J-List: Part One-TOKYO in particular and Jeeks in general

So, as promised, here's my “Japan List” (hereafter known as the J-List. In fact everything Japan related will hereafter be J-whatever. Because I’m a J-geek and that’s how I roll).

                                                       

This is a list that I’ve been working on since I arrived in Japan (Lies! Since I was 14…), but most of the items on the list haven’t been crossed off because Hokkaido is so far away from most/all of them! Gah! While I’ve made up for it with copious amounts of Hokkaido sightseeing (A Hokkaido Highlights post will make an appearance soon, promise), I’ve been dying to get to these places. Soon I can. Woo!

In general, these are some things I’d like to do when I move south:

·     See a Bunraku performance-(traditional Japanese theatre)

·     See a Kabuki performance

·     See a Noh performance

·     See a Butoh performance (a new form of Japanese dance)

·     Attend an Ukiyo-e (Woodblock painting) workshop-I really want to see how this is done!

·     Join a Taiko team: Best free bicep workout under the sun + bonus stress-relief, guaranteed!

·     Join a Kimono club and eventually buy one to keep and admire but not to wear…something weird about foreigners in Kimono. I love wearing them and think they’re breathtaking, but only when it’s appropriate and doesn’t scream, “Look at me! I wanna be Japanese! I’m Kawaiiiiiiii” Gah. Although I won't deny I’ve always wanted to go to Kyoto and wear the full get-up for a day! Okay, rant over…

·     Learn Ikebana I’d like to be able to, as Lynette from Desperate Housewives recently put it: learn the art of “putting sticks in a vase”.

·     Shinkansen the length of Japan. Yes. Oh yes. When I’m a bit richer L

Okay, let’s start with the obvious:

TOKYO

·     See a Sumo match I’ve been outside the stadium, and even seen a Sumo wrestler in the flesh, but never managed to get to a game

·     Edo-Tokyo Museum Okay, I’ve been here twice already, and rave about it to my friends, but I’m going again because I love it so much! And because I’m a crazy J-History nut.

·     Tokyo Disneyland Does this need an explanation? I hear they give out Easter eggs at Easter-guess I’ll have to go then! Oh, and I’m going to get my Mickey Ears once and for all!

·     Imperial Palace and gardens Just serene. I love cycling around it

·     Harajuku (Crazy fashion people watching never gets old

·     Asakusa-jinrikisha Only because I have a discount ticket haha! Someone come with me??

·     Ghibli Museum because I’ve recently become interested in Japanese animation, and I’m quite impressed

·     Meiji Jingu I’ve been dying to go here ever since I learnt about it! I could talk for hours about this place, but I’ll spare you

·     Yoyogi-koen To hang out with the buskers and troll the markets

·     Ueno-koen

·     Yasukuni Jinja The infamous and controversial war-dead dedication shrine. Also dying to go here

·     Yasukuni Jinja Yushukan The Museum of the above

·     Kabuki-za I’ve glimpsed this briefly-can’t wait to see a show inside!

·     Shitamachi Museum

·     Tosho-gu

·     Kabukicho My J-Culture weakness is Maiko and Geisha-I’m sheepishly obsessed. Need a book on them? I’ve got about 10 and counting…and it’s pronounced “gay-sha” not “gee-sha”!

·     Shinjuku gyoen Tokyo’s largest park-just to say I’ve been to Tokyo’s largest park…that’s the only reason people go to those kinds of places, anyway.

·     Ota Memorial Art Museum

·     Hachiko Statue To see the statue of the dog who waited faithfully for his master every day at the train station, even after he died.

·     Hie Jinja　Orange tori, orange tori, orange tori. It’s all about orange tori!!

·     Oedo Onsen Monogatari (Apparently it’s an onsen town up like old style Edo onsens, sounds very, very cool!)

Food:　(Because, frankly that’s what travel is all about, and, well, because I love food.)　

·     Sakata (Tokyo’s best noodle spot)

·     Ten-Ichi (best tempura)

·     Tokyo Dai Hanten (Sunday Yum Cha, chinese style-not really Japanese but who can sanely pass up Yum Cha?)

I’m totally booked up for the next year at least with this list! This is only a small chunk out of my J-list; there’ll be much more to come.

By the way, I’m totally coining a new word: JEEK (=J—Geek-nifty, I know). If Glee can do it, so can I.

-Your humble, terribly-excited Jeek (the family-friendly, non-crazy-Kimono-wearing kind) ;-)

Golden Week Glee!

So for this year's Golden Week I headed to probably my favourite part of Hokkaido-way out east near the likes of Akan-Ko, Kusaharo-Ko, Masshu-Ko and the Kushiro Wetlands before heading up to Shiretoko. I've been here before but couldn't resist getting one last trip in!

We started off camping by beautiful Lake Kussharo-unfortunately no sign of Kushi-the lake's answer to Loch Ness' Nessie. A great bunch of Japanese friends fed us until we couldn't move, and then fed us some more!

After leaving our friends, we headed off on our own to do a spot of sightseeing. My favourite place to go up this way is definitely Shiretoko Go Ko-5 beautiful lakes surrounded by bear and deer inhabited forest. It's simply breathtaking! This is lake number one:


The ryokan we stayed in near the area put on a fabulous spread for dinner. I'm so full, even now..Isn't the little crabby cute?? Nom nom nom...



And at this very moment I'm on board the Aurora sightseeing ship checking out Iozan and the Sea of Okhotsk in Utoro. It's a hard life, but someone's got to do it!



I really don't want to go to work tomorrow..

Chao!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Before I go...

So, I'm a list kinda girl. I can make a list for anything, and everything. I love it, perhaps a little too much, but I'm not going to stop! Something satisfying about seeing your thoughts lined up on a piece of paper. So, of course, I have umpteen Japan-related lists. I've added tabs on the side of my blog-lists of my favourite Japanese study books, regular books, websites, and I'm sure there'll be many more to come.
Of all of my lists though, the one in the front of my mind is my "Do Before Leaving Hokkaido List", so I'd thought I'd share it! Here it is, in all it's glory:

• One more Nippon Ham Fighters game at Sapporo Dome (I have to walk out with a T-shirt, at least)
• See the Lion King (seen in before in English, so Japanese should be interesting!)
• Climb as many mountains as I can (not many of them 'round Tokyo I'm sure!)
• See the carps  flying in Jozankei
• Go to the beach! 
• See Matsuyama-jo (Hokkaido's only castle)
• Have a raging Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) picnic
• Find more cool restaurants in Sapporo
• Have as many Wii/Nabe/Sukiyaki/Takoyaki parties as I can with my lovely Hokkaido friends
• Go east. Those lakes are amazing
• I secretly want to go to Rishiri and Reibun again, and visit the crazy youth hostel, once more
• Odori Summer Festival-beer anyone?
• One last (and first, actually) picnic at Yuni lookout
• Go drinking with the teachers
• Hip Hop night..
• One last crazy night in Sapporo
• A road trip, somewhere!
• Take some nice shots of my town
• Eat as much Hokkaido food as I can (ramen, seafood, melon, gengisu kan and soup curry!) 
• Add to this list

If you think I've left anything off, let me know. Next up is the "Japan List".  Watch out, that baby's huge!

Exciting News!

Okay, I'm determined to get better at this blogging thing! Especially because there will be a change of pace in my adopted Japanese life. After three years in lovely, picturesque Hokkaido, I've decided to try the fast-paced life of Tokyo. And I couldn't be more excited. Hokkaido is very different from mainland Japan, not so traditional, and incredibly spacious! I'm really looking forward to seeing a little more of Japanese culture and catching the crazy Tokyo trains (hold me to that, because I'm sure I'll be sick of them soon enough!)

At the moment the plan is to find a job, (probably something English-teaching related, as there are so many of those on offer!) and move into a little apartment of my own (no more 5 year-old hand-me-down couch!) and set up my new life. I don't really have an end point in mind, so I think I'll be in Japan for a long while yet! I'm already going gaga over Ikea catalogues! I have to try and not get ahead of myself ;-)

I have a bunch of mixed emotions about this decision. I'm finding it really hard to imagine saying goodbye to all of the wonderful people I have met here. I have made some really amazing friends. Teachers that were afraid to talk to me 3 years ago are now banting with me in the staffroom. I feel like I've got a little Yuni family here. I know my way around, and if I'm ever in any sort of trouble, there's someone I can call. I've had so many members of my family come and visit me that I feel everyone knows me pretty well, and we have a lot of common ground now.

I've grown to love the Hokkaido snow. I went from being a complete dunce on the slopes to sliding down on my beloved board quite smoothly (if I do say so myself..) Moving to Tokyo will mark an end to copious amounts of powder snow and snow cleaning (yay), but I'm determined to get back at least once every winter for a boarding holiday (and to visit my dear friends!)

The other half of me is excited beyond words! I can't wait to do so many things, and see so many of the places I've wanted to see for three years but haven't been able to because of the time and money it takes to go anywhere from Hokkaido. I have a huuuuge list of places I want to see, things I want to do (finally going to join a Kimono Club!), festivals I want to go to (i.e. ALL of them). I can't wait to be closer to so many of the Japanese friends I've made over the years of hosting Japanese students. My host mother from my first trip to Japan (10 years ago) and I have kept in contact and I can't wait to see her again. I could go on and on and on about all the things I want to do, but I'd be here forever! Let's just leave it at this: I've found my calling, and you'll be hearing a lot more from me and my new adventures! Let's go!

Summer Time and Update!

So Summer is well and truly here! I've been keeping busy with Summer Festivals, welcome parties for the new JETs that have arrived, Pre-School visits (more on them later), and summer activities (hiking, rafting, travelling!). Throw in a 6-day whirlwind trip to Australia and that's my Summer so far!

My favourite part about Summer in Japan is definitely the Summer festivals. Getting kitted up in a Yukata, eating festival food (fairy floss, yakisoba, shaved ice and more!), dancing, playing taiko and catching Mochi (pounded rice cakes) are just some of what goes on at one. The other night was the last of the Summer festivals, so I'm kind of sad that they're all over. There are some more in Autumn so it's not all bad new, but I'll miss the ones in my town the most. I always end up seeing everyone I know (which after teaching English to 500+ kids and adults for two years, is quite a lot!). It's sometimes is overwhelming but mostly it's heartwarming. I feel like I have so many lovely friends in this town, which is going to make leaving them so much harder ;-(

One of the most recent festivals was the Centipede Festival in my town (the centipede is my town's mascot, for what reason I'm yet to discover!). The festival involves a series of races whereby a team of 6 stands in a vertical line with their ankles ties together with rope. In this lovely contraption, the team run together over 2/300 metres, the first to finish being the winner. This year I was asked to join. Gulp. I was put in the Women's Town Office Team, and to my joy was placed at the front of the line! The first to fall and the face everyone would be looking at! Well, there were no falls (though a few close calls!), and we finished second. A mediocre effort, that thankfully won't have to be repeated!

Another traditional part of my Summer is visits to the local pre-schools. Wow. Those were an intense few days! 40 2-5year olds screaming and crying and jumping on me for an hour at a time has certainly proved a test of my patience! But when I'm greeted with 40 little voices shouting "Hello Samansa!" when I walk in, it kind of makes it all worth it ;-) I've found it to be my most challenging audience so far, keeping my energy up with those kids is an effort that puts me in awe of pre-school teachers! So far we've done colours, numbers, duck duck goose (read: tears, tears and more tears!) and the Hokey-Pokey/Cokey. I've loved every minute of it (even if I need another shower afterwards!) and I'm looking forward to doing it all again in the winter holidays.

At the moment it's school festival time. The school festivals here would roughly translate to an end of year concert in Australian schools. My students are running around doing last minute dress rehearsals of songs, dances and performances and then decorating the school in their free time. I look forward to school festivals every year, plus there's always a teachers party after everything's all over!

Let's see, what else is new? Currently, Toye and I are planning a super trip around Japan for when we leave JET. The plan is to buy a van, take the seats out of the back and lay a frame and mattress down, and then drive the length of Japan, stopping off at everything on our list- (all the way to Okinawa!) that way we'll leave Japan having been everywhere we wanted to. I'm really excited! There's also plans to catch the Trans-Siberian Express from Beijing/Vladivostok and travel through Europe afterwards, which is equally exciting! (subsequently I'll be counting my yen from now on!)

Recently, 12 students from my town went on a 10-day exchange to Port Macquarie, Australia. I took them through a few months worth of orientations, practicing Aussie greetings (G'Day Mate! Don't worry...didn't go that far!), teaching them Aussie customs and preparing them for culture shock. They got back about a week ago and they haven't stopped talking to me about everything they did! Apparently there were some crushes too ;-)

I'm quite excited as my parents are making another trip over in October this year. This will be their third trip! I'm feeling very lucky :-) As soon as I told my schools/friends/students EVERYONE has made plans to see them! There's even been a softball game organised and planned for my Dad to take part in because they know he plays softball! I've got quite a trip round Hokkaido planned for them too, so I hope they don't expect to get any sleep while they're here!

Well, I think I've covered everything in the last couple of months or so. This weekend I'm off to the Hell Festival (I know, right? I'll let you know when I find out!) plus there's a trip to COSTCO planned as well. Can't wait!
Sam

All things Spring!

So the snow has fiiiinally melted and the sunny days are becoming more frequent. Hurrah! I can now safely cycle to work now, a big plus :-) With warmer weather brings spring-time activities. I've already sweated my way through two marathons (don't be fooled by the name, it was only 5km!) We were creative and spelled "Toya" (the name of the town where the "marathon" was held) with our bodies!

Nifty, eh?

Had one school sport's carnival: There are always two teams-red and white. The white team won this year with a special Team Dance danced to a song from High School Musical! And they shouted out the English lyrics that they knew :-) Sweet!

And the other day I was invited out by one of the primary schools to plant rice the old-fashioned way. It was very spur of the moment so I wasn't exactly appropriately attired! The entire school jumped in the rice paddy bare-foot and continued to squelch and scream and plant tiny little seedlings. It was so fun!

I've never heard so many squeals (from myself included!)!

This interesting contraption makes the holes where the seedlings are to go. Interesting stuff!

My lovely attire..

The next big even on my schedule is the Yosakoi-a giant dancing street parade in Sapporo which is endless amounts of fun! Amid the frivolity there's a superhero costume party for a friend of mine, for which, with my newly red tresses, I'll dress as Poison Ivy! Putting my sewing skills to the test :-s I'll keep you posted :-)

-S

Hisashiburi=Long Time, No See!

Well, it's been quite a while, an embarassing long time in fact, since I updated my blog! I'll pin it down to having too much fun in Japan ;-) I could spend paragraphs backtracking and updating what I've been up to since *gulp* April 13, 2009...but I'm lazy and can't be bothered ha. Besides, Facebook can tell you all of that! Instead I'll tell you what I'm up to today. And that's counting down the hours before I head to Northern Honshu, (Tohoku) for a week of roadtripping, onsen-ing and cherry blossoms. I'm ridiculously excited and as soon as 4.15 rolls around I'm racing out that door!
Our (that would be Toye and I) plans include: a 7 hour ferry trip from Hokkaido to Aomori prefecture where we'll see the largest outdoor golden Buddha (Seriously, who could pass that up?), and a 4 hour hike and a soak in a lovely milky hot spring (just like a postcard!). After Aomori we're headed to Iwate prefecture...where limestone caves, a rock-splitting cherry tree and...the infamous Wanko Soba. Giggles aside it's basically a small dish of soba noodles and soup, it's served in a tiny little bowl and the idea is to eat as many of those little bowls as you can. One of my friends in Yuni managed to stomach 52. So that's what I'm aiming for! Wish me luck!
Next is Akita prefecture. First up a trip to the deepest lake in Japan (I wonder if we can swim in it?), several 'castle towns' and another hot spring dip! Last stop is Miyagi prefecture where we'll see the Akiu waterfalls, eat cow tongue and yet another hot spring before a ferry ride back home.
The ferry leaves at 12 tonight. Bring it on.