new to get used to -- getting stared at all the time. When complaining about this to a friend here the response was a good-natured, well at least you're not blond. Getting looked at so much wouldn't be as bad I guess if it weren't for the fact that half the time I get the distinct impression that I'm being looked at more as a funny lab experiment gone wrong than anything else -- what is wrong with her hair? What's with all the spots on her face?
Saturday, September 1, 2007
a night owl in beijing
After about 3 days here in the city where the sun shines but you just can't see it I've spent more time awake in the wee hours than during the day. That is to say, I broke the cardinal rule of waiting until the evening hours to go to sleep and thus avoid major jet lag. My first day here I was silly enough to think I could take a "nap" at 2:30 in the afternoon and the next thing I know it's 1am and I'm wide awake.
So I've made good use of the early morning hours unpacking, cleaning, reading, and attempting to re-learn Chinese characters. Re-learn because at CU we were taught traditional characters, which are used in Taiwan and Hong Kong but not in China, so I now have to go through the tedious process of re-learning characters in their simplified form. I suppose I could rant a bit more about just how tedious it is but the truth is I do get a weird kick out of learning characters. They have a term for that here -- "shu daizi" (book nerd).
I found out that classes don't actually start for me until the 13th so now I've got a couple weeks to explore. I bought a new bike yesterday on the street. Actually, my roommate B and another friend J haggled for it while I watched and tried to follow along. It turned out to be 215 kuai, lock included (less than $30). Not too bad. Also I just have to mention it because I still can't get over it -- yesterday at lunch I had a big bowl (more than enough for lunch and dinner) of noodley soup with egg and tomato that was 5 kuai, which is like 60 cents. !!
Had a chance this morning to upload more recent photos from home. Hope you enjoy looking at them because I can't. For some reason (perhaps the same reason that I can post on my blog but can't seem to look at it?) I can upload photos and organize them but can't look at them.
So I've made good use of the early morning hours unpacking, cleaning, reading, and attempting to re-learn Chinese characters. Re-learn because at CU we were taught traditional characters, which are used in Taiwan and Hong Kong but not in China, so I now have to go through the tedious process of re-learning characters in their simplified form. I suppose I could rant a bit more about just how tedious it is but the truth is I do get a weird kick out of learning characters. They have a term for that here -- "shu daizi" (book nerd).
I found out that classes don't actually start for me until the 13th so now I've got a couple weeks to explore. I bought a new bike yesterday on the street. Actually, my roommate B and another friend J haggled for it while I watched and tried to follow along. It turned out to be 215 kuai, lock included (less than $30). Not too bad. Also I just have to mention it because I still can't get over it -- yesterday at lunch I had a big bowl (more than enough for lunch and dinner) of noodley soup with egg and tomato that was 5 kuai, which is like 60 cents. !!
Had a chance this morning to upload more recent photos from home. Hope you enjoy looking at them because I can't. For some reason (perhaps the same reason that I can post on my blog but can't seem to look at it?) I can upload photos and organize them but can't look at them.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
photos
Back in New York and have finally opened a flickr account and uploaded pics from the trip. I tried very hard to weed this time around. I think I did a pretty good job considering I have around 700 pics total. Ok I got a bit camera-happy. But the pics on the flickr account are all labelled and sorted so I think it's pretty manageable. Hope you enjoy.
For now I'm crashing at Theresa's (and aparently still recovering from jet lag). Listening to Billie Holliday, reading reading reading, and picking up my violin now and then (contemplating a recital in O-land in August...). Lots of things to do before Beijing but for the moment I just want to catch up on sleep and visit with friends. I plan to keep up with the blog in China but until then I'll try to post a few more times. Meanwhile, keep in touch and let me know if you're in NYC before the end of the month or OH after that.
For now I'm crashing at Theresa's (and aparently still recovering from jet lag). Listening to Billie Holliday, reading reading reading, and picking up my violin now and then (contemplating a recital in O-land in August...). Lots of things to do before Beijing but for the moment I just want to catch up on sleep and visit with friends. I plan to keep up with the blog in China but until then I'll try to post a few more times. Meanwhile, keep in touch and let me know if you're in NYC before the end of the month or OH after that.
Monday, July 9, 2007
kyoto
Riding a bike is my new favorite mode of transportation. Despite sore calves and several near collisions, biking around Kyoto these past couple of days has been a really refreshing change from the hours spent on the train every day in Tokyo. It's quick, cheap, good exercise and lets you explore more than you could walking or taking a bus.
Biked up the Kamo River on Sunday to see Shimogamoji (left), the ancient protector shrine of the Imperial Court when the capital was in Kyoto, 794-1869. Then backtracked down the river to see the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Turned out it's closed on Sundays. Oh well, the park was really peaceful, including this 300+ year old tree (right), and the gate surrounding the palace was pretty imposing. 
Last Thursday caught an afternoon shinkansen ("bullet train") to Kyoto. The hostel we're staying at is conveniently located right across the street from the station so we were able to find it and get settled in pretty quickly. (Side note: found out tonight that super friendly Izumi-san at the front desk's younger sister graduated from OSU last year. She was drinking tea from an OSU mug.) Although a bit crowded, the hostel has been really great -- cheap, great location, free internet, friendly staff. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone planning to travel through Kyoto. The last several days have been a blur of temples, shrines, green tea "soft ice," and last-minute souvenir shopping, but here are some highlights.
The Rock Garden at Ryoan-ji. There are 15 boulders set in a sea of pebbles which are raked in straight lines except around the boulders themselves where they curve around like ripples in a lake. Supposedly you are only supposed to be able to see 14 from any given perspective (except above) and to be able to see all 15 means you have attained enlightenment. Either I'm a regular bodhisattva or the slightly raised viewing platform gave me an advantage.
Me mimicking the Japanese tourists (always pointing or giving the peace sign with stoic expression).
Kinkakuji, "Golden Pavilion Temple." 
Boys throwing coins at Buddha statues. 
Kamo River. Major river in Kyoto that runs past the front of the hostel.
Biked up the Kamo River on Sunday to see Shimogamoji (left), the ancient protector shrine of the Imperial Court when the capital was in Kyoto, 794-1869. Then backtracked down the river to see the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Turned out it's closed on Sundays. Oh well, the park was really peaceful, including this 300+ year old tree (right), and the gate surrounding the palace was pretty imposing. 
Today I biked to the western side of the city to see the "monkey park." After climbing a path up the side of a mount
ain you arrive at a plateau (with a beautiful view of the city) covered in monkeys. Up close and personal. You could feed them from a "rest house" or just stand outside and hang out. I sat on a bench for awhile and at one point two monkeys came up and sat next to me and started grooming each other. It was pretty wild. They seemed pretty oblivious to the presence of people, except when offered food or if they felt threatened (as when some asshole tried to touch a baby that was nursing today and the mom flipped out).
ain you arrive at a plateau (with a beautiful view of the city) covered in monkeys. Up close and personal. You could feed them from a "rest house" or just stand outside and hang out. I sat on a bench for awhile and at one point two monkeys came up and sat next to me and started grooming each other. It was pretty wild. They seemed pretty oblivious to the presence of people, except when offered food or if they felt threatened (as when some asshole tried to touch a baby that was nursing today and the mom flipped out).
Tomorrow I head back to Tokyo and then back to NYC on Wednesday. I can't believe how fast it's all gone by. I'm excited to get home and see friends and family and share stories but I also wish I had more time in Kyoto. Such a beautiful city pocketed between mountains and filled with constant reminders of its ancient history; so far removed from loud and flashy Tokyo. If I have a chance to come back to Japan I would love to spend more time here.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
fun signs, part III
They know how to treat the moss at Ginkakuji, the "Silver Temple" (Kyoto).
This poster was hanging in the entrance to the Center the whole time we were there, raising metaphysical questions of time and space on a daily basis.
not exactly PC...
"Freak: Hobby Advisor" or, alternatively, "Hobby Advisor: Freak" (yes, I decided there was a colon in there somewhere)
This poster was hanging in the entrance to the Center the whole time we were there, raising metaphysical questions of time and space on a daily basis.
not exactly PC...
"Freak: Hobby Advisor" or, alternatively, "Hobby Advisor: Freak" (yes, I decided there was a colon in there somewhere)
雅楽家がめずらしい
ほとんどの日本人は雅楽のことを聞いたことがないそうだ。だから、聞いたことがある人は面白いと思う。例えば、先週ゆかたを買うために100円の店に行った。そこでは困っていたから店員に手伝ってもらった。彼女は私の「雅楽」が書いてあるティーシャツを見たら、彼女が竜笛を勉強したことがあって娘が竜笛を勉強していることと言った。びっくりだね。彼女は私がゆかたをきてもらいたいぐらいうれしかった。とても楽しんだ。
雅楽の先生や学生が少ないのに、私が知っている雅楽家はほんとうにすばらしい。プログラームが終わってさびしい。とうぎ先生がリードの作り方を教えてまらった。三つぐらいやぶんでし
まったのにとてもおもしろかった。もとはし先生とおくぼ先生が琴の吹き方を教えてもらった。でも、一番大きい影響は中村先生だ。彼女は篳篥のレッソンをしてもらって舞も教えってまらった。ほんとうにいい先生でありがたい。
まったのにとてもおもしろかった。もとはし先生とおくぼ先生が琴の吹き方を教えてもらった。でも、一番大きい影響は中村先生だ。彼女は篳篥のレッソンをしてもらって舞も教えってまらった。ほんとうにいい先生でありがたい。My lovely teacher Nakamura-sensei -->
Saturday, July 7, 2007
captain santa
The fourth of july is one of my favorite holidays – fireworks, family parties, parades with marching bands, and when I was a kid we always went out to my uncle mike and aunt marilyn’s house on Buckeye Lake – but I always seem to be away from home for the holiday in recent years. This year was no different but we did manage to have our own festivities in Kita-Urawa.
After lighting sparklers and setting off some fireworks at the local playground we headed to a local bar appropriately called “USA Bar.” It lived up to all our expectations. Run by a middle-aged, partially deaf Japanese cowboy/surfer, the tiny bar was covered in American license plates, flags and posters, as well as all kinds of paraphernalia bearing the logo “captain santa.”
Here is our bartender friend posing for the camera. Note “santa island” polo -->
We sat around chatting with the bartender, his friend/fellow bartender and another patron who was a bit sloshed (he kept asking me why American women aren’t attracted to Japanese men and then wanted to talk about the war – a bit beyond my language capabilities, let alone his own intoxicated state). We of course sang some karaoke and Ben gave the guy another one of his Texas flags (which he said made him “so happy” that he kept kissing it).
All in all it was a fun night of unexpected amusement. Not your typical july 4 celebration but then again, those are the ones that stick with you I guess.
After lighting sparklers and setting off some fireworks at the local playground we headed to a local bar appropriately called “USA Bar.” It lived up to all our expectations. Run by a middle-aged, partially deaf Japanese cowboy/surfer, the tiny bar was covered in American license plates, flags and posters, as well as all kinds of paraphernalia bearing the logo “captain santa.”
Here is our bartender friend posing for the camera. Note “santa island” polo -->
We sat around chatting with the bartender, his friend/fellow bartender and another patron who was a bit sloshed (he kept asking me why American women aren’t attracted to Japanese men and then wanted to talk about the war – a bit beyond my language capabilities, let alone his own intoxicated state). We of course sang some karaoke and Ben gave the guy another one of his Texas flags (which he said made him “so happy” that he kept kissing it).
All in all it was a fun night of unexpected amusement. Not your typical july 4 celebration but then again, those are the ones that stick with you I guess.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
"just enjoy!"
Hired by IMJS to arrange our housing, help us get settled, provide detailed instructions on how to get to our lessons and rehearsals and just generally help us with whatever problems may arise, Terumi-san has been a godsend here in Tokyo. Besides the official escorting, translating, etc. though, she's just a fun person to hang out with. So, when the four of us decided to stay out all night in order to go to the fish market at Tsukiji we of course called her at 12:30am from Shibuya station to see if she wanted to come hang out.
Tsukiji is the biggest and busiest fish market in Japan, handling 87% (according to this site) of the fish and other marine goodies that get shipped to the rest of the country. Since all the action takes place starting around 4:30am and, as previously noted, public transportation conveniently stops running around midnight, we decided to make a night of it. Shibuya was supposed to be one of those areas of the city that caters to the late-night crowd but when we arrived it seemed pretty dead. Then we remembered that Terumi lived in Shibuya. We were understandably hesitant to call in the wee hours on a wednesday night but I'm glad we did because not only did she come out to meet us but she invited us back to her apartment to hang out until it was time to go to the market.
Terumi insisted on introducing us to a variety of Japanese specialties that evening, including umeboshi (pickled plums), sake and nattou (fermented soy beans). Nattou is notorious for its unusual flavor and consistency, as well as its generally unfavorable reception by gaijin but I was nevertheless curious to try it. Ruth took a rather amusing picture of my reaction to it - a little green in the face and looking like I don't know whether to cry or laugh. I will spare you for the moment. Terumi simply laughed and implored us to "just enjoy!"
4:30 rolled around surprisingly fast and we stumbled down to the station to catch the first train to tsukiji. It turned out to be a really interesting experience. Rows upon rows of stalls filled with every kind of marine animal, dead and alive; tuna being auctioned off and then carted around individually or in pairs on mini-flatbed carriers; unusual delicacies such as gigantic tuna eyeballs sold for 100yen a piece. We wandered around for a bit taking pictures and then had sushi for breakfast at a 
nearby shop. Now that was some fresh fish!
<-- Some of the larger tuna here were aparently worth more than my grant to get to Japan.
Eating sushi for breakfast after exploring Tsukiji. Note zombie-like expressions due to lack of sleep -->
A couple days later it was Ben's birthday and it just so happened that it was was Terumi's birthday as well. We celebrated by going out for some Karaoke. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never been before but the place we went to had individual rooms (designed for groups but we did see a guy singing his heart out by himself in one room..) with booths and karaoke machines and a remote control for ordering food and drinks. Japanese are serious about they're karaoke. Terumi later admitted to practicing with her Cher and Maroon 5 CDs at home before coming. I heard that this is pretty common though and I even heard that proving your karaoke abilities at a c
ompany outing can make or break your boss' impression of you. Pretty intense.
Here is Terumi holding her new ryuteki (our birthday present to her) and her husband displaying the Texas flag Ben gave them ->
Thursday, June 28, 2007
fun signs, part II
Food theme this time around. Below we have Blendy coffee, Delicious Party cheese and dried squid strips (I don't know if I would go with delicious but it was a party of sorts for my unsuspecting taste buds), and of course, Crunky chocolate.
~私のまじめさ~
日本語を練習したいから、機会があったら日本人と話す。いろいろな面白い人が会った。
例えば、北浦和駅の前にある「たこ焼きスタンド」で年をとっている男の人が毎日のようにいる。ある日、私が興味があったそうだから、彼は一つを与えてくれた。おいしかったけど、なにかがわからなかった。それはたこが味があまりないから、なぜ人が食べるのが好きか分からないということだ。（たこ焼きのおいしさはほかの材料のためにと思っていたのが。。。）
とにかく、たこ焼き人と話している時に、彼はたばこを提供したが、私は「たばこをすうのが体に悪いよ」と言った。彼は笑って「そうだよ」と言った。それで、「まじめよ」彼は言った。私はその言葉が分からなかったけど、好運にも辞書があった~
例えば、北浦和駅の前にある「たこ焼きスタンド」で年をとっている男の人が毎日のようにいる。ある日、私が興味があったそうだから、彼は一つを与えてくれた。おいしかったけど、なにかがわからなかった。それはたこが味があまりないから、なぜ人が食べるのが好きか分からないということだ。（たこ焼きのおいしさはほかの材料のためにと思っていたのが。。。）
とにかく、たこ焼き人と話している時に、彼はたばこを提供したが、私は「たばこをすうのが体に悪いよ」と言った。彼は笑って「そうだよ」と言った。それで、「まじめよ」彼は言った。私はその言葉が分からなかったけど、好運にも辞書があった~
Saturday, June 23, 2007
a great idea
Before coming to Japan I did not eat *real* sushi. In other words, I stuck to avocado, cucumber and shitake -- all yummy and harmless enough. I'd always been curious but also somewhat grossed out by the idea of raw fish but I figured, no better time than now to try it. I'm still pretty unadventurous -- so far I stick to salmon, tuna, shrimp and crab -- but I've definitely developed a taste for it.
You hear all the time that Tokyo is so expensive, and this is true in many ways, but at the same time it is definitely possible to eat high quality food for relatively cheap. And by high quality food I mean sushi. (There are also lots of soba, udon and ramen shops where you can eat very cheaply and it's a good bet that the noodles and other ingredients were locally produced.)
My new favorite places to eat are kaiten ("conveyor belt") sushi bars. Customer
s sit around a circular bar, one or two sushi chefs stand in the middle and sushi travels around the bar on a conveyor belt. You take whatever looks good (and in my case, watch in fascination as colorful, tentacled and slimy things go by, waiting to see who will eat what), make your own hot tea and can take as much wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce as you like. Pricing is based on the plate colors so when you are done the cashier just adds up your plates. My favorite is yaki-saamon (pan-seared salmon). Never thought I would feel about sushi the way I do about say, cookie dough ice cream but, mmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it...
At 100-300yen per plate, most kaiten sushi bars are a very inexpensive way to enjoy really good quality sushi. Well, "really good" is a relative term considering how new I am to the world of sushi. But, I do know that the fish is super fresh (it seems the difference in quality here is between fresh and more fresh) and really tasty, so that is good enough for me.
More to come on just how fresh the fish are later.
You hear all the time that Tokyo is so expensive, and this is true in many ways, but at the same time it is definitely possible to eat high quality food for relatively cheap. And by high quality food I mean sushi. (There are also lots of soba, udon and ramen shops where you can eat very cheaply and it's a good bet that the noodles and other ingredients were locally produced.)
My new favorite places to eat are kaiten ("conveyor belt") sushi bars. Customer
s sit around a circular bar, one or two sushi chefs stand in the middle and sushi travels around the bar on a conveyor belt. You take whatever looks good (and in my case, watch in fascination as colorful, tentacled and slimy things go by, waiting to see who will eat what), make your own hot tea and can take as much wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce as you like. Pricing is based on the plate colors so when you are done the cashier just adds up your plates. My favorite is yaki-saamon (pan-seared salmon). Never thought I would feel about sushi the way I do about say, cookie dough ice cream but, mmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it...At 100-300yen per plate, most kaiten sushi bars are a very inexpensive way to enjoy really good quality sushi. Well, "really good" is a relative term considering how new I am to the world of sushi. But, I do know that the fish is super fresh (it seems the difference in quality here is between fresh and more fresh) and really tasty, so that is good enough for me.
More to come on just how fresh the fish are later.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
city impressions
Some (admittedly superficial) first impressions of Tokyo after a couple weeks...
People line up for everything. On the escalators everyone stands to the left and walks to the right. People even line up to get on subway trains or to cross a busy street.
Everyone waits patiently at street corners for the light to change; no one J-walks. This has been one of the hardest things to get used to. I have to stop myself every time from walking out into the middle of the street to wait for a break in traffic. If you so much as step off the curb it elicits strange looks.
There are almost no public trashcans, and yet, hardly any litter.
It takes forever to get anywhere. I spend on average around 3 hours a day commuting. Seems most people have fairly long commutes to get to work or school. Lots of people spend the commute playing games or texting on their cell phones. Yes, there is cell reception on the subway but few people make phone calls, and when they do, they usually cover their mouths and speak quietly.
One apple costs around 300yen at the local supermarket. That's about $2.50.
There are these places called "Pachinko and Slot" everywhere whose primary costumers seem to be salarymen and little old ladies. However, gambling is illegal in Japan so apparently the way these places work is through a system of "prizes" which can be exchanged for money at nearby shops.
Train and subway stations have convenient electronic signs telling you what time the next train will be there and they are usually on time, if not early.
People wear masks covering their nose and mouth in public if they are sick.
People line up for everything. On the escalators everyone stands to the left and walks to the right. People even line up to get on subway trains or to cross a busy street.
Everyone waits patiently at street corners for the light to change; no one J-walks. This has been one of the hardest things to get used to. I have to stop myself every time from walking out into the middle of the street to wait for a break in traffic. If you so much as step off the curb it elicits strange looks.
There are almost no public trashcans, and yet, hardly any litter.
It takes forever to get anywhere. I spend on average around 3 hours a day commuting. Seems most people have fairly long commutes to get to work or school. Lots of people spend the commute playing games or texting on their cell phones. Yes, there is cell reception on the subway but few people make phone calls, and when they do, they usually cover their mouths and speak quietly.
One apple costs around 300yen at the local supermarket. That's about $2.50.
There are these places called "Pachinko and Slot" everywhere whose primary costumers seem to be salarymen and little old ladies. However, gambling is illegal in Japan so apparently the way these places work is through a system of "prizes" which can be exchanged for money at nearby shops.
Train and subway stations have convenient electronic signs telling you what time the next train will be there and they are usually on time, if not early.
People wear masks covering their nose and mouth in public if they are sick.
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