The Long Overdue Thanksgiving Post

I spent the holiday weekend (Thursday-Sunday) in Hiroshima. Michelle and I took the shinkansen (high speed train) from our respective cities. I am so in love with the shinkansen and Hiroshima!!! First of all it took me the same amount of time to get half way across the country as it usually does for me to get to the nearest major city from my house. As for Hiroshima, I love the feel of cities near water. Rivers run through the city and the ocean is nearby. We were unable to find a hotel for Saturday night because the entire city seemed to be booked. We searched for hostels on a website and ended up staying at what seemed more like a business hotel but it was just listed on the hostel website. Hotel Flex, appropriately named because the room was tiny and you indeed had to be quite flexible to stay there! It was nice though. The only thing that was bothersome the entire time we were there was the way that people rode their bikes so fast all over the sidewalks! So, you had too look around all corners in order to not get run over...Even then you risk losing your head.
Thursday was rainy and a bit chilly but we ventured out anyway. No point in wasting time because of a little cold air and water. The city was covered in some of the most beautiful trees ever. Gingko trees are some of my new favorites, right up there with Willows, Magnolias, and Bamboo which I guess is more a grass than a tree but whatever. We visited Carp Castle and the peace park on the first day. For lunch we stopped at a GREAT Italian restaurant across from the A-Bomb museum. Each course was De-Li-Cious!!! On the way back to the hotel, we ran into the Volleyball teams from Cuba and Brazil (and some other teams too but they weren't much to look at...hehehe). There's a major tournament going on here so the country is full of 6-7ft fine, brown, athletic men, roaming around cities in groups, causing Black women to stop, stare, and giggle...Or maybe that was just Michelle and I staring. Oh, and there are some female players somewhere around here somewhere too. Thanx to Michelle's impeccable Spanish skills we were able to get this photo.

On Friday, the sky magically cleared up which was perfect because we made plans to visit Miyajima, and island dedicated to the goddesses (us, hehe). It's a World Heritage site, a National Park, and it's famous for the floating Tori gate. We took a ferry to the island and walked around when we got there. There were deer EVERYWHERE! Vendors sold wafers to feed them but I refused to even touch the deer. That didn't stop the photo ops though! i.e. Michelle chasing me after she'd pet a deer...ew! HAHAHA! As it the case on any trip, It was imperative that we snack on every goody in sight so we had fresh grilled oysters, squid, and corn. The man making the oysters had hot shards of shell popping off the grill and flying everywhere but never even flinched. Gangasta! For lunch we chowed down on the famous Hiroshima okonomiyaki known as Hiroshimayaki...It was SOOOO GOOD! From bottom to top: a crepe, shredded cabbage, noodles, thin slices of pork, egg, okonomiyaki sauce (tastes a little like bbq sauce..yay), and some seaweed flakes. That night we met up with Bernard for dinner. He's a teacher too and the organizer of the Thanksgiving dinner that we came to Hiroshima for. We went to an American restaurant called Kemby's and I had RIBS (with real bbq sauce)!!!!
Saturday we met up with Monique, another teacher who had also come for the dinner. I was always under the impression that the A-Bomb Dome was on some remote, grassy cliff overlooking the ocean somewhere. Not at all! Since there aren't any zoning laws concerning building around historic sites, it's smack dab in the middle of the city. While we were roaming around the park again, we were approached by a man named Kosei Mito. He asked if we spoke English, where we came from, and explained that he was one of the youngest A-Bomb survivors and that he felt it was his duty to offer volunteer tours of the Peace Park. Now in any other country I would have promptly said no thank you and kept walking. The tour was amazing! He gave thorough explanations of just about all of the monuments in the park. After the tour we went to the museum. For all the human rights atrocities that the U.S. condemns others for, our country should be ashamed for the destruction caused in Hiroshima. And to think it was done twice.
That night, we all went back to Kemby's for Thanksgiving dinner. Bernard and another teacher showed the staff how to make the dishes about a month ago and they pulled it off. It was fun. I had turkey, mac & cheese, stuffing, baked potatoes/apples, salad, mashed potatoes, corn bread, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Since we didn't have a room for Saturday night, Michelle and I crashed at Bernard's. Here's a photo of the ferry ride away from the island where he lives.
Oh no, I almost forgot the most important part of this post! On Thursday night, Michelle and I went to a salsa club. And just like in Shibuya during orientation, we turned it out. We seem to have the power to make Japanese people get up and dance!!! The whole dance in a circle tactic works wonders!!!TIFFANY AND MICHELLE, GETTING JAPANESE PEOPLE LOOSE SINCE 2006!!!

Hair, Bowling, and Festivals.

On Friday, the home economics teacher asked me if I would come show the kids how to make French Toast because she had never made it before. The kids made a really good meal. Hambagu (hamburger with no bun), green beans, carrots, soup, and French Toast. It all went together surprisingly well! Of course we got to eat it when they were done, which is good because I am in now way opposed to free food and I was hungry. I wore my hair out and everyone lost their minds when they saw me! I don't think I'll be wearing it out anymore though because I don't like people touching me without asking and giving me the opportunity to say no. It's so rude. Even the English teacher walked up behind me with both arms outstretched with the intentions of touching my hair while I was sitting at my desk. She was talking to the other teachers about my hair and the second I felt her hands begin to touch my hair I ducked out of the way and looked at her crazy. She was running her mouth as usual but I know she got the hint because she paused then kept talking. The thing is that Japanese people don't touch each other so what makes her think she can touch me. Aside from that, I just don't like people in my personal space. It's kinda like the selfishness of some people comes out when I wear my hair out. They don't consider that it took time and effort. All they're thinking about is how much they want to touch it. The Vice principal was like, "Oh did you not have time to do your hair today?" So, I promptly put him in his place and said, "Yes, this takes time. I did not want to wear my hair up. This is the natural state of my hair. Like your hair is out now. This is what my hair looks like when it's out." Then I turned and got back to doing what I was doing in order to end the conversation.
5th and 6th period the kids practiced for the Yabe Festival. The sad thing is that they had to come to school on Sunday to make up the missed classed periods, then go to the festival. It's not even a school event. It's a community event...but whatever. I really like this picture of the sign. The natural lighting was perfect. It says Yabe Matsuri, or Yabe festival.
Saturday, I went to a surprise party for my friend's fiancee. It was a yakiniku (grilled meat) party so we all brought meat and vegetables to cook at the table. When she walked in and heard us scream SURPRISE, she took off running in the other direction. It was too funny. After the party we went bowling. I had the highest score of 9 people with a 121. The bowling shoes here look like Air force 1s so of course we had to take advantage of a photo op! (Don't try this at home. We're trained professionals!)
In a country where business people walk around expeditiously (thanx Spelman) like drones in muted colors, I'm glad that old ladies and nature are on my side. I thought this lady was wearing a purple turban when I saw her crossing the street. Nope, that's her hair. She was with a group of old ladies who were all carrying violin cases. Sunday was the Yabe Festival. I was awake on the bus ride up to the mountains so I finally got a chance to see the changing leaves. It's no New England highway vista, but there are a few beautiful trees scattered about. After lunch (spaghetti, another food that need not be tampered with), we all got dressed for the performance. I kinda like being fussed over after having tho ladies dress me in the kimono for the festival. On top of the 3 shirts, leggings, jeans, and knee socks that I was already wearing, the kimono had 4 tops and two bottoms.I think I'll be a model when I grow up so that other people can run around all day working hard to make me look good! The name of the dance and song the kids did is Furuyu. I represented wealth so I walked around and poured water into tiny cups and people put money on the tray, drink from a cup, and we gave them a fan. Mostly old folks drank the water. That's me wearing the woman's mask. The man with the big head represents Wisdom...hence, the big ol' head! Here are a few of the other outfits worn by the students.
Remember that fourth grade teacher who's job it is to tell everyone's business? That's him in sticking out his tongue. At the end I was warm but my feet were cold and wet because I was wearing straw boots. After collecting all the outfits and props, all the teachers had a mini get together and we ate and they talked about how well the day went in spite of the rain.

Glad to be finished with that...and ready for bed!

Winter is rapidly approaching!

Sometimes you just gotta remind yourself how fine you are (and take lots of pictures to remind everybody else!). So I decided to dress up Monday for the monthly meeting in the city. Everyone said I looked like a fly flight attendant. Ok, so maybe I added the "fly" part...HAHAHA! I went back into the city on Tuesday for another meeting. A bunch of people were going out to eat so I tagged along because I heard the word "RIBS!!!" Boy, oh boy. The name of the place was...I'll let the pictures do the talking:
I'm sure your next question is did I eat there...well the answer is yes. The reason? I wanted to know how Japan does ribs. The critique? It was cooked like steak...steaky marinade...tasted like steak...NO SPICE RUB...NO SAUCE! Leave the BBQing to the pros. So aside from the questionable sign outside, the confederate decor and country music inside, I won't be going back there because $12 for three ribs and $4 fried potatoes ain't gonna cut it if they don't taste good! The only good thing about the place was the tea, and not because the tea tasted any better than any other unsweet oolong tea...LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE CUP! This is the biggest cup that I've seen since I've been in Japan!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Fukuoka...long before Thanksgiving. I busted out the kerosene heater the day before yesterday and tested it out on the balcony…that thing is heaven sent just like everyone says it is. So I’m gonna use it. It’s either that or pay over 100 bucks a month on electricity for the next four months to heat one room in my place...enough said. It reminds me of living in Korea cuz they use kerosene heaters a lot there too and the smell took me back to my yesteryears. They actually make me think of a Charles Dickens family…huddled around a fire…which is technically what I am minus the family part…living in what is essentially a cardboard (and concrete) box with a shower and a laptop…lol! I’ve been freezing. I covered my windows with shrink wrap plastic that’s made to keep the cold out. My feet are freezing all day (when I’m not at home) no matter what shoes I wear. Today I wore thick socks and sneakers and were still cold. Today I stocked up on all things warm. There are little self starting heat packets called kairo. You take them out of the pack, shake em, and put them in your pockets. They even have some for shoes and some that stick to the inside of your clothes. The latter come with a warning to put a layer of clothing between it and your skin as to not burn yourself. I sure am glad someone told me that beforehand because I probably would have done just that in my ongoing effort to stay warm! The one I shook up at about 10 this morning is still going strong at almost 10 pm!!! WOW! They are supposed to be kept in a kind closed place like your pockets because, thanks to platinum catalysis, iron powder, water, salt, activated charcoal, and vermiculite, they react when exposed to air. They are my new favorite things in Japan! Now if only I could find one in the shape of a person to live in...I also stocked up on thick men's socks (because of course the women's socks aren't big enough!), tights, and leggings to wear under my work pants. I'm sure I'll be using/wearing all of the above on Sunday while I'm freezing my butt of at the Yabe Festival. I'm going to be dressed like some lady...as you can see I don't really understand what's going on with that quite yet, but I'm participating because I have to.
While waiting for my bus from “Heaven” to home, I always see a brother and sister who go to the elementary school up the street from where I work. Yesterday (in the freezing cold) I waved and yelled hello and their faces lit up as they waved back and giggled as usual…except this time the little girl is running toward me saying “ageru” (I’m giving you something). So I put out my hand and she gives me a piece of green goo! You know the stuff that you get from the bubblegum machines that looks like neon snot in a plastic stocking egg…yeah that stuff! I fell out laughing and thanked her in very formal Japanese for the booger. They giggled and scampered away. Kids will be kids…everywhere!

The First Taiko Performance

I love the irony of this t-shirt...so I bought it. A couple of weeks ago a newspaper reporter came to one of our taiko practices and I got interviewed. I got like one line in the paper and even though I spoke to her in Japanese (well tried anyway) they printed my words in Katakana, which are Japanese letters but they represent the phonetic pronunciation of foreign words. For example, they printed "Eh-ku-sy-tin-gu" (exciting) as my response to her questions about my impression of taiko drumming. That's better than nothing I suppose. Yes Mom, I've got copies...even though I can't even read them, hahaha! It's been less than two months and I'm already performing. Today was so fun! I met with my taiko group this morning for what I thought was going to be a competition, but it was a festival to showcase the talents of different taiko groups from around the prefecture. Although we didn't actually perform until after 5:30, it was nice to see the other teams. Amazing ain't the word. I even finally learned the name of our taiko group...Chigo Akasaka Daiko. If you mix Japanese people with Black college marching band and war you've got Taiko! These folks were getting down you hear me! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pics in the auditorium, but I did sneak some video on my phone at yesterday's practice but the quality isn't good because I was sitting far from the stage. My co-worker (who drums with me) and I split the cost of the DVD for the third section of the performances so you'll get to see it when I get home. Since we just started we didn't get to do any of the cool stuff so we played the basic rhythm the whole time...which is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Sounds easy right? WRONG! The song is nearly 7 minutes long, has pauses, and requires us to beat the drum HARD! Plus, the lead drummer started it off SUPER FAST! My forearms are going to look like Popeye's when I get back. We were the last to perform so the curtains closed when we ended...So dramatic! Here are some photos from backstage:
Lunch...Dango(dumpling) soup with root veggies (I felt like a peasant...where's the MEAT???), Onigiri (rice balls) with pickled daikon radish, sweet seaweed...maybe pickled, never can really tell, and tea that was grown and bottled in this area. This region is known for its green tea.
Tabi are so cool! I need to find out where I can buy some...maybe at the hardware store...Construction workers wear these with genie pants (super baggy with tapered ankles). Come to think of it, I want the pants too! Can you blame me for walking around humming the theme song for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Turtles in a half shell...TURTLE POWER!)???
Did I mention that I'm the master? Ok, so maybe I'm not. If you want a real upper body workout (complete with calluses and blisters...minor detail), then you need to do some taiko...and for killer legs, do like me and ride your bike/walk EVERYWHERE! Thank God my city doesn't have any hills. Now to work on the RiCe BoOtY!
I really love how our group is like one big happy family. There are members of all ages. I think the youngest is 8 or so. This man is the oldest, 60 something. I refer to him as "Grandaddy" (not to his face though, hehe!). When he hits a drum, you can feel it in the depths of your being...literally. The first time he walked over to me and hit my drum I almost fell backwards. It was so LOUD and shook my entire body!
Yes, even the men wear these cute little bows on their heads that actually look pretty Tupac-ish from a distance while they're drumming...GANGSTA! That's Maggie (my co-worker) above me. She's from Hawaii.

Here's the guest performer. He plays the Shamisen (a guitarish type instument played with a plectrum). He's really good...and really tall. The tallest girl in this picture is a little taller than I am if that's any indication of his height. He was really nice and the girls were falling all over themselves to talk to him! They're so cute!

Sumo Size Me!

Yesterday was an office (boring) day, but this time there were 4 of us there instead of the usual 2. We went to Kyoko’s restaurant for lunch and she offered to come pick us up at 2:45 to take us to see some sumo wrestlers present at an elementary school. So, she calls our supervisor and he said ok. Kyoko’s family owns a Chanko (sumo food) restaurant and they are well acquainted with a number of sumo wrestlers. The sumo tournament is going on now so their accommodating a few of them. The presentation was good. The kids got to ask questions then they got to wrestle. Then it was our turn. I put up a good fight but he picked me up and put me outside the rink! SO MUCH FUN! As you can see I’m whipping his tail in the ring. Then, he cheats (ok so it’s not really cheating) and picks me up to put me out of the ring. So, as far as I’m concerned, I WON! Tonight, we had dinner with them at Kyoko’s restaurant. When we neared the door of the banquet hall, there were two huge vats of Chanko Nabe (soup with veggies and meat that is a staple of the Sumo diet). The people at the door gave me a bag for my shoes and showed me to my table in front. I got to take pictures with two more wrestlers (one of whom is 2nd in the nation...or maybe in his bracket...I'm standing next to him) and the man who appears to be in charge of their particular sumo stable (wearing green).

I had a good time aside from one case of sexual harassment, which they seem to have no concept of here. By Western standards, it’s out of control. An old man came to our table and while talking to us, he pointed at me and made a comment about my chest and gestured. I’m so mad that I don’t know how to be rude in Japanese. So I stopped smiling and talking until he finally left the table.

Note to self: Learn to tell someone “where they can go/what they can do when they get there” in Japanese!!!

Everyone else was really nice and the food was good. Kyoko called me and another English teacher to the microphone to introduce ourselves. I messed up and did mine in Japanese and everyone wanted to stop me to talk on the way back to my table! We took pictures with a bunch of the guests and the sumo wrestlers. I bought a calendar so the guest of honor could sign the page he was on. There was a raffle so people won cases of fruit, fish, etc. And near the end of the night they came over and shared their stuff with us which was so nice of them. I came home with a persimmon, a huge apple, assorted mochi, and a bunch of bananas…As well as an unwanted business card from some old man who wanted me to email him. Ha! Yeah Right!!! Drunk and old are a combination that prove fatal for my interest in talking/listening to Japanese men. And I sure as heck won’t be emailing any.