2015-03-28
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
What a day... I started out with high hopes and in good spirits because it was supposed to be a warm day. I needed to go to Viva City to buy my phone and sign up for internet. I decided to get a smart phone since I could use it to Skype, get maps, as a dictionary, learn kanji (Chinese characters), and occassionally send you pictures. If you remember I went and talked to someone about it last week. I waited a week to go back so both the young woman who helped me with phone questions and the young man who helped me with internet questions would be there to finish the job and get their commissions. First I arrived too early. No problem, I needed some things in the mall and I enjoyed a mixed strawberry and grape soft ice cream cone. I found the woman who would help me with the phone, and we started to fill out the paperwork when she realized I needed a 'cash card' (debit card) from the bank. I don't have that yet (it takes about a week for it to come.) So instead she said I could use my bank book and Japanese stamp (they don't usually sign official documents they use a stamp). They were in my bag yesterday but I took them out before I left this morning for safe keeping. So home I went and then back again. We started the paperwork again and it went smoothly (or so we thought) but it would take a couple of hours to connect the phone! So I left to go to my Japanese class which isn't far from home, and stopped at Hamazushi (a conveyor belt sushi place) for some 'fast food'. Another dissapointment. It's not bad... but it's not great. The rice had too much vinegar and there was too much rice to fish so I couldn't taste the fish as well as I should have been able to - I really miss SushiRou! After my two hour class (which was very enjoyable) I went back a 3rd time!!! I had to wait as Tanakasan was helping someone else and as I was waiting the young man who would be doing the internet sign up happened to pass by so I went to his desk and signed up for internet in my apartment. But it will take 6 weeks to 2 months for me to actually HAVE internet in my apt.!!!! I went back to the phone department and didn't have to wait too long but the first thing out of her mouth was an apology!!! I needed a 3rd form of ID , not an ID exactly because I had my passport, but a cash card, or a bill from a utility company or something like that. I had a US credit card with me but she didn't think that would work. So that would mean I'd have to go home and bring something back AGAIN, and then go back tomorrow to retrieve the phone since getting a connection would still take a couple of hours!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE! At that point I was almost ready to cry. I had really been looking forward to being able to call my mom or sons first thing in the morning... and I really didn't want to go back again - twice and waste tomorrow in the same way I wasted today! I can't go to far or explore too much before work and we don't often have a weekend with good weather (although tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy) so I would like to go to the castle area or the lake tomorrow... Viva City is in the opposite direction of both of those places. I told her I wouldn't be back again tonight - I wasn't about to do that ride in the dark and besides putting on the bike light makes the bike harder to peddle since it's like a brake on the tire (the movement of the tire makes the light come on). Just as I was getting up to leave she asked if my US credit card worked in Japan (which it does) and she suggested we try it. It worked. One yeah. But I still left feeling down, still not being able to talk to anyone, afraid my mom will worry since I said I'd call, and knowing that I have to go south AGAIN tomorrow, and down and up a highway underpass that I really don't like, before I head back past my house to the castle area in the north... and I have NO confidence that something else won't come up. I will also have to fully charge the phone before I use it (by which time it will be too late to call anyone), etc. so I'm still not happy. I pretty much spent the whole day (10am - 6pm) trying to get this done. The only upside is that the 9 miles of bike riding should have worked off the ice cream cones' calories and hopefully strengthened my thigh muscles.
I decided to stop and get some beef on the way home. I really want to try Omi beef (sort of like Kobe beef I think - very fatty and very delicious) but the store I stopped at only had big packages (well not big packages, meat is sold by the gram here, but with all the fat in the meat the packages held enough for a few people and since it's quite expensive I didn't want to splure that much). So I got some regular thinly sliced beef and sauteed it with scallions and ate it Korean style wrapped in lettuce and spinach leaves. It was good but didn't lift my spirits. I had also picked up a melon flavored cocktail in a can (cocktails in cans are very popular here) which was called 'Strong' meaning it has a higher alchohal content. But even though I love melon soda, I didn't like the drink. And my legs hurt. I should probably soak in the tub after all that riding but I don't know if I have the energy to get up and turn it on!
Okay, I'm going to keep going and let it all out! Do any of you remember the children's book 'Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Day'? I did get up and turn on the bath but it was set to the shower so my socks got soaked. My knuckles and fingertips are so dry they are peeling (from the heaters and the cold? ) my nails are all breaking (really short) so I think I'll switch back to milk (I've been drinking soy milk), while waiting for the tub to fill I hurt my fingers opening some clasp containers I froze some food in, and I have black and blue marks all over my legs and fingers ?? but I don't remember bumping into that many things!
Sorry for all the complaints. I needed to vent... Hope you all had a better day than I did.
Next day. Still complaining. For some reason I wake up everyday at 6:40 no matter what time I go to sleep. I don't know if it's the sun coming in or something is waking me... I needed to do a wash since I didn't have time yesterday (when I could have dried it outside), and my washer continued to give me a lot of trouble. I had to keep pressing the button to fill it with water, and keep pushing the lid for it to spin. I'll have to see if someone can look at it. Anyway, I woke up to an overcast day with a 70% chance of rain, and unlike California, if there's a 30 - 40% chance of rain or above, we get rain. I looked into taking a bus but I would get there at 11 and not be able to leave until 2 so that wouldn't do. Instead Iput on my plastic pants and headed back to the store in a light drizzle. I arrived at 10:30, the appointed time, only to be greeted by... guess what?! 'Sorry, something else was wrong and it's not ready yet.' For some reason she had to take my credit card again. But then she said it would be ready in 1 hour and I told her I would wait (while wandering the mall). I returned and AMAZING!!!FINALLY!!!! it was done. I asked a few basic questions, had her put it into English mode (although all the company info is still in Japanese) and I left in a much heavier rain, with no plans to return. Since it's a rainy day and I don't want to go riding around, I've been playing around with the phone since I got home.
I am not looking forward to work tomorrow, and it will be a 6 day work week. During most months we have at least one weekend workday due to an event or test. This month we have two. The entrance ceremony for the new school year's kindergarten class is this Saturday and on the 25th we will put on 3 separate Easter parties (different age groups). On the 26th we start a long (8 day) vacation so that won't be too bad. Hopefully this mood will lift soon.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
2015-03-22, Discovery and Technology Overload
2015-03-22, Discovery and Technology Overload
I decided it was time to look into a cell phone and internet service so I headed to an electronics store that deals with all the companies and is located at a mall called Viva City. It's about 3 miles away, across from the other train station (I live between 2 stations - Hikone and South Hikone - but S. Hikone doesn't have express trains, I haven't figured out the bike parking and it's not as nice of a ride). On the way I stopped at a 'foreign food store' which didn't really have many foreign foods but did have some interesting things, and a small supermarket that seems to have better prices than the ones near me - but is a little far for everyday needs. Their meat looked especially good. I stopped in my 2nd bookstore looking for a Lake Biwa birding chart or book which doesn't seem to exist given the weird looks I've been getting when I ask. There are supposed to be 50,000 birds that live on or migrate to/from the lake so you'd think there'd be something....maybe I'm just not looking in the right kind of store. Then I went on to Edion for a mind melting couple of hours talking about cell phone plans and internet service. I can hardly understand all of that in English - actually I can't understand it in English - so this was even worse. In the end it turned out there was only 1 internet company that I can use at my apartment so I didn't have to make that decision but after filling out a lot of paperwork in preparation and then speaking with someone on the phone it turned out that I can't get internet until I get a phone number and I haven't decided if I should splurge on a smart phone or not. So with my mind mush, I decided I needed lunch and went into the mall to be faced with more decisions. Breads, pastries, Japanese sweets, ice cream, pasta, rice dishes, hamburgers, tempura, noodles, etc. After going around a couple of times I decided on tempura that came with a side of cold udon (fat white noodles) and soba (buckwheat noodles) with a dipping sauce. I just realized I didn't take pictures... not that you would get to see them any time soon! It was ok, but I guess tempura isn't really one of my favorite fried foods, somehow it tastes greasier than other Japanese fried food though it probably isn't.
I walked around, picked up some cleaning supplies at the Y100 store and decided I was really wasting a nice day by being inside. But by the time I left it had turned overcast and windy (but still warm). In a bad mood, both technology and decision making always put me in a bad mood, I got home, brought my futon and blanket inside, cooked some shiitake mushrooms for the week and had a snack since for some reason I was hungry... I also put some little, soft sticker type things I picked up at the Y100 store onto my door. So now a little black cat sitting under a cherry tree will greet me when I come home. Better mood.
I'm really tired but it's only 7 so I think I might go and soak in the tub. Hope you're all well!
I decided it was time to look into a cell phone and internet service so I headed to an electronics store that deals with all the companies and is located at a mall called Viva City. It's about 3 miles away, across from the other train station (I live between 2 stations - Hikone and South Hikone - but S. Hikone doesn't have express trains, I haven't figured out the bike parking and it's not as nice of a ride). On the way I stopped at a 'foreign food store' which didn't really have many foreign foods but did have some interesting things, and a small supermarket that seems to have better prices than the ones near me - but is a little far for everyday needs. Their meat looked especially good. I stopped in my 2nd bookstore looking for a Lake Biwa birding chart or book which doesn't seem to exist given the weird looks I've been getting when I ask. There are supposed to be 50,000 birds that live on or migrate to/from the lake so you'd think there'd be something....maybe I'm just not looking in the right kind of store. Then I went on to Edion for a mind melting couple of hours talking about cell phone plans and internet service. I can hardly understand all of that in English - actually I can't understand it in English - so this was even worse. In the end it turned out there was only 1 internet company that I can use at my apartment so I didn't have to make that decision but after filling out a lot of paperwork in preparation and then speaking with someone on the phone it turned out that I can't get internet until I get a phone number and I haven't decided if I should splurge on a smart phone or not. So with my mind mush, I decided I needed lunch and went into the mall to be faced with more decisions. Breads, pastries, Japanese sweets, ice cream, pasta, rice dishes, hamburgers, tempura, noodles, etc. After going around a couple of times I decided on tempura that came with a side of cold udon (fat white noodles) and soba (buckwheat noodles) with a dipping sauce. I just realized I didn't take pictures... not that you would get to see them any time soon! It was ok, but I guess tempura isn't really one of my favorite fried foods, somehow it tastes greasier than other Japanese fried food though it probably isn't.
I walked around, picked up some cleaning supplies at the Y100 store and decided I was really wasting a nice day by being inside. But by the time I left it had turned overcast and windy (but still warm). In a bad mood, both technology and decision making always put me in a bad mood, I got home, brought my futon and blanket inside, cooked some shiitake mushrooms for the week and had a snack since for some reason I was hungry... I also put some little, soft sticker type things I picked up at the Y100 store onto my door. So now a little black cat sitting under a cherry tree will greet me when I come home. Better mood.
I'm really tired but it's only 7 so I think I might go and soak in the tub. Hope you're all well!
2015-03-21, Otsu and Kyoto
2015-03-21, Otsu and Kyoto
I couldn't decide if I should take a bus to the station to go to Otsu or ride my bike. I thought if I ended up going to Kyoto after Otsu I'd be really tired by the time I returned, but there are so few buses on weekend evenings that I might have to wait for an hour... so I rode. I was a really nice day, and turned out to be a nice evening as well so it worked out well. Otsu is the prefectural capital of Shiga Prefecture (where I live) and it's where I went on Wednesday to get my visa. It takes 40 - 55 minutes by train depending on which train you catch.
I went to Otsu this time to meet the Uois from Tokushima who were going to see a concert and an opera there in the afternoon. I'm sure you all know Seiji Ozawa. I think he had a stroke or something but is now performing again in short concerts. They planned to see him and then the opera after they had lunch at a very old (we're talking more than 150 years) classic Japanese restaurant called Otsu Uosu, so they invited me to join them for lunch.
They got held up in traffic due to the beginning of spring vacation for students, so I was waiting at the station - without anyway to be contacted, until I finally thought to ask if there was a pay phone nearby (they are a little less rare here than in the US but still hard to find). Having reached them and being assured I wasn't waiting in the wrong place, we decided I would meet them at the restaurant which was supposed to be about a 5 minute walk away. I went to the tourist bureau to ask directions and they had an English map. The woman behind the counter turned out to be from Tokushima and she informed me of nearby towns that will have nice flower displays at different times of year. It should have been a very straight forward walk, but of course being me..... actually I can't claim all the credit for taking the wrong left turn. Even when I asked an old man for directions and he decided to walk with me, he couldn't find the street and we went too far (which I realized when he wanted to keep going). Anyway we found it, I thanked him and he went on his way (which was not in the same direction he had taken me). It was a great place with only private tatami rooms. Ours had a table and chairs on the tatami as did the room next door, but I don't know if that was the case for all the rooms.
We were served a spring bento lunch, something you might take on a picnic to view the cherry blossoms. First a beautiful pottery bowl with a few slices of sashimi. Then we each received a closed wicker (bamboo probably) basket which we opened ourselves and inside where one or two bites of all kinds of interesting and colorful foods. Kabocha squash, 1/2 a baby carrot, gobo (a root), fuki (?), octopus, eel on a bed of vinegared cucumber - my favorite, and a little bigger piece of fish. A clear soup in a little cup with a clam and chirashizushi (vinegared rice with different things scattered on top) accompanied the basket. For dessert we had a little cup of green tea flavored soy milk pudding with dark syrup and sweet beans (anko). The Uois had to leave quickly since they arrived so late but on the way to the concert they dropped me off at the subway station which would take me to Kyoto.
Before getting on the train I walked to the lookout point where I could see the southern end of Lake Biwa. There was some sort of sailboat gathering, there must have been 20 - 30 little boats out there. There is also a big sightseeing boat that leaves from the port.
The 'subway' in Otsu is like the green line in Boston. It's really an above ground trolley through a few towns and then goes underground when it gets closer to Kyoto. But, unlike the T in Boston, this train runs between houses with less than 5 feet (a guess) between the train and the houses! There was the train rail, chain linked fence and the houses. Had it been a road there would hardly have been enough room for two cars to pass!!! At night I'm sure you can peek right into people's living rooms!
I wasn't really prepared for walking around Kyoto. I hadn't brought a map, didn't have walking shoes on, etc., but luckily they had a map of the subway stop area at the station and I found my way around. Actually I did my usually wandering and found some interesting places and my way back to Kyoto station without asking too many people.
The cherry blossoms will be blooming in another week or two so I didn't pay to go into any of the gardens, temples or shrines today. I'll wait since admissions can really add up and nothing is blooming at the moment. But it was still pretty and relaxing, the weather was warm and it wasn't overcast or raining so it was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. I also found a couple of places I didn't know had lots of cherry trees so I will make it a point to go back when they are blooming. Hopefully - you never know with cherry blossoms, one good rain or strong wind and they're gone, possibly before you've had a chance to see them. That's why they were chosen as Japan's national flower (long ago). They were considering ume (plum) and sakura (cherry) blossoms. Both are beautiful, and I actually think the plum trees' branches are much more interesting - very twisty, ume have a soft but beautiful smell, and they are much more hardy. But the decision makers felt that sakura were like soldiers that die in war. They don't have a chance to get old and wither, they fall and die in their prime when they are still young and beautiful.
Back to my wandering. I found some temples with gardens that I had not seen or heard of before so I will put them on my list to visit in flowering seasons. I ended up at Heian Shrine - which is the image on the 10 yen coin. Kathy and I went there in May when the wisteria were blooming and we were lucky enough to enjoy a local tea tasting. We didn't go into the garden at the time because there were more than enough flowers blooming outside. But it turns out that the garden there is full of a late blooming weeping type of sakura and they are usually in full bloom around April 10. I will try to go back for that although most of the other trees in Kyoto will be blooming late next week to the first weekend in April. I will probably try to do both.
I took a bus back to Kyoto station, if I am in that area again I will probably try the subway as the bus takes so long. While on the bus I passed quite a few places that Kathy and I had visited together and I remembered how much fun it was to have her walking around with me. I arrived at the station which was, as always packed with people, at just the right time to catch the next express train to Hikone. In Hikone I retrieved my bike from the bike garage and headed home. As I rode away from the station I was treated to a view of one of the castle keeps (I think that's the word) lit up against the black sky. It will really be something when the sakura around the castle are blooming!
I stopped at the supermarket and got some of the worst sandwiches I've had in Japan (tiny bits of filling and those weren't very good...). Japanese sandwiches are like English tea sandwiches and are usually a good break for me from salty Japanese food but not these. Actually, and this is probably a good thing, the prepared foods at the supermarkets in Hikone are really not very good. I say it's a good thing because part of the reason that I gained weight at the end of my last stay was that I started eating more prepared food! I can't see myself doing that here.
Tomorrow I will go to an electronics store to look into internet service, a cell phone and a small laptop. I'd really like to be able to share pictures with you!!!
I couldn't decide if I should take a bus to the station to go to Otsu or ride my bike. I thought if I ended up going to Kyoto after Otsu I'd be really tired by the time I returned, but there are so few buses on weekend evenings that I might have to wait for an hour... so I rode. I was a really nice day, and turned out to be a nice evening as well so it worked out well. Otsu is the prefectural capital of Shiga Prefecture (where I live) and it's where I went on Wednesday to get my visa. It takes 40 - 55 minutes by train depending on which train you catch.
I went to Otsu this time to meet the Uois from Tokushima who were going to see a concert and an opera there in the afternoon. I'm sure you all know Seiji Ozawa. I think he had a stroke or something but is now performing again in short concerts. They planned to see him and then the opera after they had lunch at a very old (we're talking more than 150 years) classic Japanese restaurant called Otsu Uosu, so they invited me to join them for lunch.
They got held up in traffic due to the beginning of spring vacation for students, so I was waiting at the station - without anyway to be contacted, until I finally thought to ask if there was a pay phone nearby (they are a little less rare here than in the US but still hard to find). Having reached them and being assured I wasn't waiting in the wrong place, we decided I would meet them at the restaurant which was supposed to be about a 5 minute walk away. I went to the tourist bureau to ask directions and they had an English map. The woman behind the counter turned out to be from Tokushima and she informed me of nearby towns that will have nice flower displays at different times of year. It should have been a very straight forward walk, but of course being me..... actually I can't claim all the credit for taking the wrong left turn. Even when I asked an old man for directions and he decided to walk with me, he couldn't find the street and we went too far (which I realized when he wanted to keep going). Anyway we found it, I thanked him and he went on his way (which was not in the same direction he had taken me). It was a great place with only private tatami rooms. Ours had a table and chairs on the tatami as did the room next door, but I don't know if that was the case for all the rooms.
6
We were served a spring bento lunch, something you might take on a picnic to view the cherry blossoms. First a beautiful pottery bowl with a few slices of sashimi. Then we each received a closed wicker (bamboo probably) basket which we opened ourselves and inside where one or two bites of all kinds of interesting and colorful foods. Kabocha squash, 1/2 a baby carrot, gobo (a root), fuki (?), octopus, eel on a bed of vinegared cucumber - my favorite, and a little bigger piece of fish. A clear soup in a little cup with a clam and chirashizushi (vinegared rice with different things scattered on top) accompanied the basket. For dessert we had a little cup of green tea flavored soy milk pudding with dark syrup and sweet beans (anko). The Uois had to leave quickly since they arrived so late but on the way to the concert they dropped me off at the subway station which would take me to Kyoto.
Before getting on the train I walked to the lookout point where I could see the southern end of Lake Biwa. There was some sort of sailboat gathering, there must have been 20 - 30 little boats out there. There is also a big sightseeing boat that leaves from the port.
The 'subway' in Otsu is like the green line in Boston. It's really an above ground trolley through a few towns and then goes underground when it gets closer to Kyoto. But, unlike the T in Boston, this train runs between houses with less than 5 feet (a guess) between the train and the houses! There was the train rail, chain linked fence and the houses. Had it been a road there would hardly have been enough room for two cars to pass!!! At night I'm sure you can peek right into people's living rooms!
 |
| This was actually a station platform so there wa more space between the train and the houses... |
I wasn't really prepared for walking around Kyoto. I hadn't brought a map, didn't have walking shoes on, etc., but luckily they had a map of the subway stop area at the station and I found my way around. Actually I did my usually wandering and found some interesting places and my way back to Kyoto station without asking too many people.
The cherry blossoms will be blooming in another week or two so I didn't pay to go into any of the gardens, temples or shrines today. I'll wait since admissions can really add up and nothing is blooming at the moment. But it was still pretty and relaxing, the weather was warm and it wasn't overcast or raining so it was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. I also found a couple of places I didn't know had lots of cherry trees so I will make it a point to go back when they are blooming. Hopefully - you never know with cherry blossoms, one good rain or strong wind and they're gone, possibly before you've had a chance to see them. That's why they were chosen as Japan's national flower (long ago). They were considering ume (plum) and sakura (cherry) blossoms. Both are beautiful, and I actually think the plum trees' branches are much more interesting - very twisty, ume have a soft but beautiful smell, and they are much more hardy. But the decision makers felt that sakura were like soldiers that die in war. They don't have a chance to get old and wither, they fall and die in their prime when they are still young and beautiful.
Back to my wandering. I found some temples with gardens that I had not seen or heard of before so I will put them on my list to visit in flowering seasons. I ended up at Heian Shrine - which is the image on the 10 yen coin. Kathy and I went there in May when the wisteria were blooming and we were lucky enough to enjoy a local tea tasting. We didn't go into the garden at the time because there were more than enough flowers blooming outside. But it turns out that the garden there is full of a late blooming weeping type of sakura and they are usually in full bloom around April 10. I will try to go back for that although most of the other trees in Kyoto will be blooming late next week to the first weekend in April. I will probably try to do both.
I took a bus back to Kyoto station, if I am in that area again I will probably try the subway as the bus takes so long. While on the bus I passed quite a few places that Kathy and I had visited together and I remembered how much fun it was to have her walking around with me. I arrived at the station which was, as always packed with people, at just the right time to catch the next express train to Hikone. In Hikone I retrieved my bike from the bike garage and headed home. As I rode away from the station I was treated to a view of one of the castle keeps (I think that's the word) lit up against the black sky. It will really be something when the sakura around the castle are blooming!
I stopped at the supermarket and got some of the worst sandwiches I've had in Japan (tiny bits of filling and those weren't very good...). Japanese sandwiches are like English tea sandwiches and are usually a good break for me from salty Japanese food but not these. Actually, and this is probably a good thing, the prepared foods at the supermarkets in Hikone are really not very good. I say it's a good thing because part of the reason that I gained weight at the end of my last stay was that I started eating more prepared food! I can't see myself doing that here.
Tomorrow I will go to an electronics store to look into internet service, a cell phone and a small laptop. I'd really like to be able to share pictures with you!!!
2015-03-21, Happy Birthday Mom!
2015-03-21, Happy Birthday Mom!!!
I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you but my wishes for a fun day and happy and healthy year are flying across the Pacific. I know that your friends will make sure you have a nice day, or week!
I finally got my working visa which means 1) I'm legal now, and 2) I can get my residence card which means I can open a bank account, health insurance, a cell phone, (start the process for) internet service in my apartment (it still may take a long time for that) and get a library card (although I don't know if they have any English materials).
Aside from picking up my visa and enrolling in the national health plan I didn't do much else but work. I conducted the classes on my own and I'd say except for Thursday, when I wasn't feeling well, the week went pretty well. I think after 2 or three more weeks I'll have it down (hopefully).
Today is a national holiday - the vernal (?) equinox so my exercise class yesterday and the Japanese class today were canceled. Which was just as well since I needed the extra sleep yesterday and the time to sign up for insurance, and today I'm going to Otsu to meet Noriko and her husband for a special lunch.
It has been really nice to have a TV. I'm understanding more of the news these days (not always a good thing) and I can get the weather forecasts as well. It seems that most of the dramas, which usually run for a few months, are ending now so I'll be able to watch the new ones from the beginning soon. I try to have the TV on most of the time to absorb some Japanese since my days at work are spent in a mostly English environment.
I've been trying to take at least short rides on my bike everyday but my legs still ache often and especially going into the castle area where there is one small bridge that is built in an arch shape. I might try to go that far everyday just to get my thigh muscles in shape. I know that if I could raise my seat a little my thighs would hurt less - I'd use different muscles I guess - but I seem to have brought shoes with thin soles so I can't reach the ground if the seat is higher!
Tomorrow I will go to an electronics store where I will look for a small laptop computer. I was planning to get one before I left but didn't, and I just can't figure out how to get pictures onto the blog with this tablet. I will also compare phone and internet plans and decide if I want to move up in the world of technology and get a smart phone or stick with my old flip phone. Wish me luck!
I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you but my wishes for a fun day and happy and healthy year are flying across the Pacific. I know that your friends will make sure you have a nice day, or week!
I finally got my working visa which means 1) I'm legal now, and 2) I can get my residence card which means I can open a bank account, health insurance, a cell phone, (start the process for) internet service in my apartment (it still may take a long time for that) and get a library card (although I don't know if they have any English materials).
Aside from picking up my visa and enrolling in the national health plan I didn't do much else but work. I conducted the classes on my own and I'd say except for Thursday, when I wasn't feeling well, the week went pretty well. I think after 2 or three more weeks I'll have it down (hopefully).
Today is a national holiday - the vernal (?) equinox so my exercise class yesterday and the Japanese class today were canceled. Which was just as well since I needed the extra sleep yesterday and the time to sign up for insurance, and today I'm going to Otsu to meet Noriko and her husband for a special lunch.
It has been really nice to have a TV. I'm understanding more of the news these days (not always a good thing) and I can get the weather forecasts as well. It seems that most of the dramas, which usually run for a few months, are ending now so I'll be able to watch the new ones from the beginning soon. I try to have the TV on most of the time to absorb some Japanese since my days at work are spent in a mostly English environment.
I've been trying to take at least short rides on my bike everyday but my legs still ache often and especially going into the castle area where there is one small bridge that is built in an arch shape. I might try to go that far everyday just to get my thigh muscles in shape. I know that if I could raise my seat a little my thighs would hurt less - I'd use different muscles I guess - but I seem to have brought shoes with thin soles so I can't reach the ground if the seat is higher!
Tomorrow I will go to an electronics store where I will look for a small laptop computer. I was planning to get one before I left but didn't, and I just can't figure out how to get pictures onto the blog with this tablet. I will also compare phone and internet plans and decide if I want to move up in the world of technology and get a smart phone or stick with my old flip phone. Wish me luck!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
2015-03-15, A Little Sunshine, A Bike and a Free Sunday
2015-03-15, A Little Sunshine, A Bike and A Free Sunday
Finally! After being here for 17 days, it didn't rain/snow, I have a bicycle and I didn't have to work so I was finally able to explore a little bit. I left at about 9:30 and started up the main road. There are restaurants, shops, and apartments along the road which is called Bell Road. I crossed two (very) small bridges - one just behind my apartment. I'm not sure if that one crosses a man-made canal or if it's actually a small, natural river (not terribly clean) but there seem to be some sakura (cherry trees) lining it on the other side so it should be pretty in a few weeks. The paths along it on the other side of Bell Rd. are lined on both sides with sakura. The 2nd bridge definitely crossed a river, a small one, but nice, and there are some cobblestone like paths lined with trees (not sakura) that make me think it will be a nice place to walk or ride in the summer.
I found my way to the castle 'compound'. There are 3 moats around Hikone Castle and there are some municipal buildings, shrines, a museum and parking lots within the walls of the outer moat. I was looking for a monthly farmer's market that I had read was on the Castle Road. After asking a few people I found it around the other other side of the castle. There were about 10 or 12 tables with people selling vegetables, pickles, little fried fish, dried shaved squid, baked goods, Japanese sweets, some homemade crafts and tofu products. I bought some vegetables, soft tofu, thick soy milk (wasn't crazy about that) and a sort of tofu patty, some little fried fish and a Japanese sweet.
I happened upon the International Lounge that I have been wanting to go to but it was closed. So I headed towards the station so I could pick up a map at the tourist center. Almost all the shops along the road were closed, I'm not sure if that was because it was a Sunday morning or because most of them are out of business... I got a map - in English!!!, an explanation of how to get across the train tracks with a bicycle (you have to put the bike in an elevator), and where the station bike parking is located.
Then I started to wander. I was trying to find some temples or shrines and not too far away I did. It happened that the monk there had gone to college in Seattle and then lived at a Zen Center in Springfield, MA for 9 months so his English is very good and he was able to clear up many things I've been wondering about. The biggest mystery was the story behind the 'jizo' one sees everywhere, usually with baby bib like things around their necks. It turns out that it is very bad if a child dies before the parent (of course) and the child will go to hell. The Jizo are gods who go down to hell to help comfort, cheer up and care for the children. 'Children' can be a person of any age, as long as they die before both parents... So everyone prays to Jizo.
The temple building is 400 years old, has suffered some damage from earthquakes but is still the original building. The daimyo (lord) of Hikone Castles' family redirected a river that ran through the property and built the temple in honor of the daimyo after he died. After a great tour of the temple and lots of explanations, I asked about a good place for lunch and the monk directed me to a place right across the little street. It looked a little questionable from the outside but it was beautiful inside (as many little Japanese places are).
It was a Japanese style restaurant with beautiful wood floors, cushions to sit on and a place for your feet below the tables. Kind of like a big kotatsu - and warm - which was good because I was really cold from wandering around that temple! I didn't have my long underwear on today because it was supposed to be around 60 F. I don't know if it ever got that warm, but around noon the clouds covered the sun and it started to get chilly again. Back to the restaurant. They have a very small menu with a few different 'sets' bento boxes and today they also had Okinawan noodles. It's not an Okinawan restaurant but there must be a connection - maybe that's where the chef is from - and ingredients from Okinawa are sent and used occasionally. The main part of the sets (like the fish or meat) change each day and the 'sides' pretty much stay the same. I was very tempted by the sets, but I was so cold that I went with the noodles which are always a good way to warm up from the inside!
I will definitely go back, although I don't know exactly how I'll find it again...
It was still fairly early, around 1:30 or 2 but it was getting colder and looking like rain (which didn't materialize) and since I had no idea where I was in relation to home, I decided to start back. I stopped in some shops, went down some nice streets (and back again since I found I was going in the opposite direction from my apt....) and then I came upon a plaza where there were cafes, shops, people playing music outside, etc. There were also speakers everywhere playing bird songs - no idea why... Down the street in back of that place there were some nice temples that I will explore in a few weeks when their plum or cherry trees are blooming.
It turns out that plaza and the temples are only about 10 minutes ride from my place and I think I know how to get back there. Home, put away the groceries, did another wash, warmed up while watching TV, made miso soup with some of the vegetables I bought today and ate that with the tofu products and little fried fish that I bought at the farmer's market. It's still pretty early so maybe it's a good night to fill up the tub.
Finally! After being here for 17 days, it didn't rain/snow, I have a bicycle and I didn't have to work so I was finally able to explore a little bit. I left at about 9:30 and started up the main road. There are restaurants, shops, and apartments along the road which is called Bell Road. I crossed two (very) small bridges - one just behind my apartment. I'm not sure if that one crosses a man-made canal or if it's actually a small, natural river (not terribly clean) but there seem to be some sakura (cherry trees) lining it on the other side so it should be pretty in a few weeks. The paths along it on the other side of Bell Rd. are lined on both sides with sakura. The 2nd bridge definitely crossed a river, a small one, but nice, and there are some cobblestone like paths lined with trees (not sakura) that make me think it will be a nice place to walk or ride in the summer.
I found my way to the castle 'compound'. There are 3 moats around Hikone Castle and there are some municipal buildings, shrines, a museum and parking lots within the walls of the outer moat. I was looking for a monthly farmer's market that I had read was on the Castle Road. After asking a few people I found it around the other other side of the castle. There were about 10 or 12 tables with people selling vegetables, pickles, little fried fish, dried shaved squid, baked goods, Japanese sweets, some homemade crafts and tofu products. I bought some vegetables, soft tofu, thick soy milk (wasn't crazy about that) and a sort of tofu patty, some little fried fish and a Japanese sweet.
I happened upon the International Lounge that I have been wanting to go to but it was closed. So I headed towards the station so I could pick up a map at the tourist center. Almost all the shops along the road were closed, I'm not sure if that was because it was a Sunday morning or because most of them are out of business... I got a map - in English!!!, an explanation of how to get across the train tracks with a bicycle (you have to put the bike in an elevator), and where the station bike parking is located.
Then I started to wander. I was trying to find some temples or shrines and not too far away I did. It happened that the monk there had gone to college in Seattle and then lived at a Zen Center in Springfield, MA for 9 months so his English is very good and he was able to clear up many things I've been wondering about. The biggest mystery was the story behind the 'jizo' one sees everywhere, usually with baby bib like things around their necks. It turns out that it is very bad if a child dies before the parent (of course) and the child will go to hell. The Jizo are gods who go down to hell to help comfort, cheer up and care for the children. 'Children' can be a person of any age, as long as they die before both parents... So everyone prays to Jizo.
The temple building is 400 years old, has suffered some damage from earthquakes but is still the original building. The daimyo (lord) of Hikone Castles' family redirected a river that ran through the property and built the temple in honor of the daimyo after he died. After a great tour of the temple and lots of explanations, I asked about a good place for lunch and the monk directed me to a place right across the little street. It looked a little questionable from the outside but it was beautiful inside (as many little Japanese places are).
It was a Japanese style restaurant with beautiful wood floors, cushions to sit on and a place for your feet below the tables. Kind of like a big kotatsu - and warm - which was good because I was really cold from wandering around that temple! I didn't have my long underwear on today because it was supposed to be around 60 F. I don't know if it ever got that warm, but around noon the clouds covered the sun and it started to get chilly again. Back to the restaurant. They have a very small menu with a few different 'sets' bento boxes and today they also had Okinawan noodles. It's not an Okinawan restaurant but there must be a connection - maybe that's where the chef is from - and ingredients from Okinawa are sent and used occasionally. The main part of the sets (like the fish or meat) change each day and the 'sides' pretty much stay the same. I was very tempted by the sets, but I was so cold that I went with the noodles which are always a good way to warm up from the inside!
I will definitely go back, although I don't know exactly how I'll find it again...
It was still fairly early, around 1:30 or 2 but it was getting colder and looking like rain (which didn't materialize) and since I had no idea where I was in relation to home, I decided to start back. I stopped in some shops, went down some nice streets (and back again since I found I was going in the opposite direction from my apt....) and then I came upon a plaza where there were cafes, shops, people playing music outside, etc. There were also speakers everywhere playing bird songs - no idea why... Down the street in back of that place there were some nice temples that I will explore in a few weeks when their plum or cherry trees are blooming.
It turns out that plaza and the temples are only about 10 minutes ride from my place and I think I know how to get back there. Home, put away the groceries, did another wash, warmed up while watching TV, made miso soup with some of the vegetables I bought today and ate that with the tofu products and little fried fish that I bought at the farmer's market. It's still pretty early so maybe it's a good night to fill up the tub.
2015-03-14, A Great Class
2015-03-14, A Great Class
I went to the community center for a Japanese lesson today. I had tried to take classes in Tokushima but it was a group class and didn't really fit my ability. This one was great! There were 6 or 7 retirees, some had been Japanese or English teachers, and they paired with the students so everyone had a private lesson at their own level. You can work on individual needs, learn from the book, etc. It will be perfect except for the fact that it is held at 2pm on Saturdays... When I go to Kyoto or other places I will probably go on a Saturday so I will miss classes, but since each class is tailored to the student, it's not like I will miss an important lesson. One of the long time students (3 years) was there for the last time and so there was a litte party with delicious cake and very interesting (and yummy) Vietnamese lotus tea. I've never had it before but I'd love to find some. Today there were 4 other students, all from China, but often there are students from Korea, Vietnam and sometimes Brazil so it should be interesting.
I finally bought dishes, but didn't take my bike over to the store and ended up feeling like my arms would fall off carrying them home! I had Kelly (the teacher I am taking over from) over for dinner and I made chicken paprikash (her request!) - something her grandmother used to make. It was very good, and since she doesn't cook (although I'm hoping to teach her) I think she enjoyed the homecooked meal. I sent her home with enough for another dinner.
Kelly used to work in IT so she is good at computers. We figured out how to get my pictures onto dropbox so I will have to try to figure out how to get them on here.
I went to the community center for a Japanese lesson today. I had tried to take classes in Tokushima but it was a group class and didn't really fit my ability. This one was great! There were 6 or 7 retirees, some had been Japanese or English teachers, and they paired with the students so everyone had a private lesson at their own level. You can work on individual needs, learn from the book, etc. It will be perfect except for the fact that it is held at 2pm on Saturdays... When I go to Kyoto or other places I will probably go on a Saturday so I will miss classes, but since each class is tailored to the student, it's not like I will miss an important lesson. One of the long time students (3 years) was there for the last time and so there was a litte party with delicious cake and very interesting (and yummy) Vietnamese lotus tea. I've never had it before but I'd love to find some. Today there were 4 other students, all from China, but often there are students from Korea, Vietnam and sometimes Brazil so it should be interesting.
I finally bought dishes, but didn't take my bike over to the store and ended up feeling like my arms would fall off carrying them home! I had Kelly (the teacher I am taking over from) over for dinner and I made chicken paprikash (her request!) - something her grandmother used to make. It was very good, and since she doesn't cook (although I'm hoping to teach her) I think she enjoyed the homecooked meal. I sent her home with enough for another dinner.
Kelly used to work in IT so she is good at computers. We figured out how to get my pictures onto dropbox so I will have to try to figure out how to get them on here.
2015-03-10, Snow, Real Snow!
2015-03-10, Snow, Real Snow!!!
I had heard that snow had been forcasted for Tuesday, Wed., and Thurs. but noone seemed to believe it since it had been relatively warm lately, and especially nice on Sunday. We thought that if it did snow it would be at night and would just be flurries that wouldn't stick. Wrong. The wind has been blowing all day and the snow has been coming down hard since late this afternoon. There's probably an inch or more on the ground and it's very beautiful but it was REALLY hard to ride my bike home while shielding, or closing, my eyes. I removed my glasses because I wouldn't have been able to see through the drops, but I ended up not being able to see anyway due to the snow blowing into my eyes. Of course I could have walked my bike home but that would have taken twice as long and it was pretty chilly. I made a mini snowman when I got home, just because I haven't done that in a long time, then inside for a hot bowl of soup and sesame lotus root salad.
I had heard that snow had been forcasted for Tuesday, Wed., and Thurs. but noone seemed to believe it since it had been relatively warm lately, and especially nice on Sunday. We thought that if it did snow it would be at night and would just be flurries that wouldn't stick. Wrong. The wind has been blowing all day and the snow has been coming down hard since late this afternoon. There's probably an inch or more on the ground and it's very beautiful but it was REALLY hard to ride my bike home while shielding, or closing, my eyes. I removed my glasses because I wouldn't have been able to see through the drops, but I ended up not being able to see anyway due to the snow blowing into my eyes. Of course I could have walked my bike home but that would have taken twice as long and it was pretty chilly. I made a mini snowman when I got home, just because I haven't done that in a long time, then inside for a hot bowl of soup and sesame lotus root salad.
Monday, March 9, 2015
2015-03-09, A Bike = Freedom
2015-03-09, A Bike = Freedom
I bought a bike! Yeah!!!
Sunday, which was supposed to be a rainy day, turned out to be beautiful. It was sunny and fairly warm (2 layers, unzipped winter jacket and no gloves warm - not California warm). I took a bus to a shopping center that has a do-it-yourself/home center, a department store, supermarket and on the other side of the parking lot I think there is a furniture store. Across the street is Lake Biwa (Biwako) so I finally saw it. It's 200km around, so I guess around 130 miles or so, and on the other side I could see mountains, some still snow capped.
I found indoor sneakers for the exercise class on Fridays (you take off your outdoor shoes when you enter community centers) and rain boots. I decided to wait on snow boots until next year. I wandered around the home center looking at dishes, laundry accessories, etc. and then went over to the bicycle section. It seems that silver is the desired color for a bike here so I was hoping to find one of another color so it would stand out and be easy to find. In the inexpensive section there was one dark maroon, 2 whites and the rest were silver. I splurged and paid and extra $10 for a white bike. There is a lot of paperwork to go through and the two young men (along with their cellphone dictionaries) and I struggled through. It also has to be registered with the police in case of theft. That done, I wandered around the store some more (since I now had a bike to carry my things home in), had lunch at the great little food court MacDonald s, takoyaki (dough balls with octopus), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with cabbage), yakisoba (fried noodles), 3 types of ramen, a stamina bowl (garlic flavored pork on rice) and a mini chicken katsu (fried pork) on rice with cabbage which is what I had. Note to self - they had melon soda floats.
I decided I could muster the will power to walk through the supermarket 'just to check it out'. Of course it didn't turn out that way, it's sort of like going to the SPCA just to see who's there.... so I picked up dinner, and some vegetables, and made myself leave before things got too far out of hand.
Went back to get my bike, and a basket for the rear (it came with a front basket) which will be handy while I'm still picking things up and if I need to carry heavy things. I can take if off easily if I find I don't use it often. I rode along the lake for a little while. I don't know if it's because it's winter, or the fact that I much prefer swimming in oceans to swimming in lakes, but the water and shore didn't look at all appealing. I heard there are nice beaches in some of the southern towns.
Problem. I was going back a different way than I came. Because I wanted to ride along the lake, and because I wouldn't have been able to figure out how to get back the way I came. I knew that if I took a left - somewhere - I would end up on the school's street (most streets in smaller towns in Japan don't have street names, or at least they're not written anywhere) but I had no idea on which street to turn left.... So I turned, wandered, asked a few people and made it home without going too far out of my way. Yeah for me. If I knew where to turn it probably would only take 10 - 15 minutes so I will probably go there once a month or so just for a change of supermarkets.
I put away my groceries (sashimi for dinner again - yum) and headed to the Y100 to get dishes. But ended up at the thrift store across the street... Picked up some food storage containers, a pretty plate and a tray and went to the Y100 shop where I bought things other than dishes. Again. That was enough for the day, so I washed and put everything away, took in my laundry had a yummy sashimi dinner and listened to a book.
Since I don't have anyway see/hear a weather forecast I hoped that even though it was overcast it wouldn't rain and decided 1) not to wear my new rain boots and 2) to ride my bike to work. Around 7 or 8 pm I heard the rain. By the time I left around 9:30 it had lightened up and wasn't raining too hard. I heard that we might get snow the next few days. Maybe I should have looked for snow boots!
I bought a bike! Yeah!!!
Sunday, which was supposed to be a rainy day, turned out to be beautiful. It was sunny and fairly warm (2 layers, unzipped winter jacket and no gloves warm - not California warm). I took a bus to a shopping center that has a do-it-yourself/home center, a department store, supermarket and on the other side of the parking lot I think there is a furniture store. Across the street is Lake Biwa (Biwako) so I finally saw it. It's 200km around, so I guess around 130 miles or so, and on the other side I could see mountains, some still snow capped.
I found indoor sneakers for the exercise class on Fridays (you take off your outdoor shoes when you enter community centers) and rain boots. I decided to wait on snow boots until next year. I wandered around the home center looking at dishes, laundry accessories, etc. and then went over to the bicycle section. It seems that silver is the desired color for a bike here so I was hoping to find one of another color so it would stand out and be easy to find. In the inexpensive section there was one dark maroon, 2 whites and the rest were silver. I splurged and paid and extra $10 for a white bike. There is a lot of paperwork to go through and the two young men (along with their cellphone dictionaries) and I struggled through. It also has to be registered with the police in case of theft. That done, I wandered around the store some more (since I now had a bike to carry my things home in), had lunch at the great little food court MacDonald s, takoyaki (dough balls with octopus), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with cabbage), yakisoba (fried noodles), 3 types of ramen, a stamina bowl (garlic flavored pork on rice) and a mini chicken katsu (fried pork) on rice with cabbage which is what I had. Note to self - they had melon soda floats.
I decided I could muster the will power to walk through the supermarket 'just to check it out'. Of course it didn't turn out that way, it's sort of like going to the SPCA just to see who's there.... so I picked up dinner, and some vegetables, and made myself leave before things got too far out of hand.
Went back to get my bike, and a basket for the rear (it came with a front basket) which will be handy while I'm still picking things up and if I need to carry heavy things. I can take if off easily if I find I don't use it often. I rode along the lake for a little while. I don't know if it's because it's winter, or the fact that I much prefer swimming in oceans to swimming in lakes, but the water and shore didn't look at all appealing. I heard there are nice beaches in some of the southern towns.
Problem. I was going back a different way than I came. Because I wanted to ride along the lake, and because I wouldn't have been able to figure out how to get back the way I came. I knew that if I took a left - somewhere - I would end up on the school's street (most streets in smaller towns in Japan don't have street names, or at least they're not written anywhere) but I had no idea on which street to turn left.... So I turned, wandered, asked a few people and made it home without going too far out of my way. Yeah for me. If I knew where to turn it probably would only take 10 - 15 minutes so I will probably go there once a month or so just for a change of supermarkets.
I put away my groceries (sashimi for dinner again - yum) and headed to the Y100 to get dishes. But ended up at the thrift store across the street... Picked up some food storage containers, a pretty plate and a tray and went to the Y100 shop where I bought things other than dishes. Again. That was enough for the day, so I washed and put everything away, took in my laundry had a yummy sashimi dinner and listened to a book.
Since I don't have anyway see/hear a weather forecast I hoped that even though it was overcast it wouldn't rain and decided 1) not to wear my new rain boots and 2) to ride my bike to work. Around 7 or 8 pm I heard the rain. By the time I left around 9:30 it had lightened up and wasn't raining too hard. I heard that we might get snow the next few days. Maybe I should have looked for snow boots!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
2015-03-09, Friends New and Old
2015-03-08, Friends New and Old
My first week of work was extremely tiring. This school has a set curriculum to follow and with the younger students, or 'undergraders' (everyone below 1st grade) as they're called, there is a minute to minute guide of songs, games and book work. For the 'graders' and adults there is a little more flexibility in that you can make up your own supplementary material and focus on weak points. In the end it will make life easier especially since all classes at the same level will have the same lesson during the same week, but it's a little difficult figuring out the system at first. The teacher I'm taking over from is really putting in a lot of effort to teach me the lay of the land. Normally new teachers observe for a while then do some practice teaching, then take over a lesson here and there. That can go on for 2 - 3 months. But Kelly has to go back to the US on March 22 for a family matter so I will only have 3 weeks to learn everything. Seeing how much less confused I was on Friday than on Monday, I think it will be ok, if a little stressful.
On Friday I finally made time to stop by the local community center which is almost on my way to work. The schedule might change with the new school year (April), but it seems that they have a Japanese class on Saturdays, a couple of koto (a Japanese stringed instrument) classes, and some exercise classes. One of the exercise classes was in session and I was invited in. The participants are probably from 60 - 80, it's hard to tell, and were all very welcoming. I arrived in the middle of class which was tea time and so ate senbei (rice crackers), drank tea, and answered a lot of questions. The last part of class was Tai Chi, I don't know what the first part was but I will go back on Friday for the whole class. No one there is interested in learning English so it will be a good way for me to practice Japanese.
Friday night after work Kelly, Emily and I went to the conveyor belt sushi place in town. It is a little out of the way and luckily I was able to borrow Stacy's bike (she doesn't like fish) or it would have been too far. A huge coincidence, Emily used to work at English Square in Tokushima! Both Tokushima and Hikone are such small, out of the way towns that it's particularly odd. We had a nice time, the sushi was good (but not quite as good as my favorite - Sushi Rou), and it was a nice evening.
Between all the new information, working a regular schedule - and an afternoon/night time schedule at that - after doing nothing for so long, getting more exercise than usual and furnishing my apartment on foot or bike I was really exhausted last week. So I wasn't looking forward to rising early Saturday morning to catch a bus to the train station to go to Kyoto.
I made myself get out of bed, although I don't know why I just didn't take the 9am bus instead of the 8am... found it took less than 15 minutes to get to the station, hopped on a surprisingly crowded train and headed to Kyoto to meet Noriko Uoi. Her husband was going to a opera in a nearby town so she was dropped off in Kyoto and we went to look for flowering plum trees. I purposely got to Kyoto early so I could pick up train schedules, maps and information about upcoming events. Then I checked out an electronic store, UniQlo (clothing), a couple of Y100 stores, and some different food and gift stores.
It was supposed to have been cloudy, not rainy, but the forecast was wrong and I was glad I wore my winter coat. We went to Kitano Shrine, which I thought was the one I'd been to with Reiko - with all the weeping plums. It wasn't, and although it was pretty, and the admission included a sweet senbei and slightly salty plum/kombu (seaweed) tea, it wasn't nearly as awe inspiring as the other temple. Next year, or next weekend...
We looked for a place for lunch but everywhere was either too crowded or noodles (I wasn't in the mood) and so we moved on. We had gotten 1 day bus passes, and although very crowded it was nice not to have to walk everywhere (and it was warm inside the buses with all those people!). Our next stop was Nijo-jo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was originally built in 1603 as the official residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. It is not built like a typical Japanese castle but more like a palace. One or two stories, parts looking more like a Buddhist Temple than a castle. The rooms were huge, walls and ceilings decorated by famous artists, little gardens here and there and a large garden around the moat. Very interesting.
Next stop was a Japanese style tea shop/cafe. Finally - I was starving and losing energy quickly. We ended up in a little tatami tea room where we think one can arrange to have a real tea ceremony. The rest of the cafe were little tables in a common room. Noriko had a matcha (green tea) roll cake while I opted for zenzai, a sweet azuki bean 'soup' with mochi (rice cakes). This version had matcha poured on top. It was warming, filling and delicious. Feeling better and since we were in the neighborhood we went to an organic make-up shop that Noriko frequents where we were both presented with little gifts because of an upcoming 'campaign' (sale/special). Across the street was an old fashioned sweet shop. It turned out that this was where Noriko bought all of those beautiful sweets she used to bring to tea ceremony class. She purchased a beautiful bar of yokan (like a sweet bean gelatin) that was two colors and had little flower blossoms (sweets) scattered here and there. While it was being wrapped we were served a chestnut sweet and tea.
Time to head back to the station where we were able to take the same train, Noriko just 2 stops to a city called Otsu to meet her husband and I continued home, standing most of the way. The bus schedule is even more limited here than it was in Tokushima so I had about a 1/2 hour wait for the last bus of the day (6:30pm). I wanted to get some bus schedules for the whole area but it turns out the bus office was on the other side of the tracks. It would have taken a while to get there and may not have been open, so I opted to run into the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. There was a bakery there as well so I got mentaiko (fish overies??) on a baguette and an onion and bacon pastry. For dinner I picked up a bento, the rest of which I will have today.
Got home, filled the tub, ate dinner while I waited and had a nice, long, relaxing soak before looking through all the papers I brought home. So all in all, not the most fun I've had in Kyoto, but it was nice to spend the day with Noriko.
My first week of work was extremely tiring. This school has a set curriculum to follow and with the younger students, or 'undergraders' (everyone below 1st grade) as they're called, there is a minute to minute guide of songs, games and book work. For the 'graders' and adults there is a little more flexibility in that you can make up your own supplementary material and focus on weak points. In the end it will make life easier especially since all classes at the same level will have the same lesson during the same week, but it's a little difficult figuring out the system at first. The teacher I'm taking over from is really putting in a lot of effort to teach me the lay of the land. Normally new teachers observe for a while then do some practice teaching, then take over a lesson here and there. That can go on for 2 - 3 months. But Kelly has to go back to the US on March 22 for a family matter so I will only have 3 weeks to learn everything. Seeing how much less confused I was on Friday than on Monday, I think it will be ok, if a little stressful.
On Friday I finally made time to stop by the local community center which is almost on my way to work. The schedule might change with the new school year (April), but it seems that they have a Japanese class on Saturdays, a couple of koto (a Japanese stringed instrument) classes, and some exercise classes. One of the exercise classes was in session and I was invited in. The participants are probably from 60 - 80, it's hard to tell, and were all very welcoming. I arrived in the middle of class which was tea time and so ate senbei (rice crackers), drank tea, and answered a lot of questions. The last part of class was Tai Chi, I don't know what the first part was but I will go back on Friday for the whole class. No one there is interested in learning English so it will be a good way for me to practice Japanese.
Friday night after work Kelly, Emily and I went to the conveyor belt sushi place in town. It is a little out of the way and luckily I was able to borrow Stacy's bike (she doesn't like fish) or it would have been too far. A huge coincidence, Emily used to work at English Square in Tokushima! Both Tokushima and Hikone are such small, out of the way towns that it's particularly odd. We had a nice time, the sushi was good (but not quite as good as my favorite - Sushi Rou), and it was a nice evening.
Between all the new information, working a regular schedule - and an afternoon/night time schedule at that - after doing nothing for so long, getting more exercise than usual and furnishing my apartment on foot or bike I was really exhausted last week. So I wasn't looking forward to rising early Saturday morning to catch a bus to the train station to go to Kyoto.
I made myself get out of bed, although I don't know why I just didn't take the 9am bus instead of the 8am... found it took less than 15 minutes to get to the station, hopped on a surprisingly crowded train and headed to Kyoto to meet Noriko Uoi. Her husband was going to a opera in a nearby town so she was dropped off in Kyoto and we went to look for flowering plum trees. I purposely got to Kyoto early so I could pick up train schedules, maps and information about upcoming events. Then I checked out an electronic store, UniQlo (clothing), a couple of Y100 stores, and some different food and gift stores.
It was supposed to have been cloudy, not rainy, but the forecast was wrong and I was glad I wore my winter coat. We went to Kitano Shrine, which I thought was the one I'd been to with Reiko - with all the weeping plums. It wasn't, and although it was pretty, and the admission included a sweet senbei and slightly salty plum/kombu (seaweed) tea, it wasn't nearly as awe inspiring as the other temple. Next year, or next weekend...
We looked for a place for lunch but everywhere was either too crowded or noodles (I wasn't in the mood) and so we moved on. We had gotten 1 day bus passes, and although very crowded it was nice not to have to walk everywhere (and it was warm inside the buses with all those people!). Our next stop was Nijo-jo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was originally built in 1603 as the official residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. It is not built like a typical Japanese castle but more like a palace. One or two stories, parts looking more like a Buddhist Temple than a castle. The rooms were huge, walls and ceilings decorated by famous artists, little gardens here and there and a large garden around the moat. Very interesting.
Next stop was a Japanese style tea shop/cafe. Finally - I was starving and losing energy quickly. We ended up in a little tatami tea room where we think one can arrange to have a real tea ceremony. The rest of the cafe were little tables in a common room. Noriko had a matcha (green tea) roll cake while I opted for zenzai, a sweet azuki bean 'soup' with mochi (rice cakes). This version had matcha poured on top. It was warming, filling and delicious. Feeling better and since we were in the neighborhood we went to an organic make-up shop that Noriko frequents where we were both presented with little gifts because of an upcoming 'campaign' (sale/special). Across the street was an old fashioned sweet shop. It turned out that this was where Noriko bought all of those beautiful sweets she used to bring to tea ceremony class. She purchased a beautiful bar of yokan (like a sweet bean gelatin) that was two colors and had little flower blossoms (sweets) scattered here and there. While it was being wrapped we were served a chestnut sweet and tea.
Time to head back to the station where we were able to take the same train, Noriko just 2 stops to a city called Otsu to meet her husband and I continued home, standing most of the way. The bus schedule is even more limited here than it was in Tokushima so I had about a 1/2 hour wait for the last bus of the day (6:30pm). I wanted to get some bus schedules for the whole area but it turns out the bus office was on the other side of the tracks. It would have taken a while to get there and may not have been open, so I opted to run into the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. There was a bakery there as well so I got mentaiko (fish overies??) on a baguette and an onion and bacon pastry. For dinner I picked up a bento, the rest of which I will have today.
Got home, filled the tub, ate dinner while I waited and had a nice, long, relaxing soak before looking through all the papers I brought home. So all in all, not the most fun I've had in Kyoto, but it was nice to spend the day with Noriko.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
2015-03-06, The Basics
Although I've been here for 5 days already I know very little about my new town. Between the rain everyday and my lack of transportation I have only been to the stores, my apartment and school. All of which are within a 10 minute walk. So let's start with the basics.
My apartment has 3 very small rooms plus an eat-in kitchen. It has 2 closets (just 2 shelves, no hanging bars or drawers) one of which smells faintly of smoke. The kitchen is about 1/3 the size of my last apt., also with less storage, but it's cute, and can be heated up fairly quickly with the portable heater - a huge improvement over last time - and I have a little table and 2 chairs which were supplied by the school. I will definately have to adjust my usual buying/cooking habits and be more like Peter and Lauren, buying only what I need for the week since there is very little storage. On the other hand, my refrigerator and freezer are bigger than the last apt. Not full size, but perfect for one or two people. I have a gas cooktop with 2 burners and a microwave on a stand that will also hold a rice cooker (which I desparately need) and probably a bread maker (which I don't really need but there are no bakeries around and I will get tired of the soft white bread in the grocery store pretty quickly). I saw a bread machine at the 2nd hand shop and I will probably pick that up - once I make sure I can find yeast.
There is a very narrow veranda off the kitchen and living room where I can hang my wash. Unlike my balcony in Tokushima where the sun and the wind made for quick drying, this one is blocked from both sun and wind by the next building so I think it will take much longer to dry my clothes. On the up side - no pigeons!!!!! When it gets a little warmer I'm going to try to grow some herbs but I'm not sure if there will be enough sun for them.
The living room is next to the kitchen, separated by nice sliding glass doors. It has one brown wall, which I haven't seen before in Japan, usually the walls are of a white speckled material. I like it. The heater/airconditioner unit was installed in the living room. It is also the only room that has a TV cable outlet. Which is too bad as I think it would be better to sleep in that room and use the bedroom as the living room. I have slept in both rooms for a couple of nights each and I definately prefer the living room. It is darker in the morning (because of the building next door) and MUCH quieter. I think I will move my futon back into the living room tonight. I can always pick it up and put it in a closet if I have company. If I get a bed though, which would be nice, I will have to put that in the other room. If there was a TV outlet in the bedroom I would just switch everything... I'll work it out eventually.
There is a small closet in the living room, again just with 2 shelves, a larger one (the smokey one) in the bedroom, and the 2nd bedroom has nothing. There is a shoe closet in the entry way, then the toilet room which shares a wall with the kitchen. There is a set-in kitchen unit with a large sink and cabinets below and above. I can only use the bottom 'above' cabinet without standing on a chair so the top shelf will have to be for rarely used items. I also have to fit trash cans under the sink, and next to the fridge (since plastics, papers and burnables all need to go in separate bags)... Another plus to this apt. - there are cages for the trash which means it can be put out the night before (without sneaking around and putting it into the cages of other apartments!). And, the papers and burnables go out on the same day which is nice as well.
Back to the apt. Off of the kitchen is a room with a sink and a washing machine and off of that room is the bath - shower and deep ohuro (soaking tub). There are no windows in the bathroom which means it stays much warmer while taking a shower but hopefully won't mean a lot of mold. There is a fan but it doesn't seem to work that well. On the otherhand the whole room is fiberglass rather than tile and grout so maybe it won't be a problem. There is also a mechanism to heat up water by pushing a button. It heats pretty quickly so I can have it off most of the time and just turn it on for bathing. I don't know how much more it would cost to turn it on for doing the dishes but I will probably save anything with animal fat - or dishes in the winter - for when I take a bath/shower since gas isn't cheap.
My apartment is in a building of 4 units that looks like a large house. There are 5 of these buildings in 'North Village' and the area is entirely residential with nothing more than 2 stories high. I am on the second floor (so not as much built in exercise as last time when I was on th 4th floor). The whole area between here and school seems to be fairly new and built like a rabbit's warren - in ovals with lots of dead ends. It's nice in that there are no big apartment buildings, but there are also no local shops mixed in so I am really going to miss interacting with people at small vegatable stands, tofu shops, fish markets and bakeries. There are many small playgrounds with old equipment tucked here and there, and gulleys that add to the problem of streets ending abruptly.
About a 5-10 minute walk from my house brings me to 2 supermarkets and a not so great 100 yen (dollar store) shop. The main street that houses these stores, plus many other shops, restaurants, banks, etc., is called Bell Rd. because it is lined with bells on lamposts like poles. Unlike Tokushima where you could find udon shops everywhere, Hikone has ramen shops all over. Personally I like ramen better - I don't know what style the ramen is but I'm hoping it's more like Tokyo's than Tokushima's (which was way too salty for me). I'll have to try it soon. I have tried a local Indian restaurant with one of the other teachers and it was good. I think the teachers go there often. On Friday, Kelly, the teacher who I will be taking over from, will take me to the 100 yen conveyer belt sushi restaurant. I don't know where it is, but hopefully it's close by. It's not Sushi Rou (my favorite) but it seems like that chain hasn't come to Hikone.
The school, ABC Kids, is a 10 minute walk / 5 min. bike ride from my apt. It's in a 2 story building that looks like house and it only houses the school (unlike English Square which was on the lower floor of an apartment building). They are currently adding on as the kindergarten/nursery school, and the school itself, is growing rapidly. The school is decorated very nicely, bright and kid friendly. There are only a couple of adult classes, they focus mostly on children, but I will be lucky enough to have one of the adult classes and I've met 2 of the students who are at a very high English level and I already like a lot. I think there are 17 employees altogether - Americans and Japanese staff but not all of them work at the Hikone school. There is another school in Nagahama which is about a 1/2 hour drive away, I haven't met some of the people who work there.
I am definately the oldest. One of the Japanese staff is in her upper 40s and the manager is in his low to mid 40s but the rest of them seem to be in their 20s (all the American staff) and 30s. There are 2 young men from the US and the manager, and the rest are women. I will spend this month training with the teacher I will take over from. She will be teaching a different type of class starting in April. This is not a 'go do whatever you want' school and there is a set curriculum and method. As for my schedule - which might change come April and the new school year - the core workday is from 1pm - 8pm. With 1 - 2:30 or so being prep time but you have to be at school (unlike English Square where you were free to come in anytime so long as you were prepared to go when classes started - so we didn't have to be there until 3pm or so...). There are 10 - 30 minute breaks between each class (usually 15 min.) which is really nice. You can go to the bathroom, have a quick snack, get out your materials for the next class, etc. (At English Square each class was an hour with rarely a break in between). I will either have 3 nights with classes until 9pm or 2 night classes and one 10:30 am class. And I have Saturdays and Sundays off. Although most months have one event or test day on a Saturday or Sunday and all teachers must attend. We also have to clean the school. Teachers have 2 cleaning days/week besides vacumming and emptying trash in our own classrooms each day. My duties will be vacumming the hall and cleaning the upstairs toilet room - not looking forward to that.
Transportation. I had a bike for a couple of days but returned it. I was in a 2nd hand store when a bike was delivered and it looked great (I didn't know what to look for), so I bought it on the spot. I rode it a little between the rain and it seemed fine the first day. But when I rode it at night it was quite noisy (not a good sign) and the light was really weak. Then I noticed that the back tire was smooth. It would probably be fine for someone who will be riding once in a while but I will use it a lot. I didn't really think the man would take it back but I decided that it couldn't hurt to ask and I would be willing to take less money for it. It worked, and for a loss of $10 I returned it. But I'm back to walking and carrying things by hand. I saw some new bikes at a home improvement store that looked nice and were reasonable, but they are all silver, which seems to be the popular color here and would make it very hard to find in the rows of bikes parked everywhere. So I will try to find another store that sells bikes and see if I can get another color. If not I will get a silver one and tie a ribbon on it or something.
So between the weather, work, errands and not having a bike I have not seen any of the city. I have the weekends off but this Saturday I will go to Kyoto to meet Noriko and hopefully see the plum blossoms. I will have to take the bus to the station and a taxi home since the bus only runs until 5 or 6pm. But it does stop near my house. One day soon I will get on and ride the whole route to see where it goes. And I'd like to go to the station, which I think is 3 - 4 miles from here, and get some route maps and schedules, although since I seemed to have missed the worst of winter (but it does sometimes snow in March) I will probably ride my bike most everywhere. Although I don't start work until 1pm, I am still not confident enough about times, distances and schedules to explore much before work.
I also have to figure out an eating schedule. I think I will need to eat a big lunch before work and finish by 12:30 which I'm totally not used to, I've been eating late breakfasts and lunches for a while now. And with the differing schedule each night, it will take some getting used to. At the moment I have a late night on Wednesday and an early morning on Thursday which isn't ideal, but since we also have a weekly teacher's meeting on Thursdays at 12:30 it will be nice if I don't have to come in for that on a separate day. For the next two weeks at least, I will try ordering a children's lunch on Thursdays since I will be at school anyway. There is an hour lunch break though on Thursday and there are a few eateries (a nice sandwich/coffee shop, a MacDonalds, and rice bowl place and I'm sure some ramen shops) within biking distance if I don't care for those lunches or they are not enough. I'll work it out.
It's already 11, I'm not dressed yet and I've wasted the first sunny day. Maybe I can get in a quick walk before I have to come home for lunch... but then I probably won't have time to figure out how to post this at work...
My apartment has 3 very small rooms plus an eat-in kitchen. It has 2 closets (just 2 shelves, no hanging bars or drawers) one of which smells faintly of smoke. The kitchen is about 1/3 the size of my last apt., also with less storage, but it's cute, and can be heated up fairly quickly with the portable heater - a huge improvement over last time - and I have a little table and 2 chairs which were supplied by the school. I will definately have to adjust my usual buying/cooking habits and be more like Peter and Lauren, buying only what I need for the week since there is very little storage. On the other hand, my refrigerator and freezer are bigger than the last apt. Not full size, but perfect for one or two people. I have a gas cooktop with 2 burners and a microwave on a stand that will also hold a rice cooker (which I desparately need) and probably a bread maker (which I don't really need but there are no bakeries around and I will get tired of the soft white bread in the grocery store pretty quickly). I saw a bread machine at the 2nd hand shop and I will probably pick that up - once I make sure I can find yeast.
There is a very narrow veranda off the kitchen and living room where I can hang my wash. Unlike my balcony in Tokushima where the sun and the wind made for quick drying, this one is blocked from both sun and wind by the next building so I think it will take much longer to dry my clothes. On the up side - no pigeons!!!!! When it gets a little warmer I'm going to try to grow some herbs but I'm not sure if there will be enough sun for them.
The living room is next to the kitchen, separated by nice sliding glass doors. It has one brown wall, which I haven't seen before in Japan, usually the walls are of a white speckled material. I like it. The heater/airconditioner unit was installed in the living room. It is also the only room that has a TV cable outlet. Which is too bad as I think it would be better to sleep in that room and use the bedroom as the living room. I have slept in both rooms for a couple of nights each and I definately prefer the living room. It is darker in the morning (because of the building next door) and MUCH quieter. I think I will move my futon back into the living room tonight. I can always pick it up and put it in a closet if I have company. If I get a bed though, which would be nice, I will have to put that in the other room. If there was a TV outlet in the bedroom I would just switch everything... I'll work it out eventually.
There is a small closet in the living room, again just with 2 shelves, a larger one (the smokey one) in the bedroom, and the 2nd bedroom has nothing. There is a shoe closet in the entry way, then the toilet room which shares a wall with the kitchen. There is a set-in kitchen unit with a large sink and cabinets below and above. I can only use the bottom 'above' cabinet without standing on a chair so the top shelf will have to be for rarely used items. I also have to fit trash cans under the sink, and next to the fridge (since plastics, papers and burnables all need to go in separate bags)... Another plus to this apt. - there are cages for the trash which means it can be put out the night before (without sneaking around and putting it into the cages of other apartments!). And, the papers and burnables go out on the same day which is nice as well.
Back to the apt. Off of the kitchen is a room with a sink and a washing machine and off of that room is the bath - shower and deep ohuro (soaking tub). There are no windows in the bathroom which means it stays much warmer while taking a shower but hopefully won't mean a lot of mold. There is a fan but it doesn't seem to work that well. On the otherhand the whole room is fiberglass rather than tile and grout so maybe it won't be a problem. There is also a mechanism to heat up water by pushing a button. It heats pretty quickly so I can have it off most of the time and just turn it on for bathing. I don't know how much more it would cost to turn it on for doing the dishes but I will probably save anything with animal fat - or dishes in the winter - for when I take a bath/shower since gas isn't cheap.
My apartment is in a building of 4 units that looks like a large house. There are 5 of these buildings in 'North Village' and the area is entirely residential with nothing more than 2 stories high. I am on the second floor (so not as much built in exercise as last time when I was on th 4th floor). The whole area between here and school seems to be fairly new and built like a rabbit's warren - in ovals with lots of dead ends. It's nice in that there are no big apartment buildings, but there are also no local shops mixed in so I am really going to miss interacting with people at small vegatable stands, tofu shops, fish markets and bakeries. There are many small playgrounds with old equipment tucked here and there, and gulleys that add to the problem of streets ending abruptly.
About a 5-10 minute walk from my house brings me to 2 supermarkets and a not so great 100 yen (dollar store) shop. The main street that houses these stores, plus many other shops, restaurants, banks, etc., is called Bell Rd. because it is lined with bells on lamposts like poles. Unlike Tokushima where you could find udon shops everywhere, Hikone has ramen shops all over. Personally I like ramen better - I don't know what style the ramen is but I'm hoping it's more like Tokyo's than Tokushima's (which was way too salty for me). I'll have to try it soon. I have tried a local Indian restaurant with one of the other teachers and it was good. I think the teachers go there often. On Friday, Kelly, the teacher who I will be taking over from, will take me to the 100 yen conveyer belt sushi restaurant. I don't know where it is, but hopefully it's close by. It's not Sushi Rou (my favorite) but it seems like that chain hasn't come to Hikone.
The school, ABC Kids, is a 10 minute walk / 5 min. bike ride from my apt. It's in a 2 story building that looks like house and it only houses the school (unlike English Square which was on the lower floor of an apartment building). They are currently adding on as the kindergarten/nursery school, and the school itself, is growing rapidly. The school is decorated very nicely, bright and kid friendly. There are only a couple of adult classes, they focus mostly on children, but I will be lucky enough to have one of the adult classes and I've met 2 of the students who are at a very high English level and I already like a lot. I think there are 17 employees altogether - Americans and Japanese staff but not all of them work at the Hikone school. There is another school in Nagahama which is about a 1/2 hour drive away, I haven't met some of the people who work there.
I am definately the oldest. One of the Japanese staff is in her upper 40s and the manager is in his low to mid 40s but the rest of them seem to be in their 20s (all the American staff) and 30s. There are 2 young men from the US and the manager, and the rest are women. I will spend this month training with the teacher I will take over from. She will be teaching a different type of class starting in April. This is not a 'go do whatever you want' school and there is a set curriculum and method. As for my schedule - which might change come April and the new school year - the core workday is from 1pm - 8pm. With 1 - 2:30 or so being prep time but you have to be at school (unlike English Square where you were free to come in anytime so long as you were prepared to go when classes started - so we didn't have to be there until 3pm or so...). There are 10 - 30 minute breaks between each class (usually 15 min.) which is really nice. You can go to the bathroom, have a quick snack, get out your materials for the next class, etc. (At English Square each class was an hour with rarely a break in between). I will either have 3 nights with classes until 9pm or 2 night classes and one 10:30 am class. And I have Saturdays and Sundays off. Although most months have one event or test day on a Saturday or Sunday and all teachers must attend. We also have to clean the school. Teachers have 2 cleaning days/week besides vacumming and emptying trash in our own classrooms each day. My duties will be vacumming the hall and cleaning the upstairs toilet room - not looking forward to that.
Transportation. I had a bike for a couple of days but returned it. I was in a 2nd hand store when a bike was delivered and it looked great (I didn't know what to look for), so I bought it on the spot. I rode it a little between the rain and it seemed fine the first day. But when I rode it at night it was quite noisy (not a good sign) and the light was really weak. Then I noticed that the back tire was smooth. It would probably be fine for someone who will be riding once in a while but I will use it a lot. I didn't really think the man would take it back but I decided that it couldn't hurt to ask and I would be willing to take less money for it. It worked, and for a loss of $10 I returned it. But I'm back to walking and carrying things by hand. I saw some new bikes at a home improvement store that looked nice and were reasonable, but they are all silver, which seems to be the popular color here and would make it very hard to find in the rows of bikes parked everywhere. So I will try to find another store that sells bikes and see if I can get another color. If not I will get a silver one and tie a ribbon on it or something.
So between the weather, work, errands and not having a bike I have not seen any of the city. I have the weekends off but this Saturday I will go to Kyoto to meet Noriko and hopefully see the plum blossoms. I will have to take the bus to the station and a taxi home since the bus only runs until 5 or 6pm. But it does stop near my house. One day soon I will get on and ride the whole route to see where it goes. And I'd like to go to the station, which I think is 3 - 4 miles from here, and get some route maps and schedules, although since I seemed to have missed the worst of winter (but it does sometimes snow in March) I will probably ride my bike most everywhere. Although I don't start work until 1pm, I am still not confident enough about times, distances and schedules to explore much before work.
I also have to figure out an eating schedule. I think I will need to eat a big lunch before work and finish by 12:30 which I'm totally not used to, I've been eating late breakfasts and lunches for a while now. And with the differing schedule each night, it will take some getting used to. At the moment I have a late night on Wednesday and an early morning on Thursday which isn't ideal, but since we also have a weekly teacher's meeting on Thursdays at 12:30 it will be nice if I don't have to come in for that on a separate day. For the next two weeks at least, I will try ordering a children's lunch on Thursdays since I will be at school anyway. There is an hour lunch break though on Thursday and there are a few eateries (a nice sandwich/coffee shop, a MacDonalds, and rice bowl place and I'm sure some ramen shops) within biking distance if I don't care for those lunches or they are not enough. I'll work it out.
It's already 11, I'm not dressed yet and I've wasted the first sunny day. Maybe I can get in a quick walk before I have to come home for lunch... but then I probably won't have time to figure out how to post this at work...
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
2015-03-03 , My Trip
OK, I am going to try writing at home and seeing if I can insert the file into my blog. I haven't figured out how to get the pictures on yet... hopefully they will be added at a later date. I don't have internet access at home yet, and can't even start the VERY long process (6 weeks?) for getting it until I get my working visa, registration card, and bank account (in that order). Same goes for a cell phone. And I don't know how long it will be until I get the visa... So for now I have no way to contact anyone, here or in the US, except when I am at work. And since the office is small and people need the computers for work related things I don't like to use them too much. By the end of the day (night) I am too hungry to hang around. So let's try this.
As you can tell from the above I am totally disconnected. I don't even have a radio or tv. Don't know what the weather will be (although I think it's a fair guess that it will be rainy since there has been only 1 day since my arrival that has been dry.) My apartment is MUCH too quiet. I do like music or the tv on in the background. Luckily I have been able to continue to download audiobooks so once I remembered that I could do that, I have been able to listen to them. But it's best if one can pay attention to a story and I get distracted when doing things. Or I fall asleep. It does help cut the quiet though.
Now that I've gotten rid of some frustration let's move on. I started my new adventure with an overnight in Seoul, S. Korea. Incheon to be exact. As some of you may know I have been hooked on Korean dramas lately. Since I had to have a layover somewhere to get any kind of decent fare within the short time frame, I choose S. Korea and was able to book my flight with a 20 hour layover. Incheon International Airport is quite amazing. It must be pretty new and it's huge. It has all kinds of amenities for travelers including free showers, lounge rooms in quieter areas with recliners or bed like chairs for sleeping, a hotel you can book for 6 hours (or add single hours onto that), areas where you can try traditional crafts, traditional music and other entertainment at certain times, and of course all kinds of shops and restaurants.
What interested me were the free tours that people with layovers could take. They have them arranged by the number of hours one has during their stopover at the airport. The buses leave right from the airport and they provide guests with things like winter coats and umbrellas!
I arrived at 6pm and called the host of the BnB I had booked and in about 15 minutes he was there to get me. On the way back to his place we stopped at a supermarket where I picked up a little food since I wasn't very hungry after eating on the plane and didn't feel like going to a restaurant. The room had a kitchenette so I was set. Ate a little and then went to bed. I headed back to the airport in the morning after making breakfast with the food that was provided by the bnb - bread, jam, eggs. I had been notified that my flight to Osaka that day would be delayed by an hour so I got my new boarding pass and then changed my tour to a longer one.
There were a few other people on the tour with me - a couple from China, a man from India? two young women, one from the Phillipines and one from Australia but working with an NPO in Israel and a man, unbelievably from Anan, a little town in Japan not far from Tokushima (and where Kathy's nephew Jared lives). We had a nice time in a museum that showed what court life during the Joseon period was like, the origin of the written Korean language, what royalty wore, etc. Then we went to a local market area. The girl from the Phillipines and I shared some really delicious soup and assorted dumplings for lunch (that was my only Korean food except for lunch on the plane). And then back we went. I had plenty of time before my flight to Osaka which only took 1.5 hours.
From Osaka I took a bus to Tokushima to see friends from my last stay. I stayed with Naoko and Haruto (the little boy featured in many of my blog posts). I had forgotten what a difference a year and a half makes in young children! Haruto is now talking in full sentences (many of which I can understand) and he knows more kanji (Chinese characters) and reads the other alphabets better than I do (I'm really bad at reading and writing Japanese, but for a 4 year old Haruto is incredible). He has always reminded me of Peter - his mind works in much the same way Peter's did and he loves learning anything.
We did a lot of children's things - playgrounds, science museum, a children's cooking class and a gymnastics class. And I taught them how to make french toast. In addition, I was invited to my friend Noriko Uoi's house for a very fun 'make your own sushi' night. And then there was a party and tea ceremony class at the tea/ikebana teacher's house. So I was able to see many friends and I am sure I will meet at least some of them here or in Kyoto in the future.
I had given Naoko my sofa when I left Tokushima. They weren't using it as much as expected so we arranged to have it shipped to my new place. She had also kept an extra suitcase of mine - which her mom filled with dried radish, delicious homemade shiso juice and yummy yummy decopon - a kind of sourish orange and I took all of that to Hikone. Noriko sent me some miso (she's the friend that owns the miso company), TP, towels, tissues, rice and different oranges - things she thought I'd need right away - it arrived a few hours after I did. It really felt great to be so well cared for.
At the end of my stay - 4 days - I took the bus to Kyoto and then it was an easy (after I figured out where to buy the ticket) ride to Hikone where the manager/owner of ABC Kids - my new school - picked me up. We did a couple of runs between the stores, the school and my apartment before he dropped me off.
I will leave the story there for now - I am sitting on the floor writing this and my bottom is getting sore!
As you can tell from the above I am totally disconnected. I don't even have a radio or tv. Don't know what the weather will be (although I think it's a fair guess that it will be rainy since there has been only 1 day since my arrival that has been dry.) My apartment is MUCH too quiet. I do like music or the tv on in the background. Luckily I have been able to continue to download audiobooks so once I remembered that I could do that, I have been able to listen to them. But it's best if one can pay attention to a story and I get distracted when doing things. Or I fall asleep. It does help cut the quiet though.
Now that I've gotten rid of some frustration let's move on. I started my new adventure with an overnight in Seoul, S. Korea. Incheon to be exact. As some of you may know I have been hooked on Korean dramas lately. Since I had to have a layover somewhere to get any kind of decent fare within the short time frame, I choose S. Korea and was able to book my flight with a 20 hour layover. Incheon International Airport is quite amazing. It must be pretty new and it's huge. It has all kinds of amenities for travelers including free showers, lounge rooms in quieter areas with recliners or bed like chairs for sleeping, a hotel you can book for 6 hours (or add single hours onto that), areas where you can try traditional crafts, traditional music and other entertainment at certain times, and of course all kinds of shops and restaurants.
What interested me were the free tours that people with layovers could take. They have them arranged by the number of hours one has during their stopover at the airport. The buses leave right from the airport and they provide guests with things like winter coats and umbrellas!
I arrived at 6pm and called the host of the BnB I had booked and in about 15 minutes he was there to get me. On the way back to his place we stopped at a supermarket where I picked up a little food since I wasn't very hungry after eating on the plane and didn't feel like going to a restaurant. The room had a kitchenette so I was set. Ate a little and then went to bed. I headed back to the airport in the morning after making breakfast with the food that was provided by the bnb - bread, jam, eggs. I had been notified that my flight to Osaka that day would be delayed by an hour so I got my new boarding pass and then changed my tour to a longer one.
There were a few other people on the tour with me - a couple from China, a man from India? two young women, one from the Phillipines and one from Australia but working with an NPO in Israel and a man, unbelievably from Anan, a little town in Japan not far from Tokushima (and where Kathy's nephew Jared lives). We had a nice time in a museum that showed what court life during the Joseon period was like, the origin of the written Korean language, what royalty wore, etc. Then we went to a local market area. The girl from the Phillipines and I shared some really delicious soup and assorted dumplings for lunch (that was my only Korean food except for lunch on the plane). And then back we went. I had plenty of time before my flight to Osaka which only took 1.5 hours.
From Osaka I took a bus to Tokushima to see friends from my last stay. I stayed with Naoko and Haruto (the little boy featured in many of my blog posts). I had forgotten what a difference a year and a half makes in young children! Haruto is now talking in full sentences (many of which I can understand) and he knows more kanji (Chinese characters) and reads the other alphabets better than I do (I'm really bad at reading and writing Japanese, but for a 4 year old Haruto is incredible). He has always reminded me of Peter - his mind works in much the same way Peter's did and he loves learning anything.
We did a lot of children's things - playgrounds, science museum, a children's cooking class and a gymnastics class. And I taught them how to make french toast. In addition, I was invited to my friend Noriko Uoi's house for a very fun 'make your own sushi' night. And then there was a party and tea ceremony class at the tea/ikebana teacher's house. So I was able to see many friends and I am sure I will meet at least some of them here or in Kyoto in the future.
I had given Naoko my sofa when I left Tokushima. They weren't using it as much as expected so we arranged to have it shipped to my new place. She had also kept an extra suitcase of mine - which her mom filled with dried radish, delicious homemade shiso juice and yummy yummy decopon - a kind of sourish orange and I took all of that to Hikone. Noriko sent me some miso (she's the friend that owns the miso company), TP, towels, tissues, rice and different oranges - things she thought I'd need right away - it arrived a few hours after I did. It really felt great to be so well cared for.
At the end of my stay - 4 days - I took the bus to Kyoto and then it was an easy (after I figured out where to buy the ticket) ride to Hikone where the manager/owner of ABC Kids - my new school - picked me up. We did a couple of runs between the stores, the school and my apartment before he dropped me off.
I will leave the story there for now - I am sitting on the floor writing this and my bottom is getting sore!
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