a Christmas ENKAI

An enkai is an "official" work party. Usually lasts about two hours and is either a set menu + all you can drink OR all you can eat and drink. Often hosted at the end/beginning of a school year, holiday, or a special welcome enkai for new members.

As members of the City's Board of Education, forget about any cute young single men or woman to help make your holiday merrier. These people have worked their way to the top and the youngest is over 30 and married. BEWARE: only single people at these functions are the ALTs and JALTs (assistant language teachers (foreigners) and Japanese)

We ended up going to this fancy sushi restaurant near our apartment building. Among the delicacies including puffer fish testicles. The milt was warm. I was green.

In keeping with tradition, everyone got drunk or were completely sober (Japan has a zero tolerance policy* one drink=no driving). When the food level was almost done, the traditional game of BINGO for random Christmas presents went underway. One of the BOE members purchased really fun gifts this year. Daisuke and I won at the same time and I scored the only English item on the menu:

And then, I ran away and skipped the after party. Made the excuse that I had work in the morning...actually, so did everyone else. HAPPY MONDAY!

Kindergarten

My first mention of the subject, and my third visit to such an establishment. In Japan, the school system is as follows:

Preschool/Kindergarten
Elementary 1-6 (1st - 6th grade)
Junior High School 1-3 (7th - 9th grade)
High School 1-3 (10th - 12th grade)

As an outstanding member of my community, I was chosen for a guest role in one kindergarten's Christmas festival with fellow citizens David and Daisuke. We were honored to be chosen to wake up early on our day off to bike in the brisk fresh country air to act out the role of Santa Claus and guests for a total of five minutes. (In other words, as government officials stationed at the City Board of Education, we're pretty much obligated to attend in function under the Board's jurisdiction when requested).

Of course, it was under my suggestion that David (who was a shoo-in for Santa) be accompanied by an elf (Daisuke - what a little helper) and his trusted Rudolf (I'm tan in color - what did you expect?). The woman representing the school was enthusiastic about the idea and said she would provide materials. It was our mistake really.

When she said materials, we thought she meant costumes... she meant ...materials.

What to do with a box of felt but make a costume? Daisuke and I spent the next month prepping and sewing (or in MY case, 10 hours straight because I waited until the night before and didn't get any sleep)

We made our way over to the kindergarten and snuck in during their class plays.

Then, we made our way back to the teacher's room and changed. Of course, because I made mine in a hurry I didn't measure properly and made it too big AND too small. Luckily, I managed to superglue a red pompom to my nose to be more "realistic". Sexy no?

We spoke about Christmas in the corner, with presents for each class in Santa's bag.

Then we jingled our way the heck out of there. Unfortunately, we ran into one of our students from a nearby elementary school and she could see through our facade. Hopefully, the wee ones still believe.

kimono party (with a vengeance)

Hey - what can I say? Except this year I chose I more subtle color, hairstyle, and all-around attitude.

It's amazing how calm you can be when you're not frantic for pictures.

When it came to my hair thought, they were really excited to tease and tassel me. I remembered how I looked like a muffin-top last time, my face always reflecting the shades of pink and red from all angles and generally looking like a cherry tomato. I actually began to cry tears of frustration after I told them I wanted to tone it down, and they interpreted it as "more volume". They got the message and I ended up being the envy of girls for not submitting to poofy peer-pressure. :D

As the only foreign girl to attend the event a second time in a row, I was placed at the beginning of the tea ceremony line. While I did my best to sit in seiza and not have my robe open and scandalize the room, trying to pretend that I understood the protocol was stressful. Luckily, I could take hints from the MC and pass them along to my friends. Knowledge is power but cheating is (sometimes) a necessary evil. Kids, don't do this at school.

Afterward, we ate at MARUBUN, the lovely Italian restaurant in my town and then took print club stickers to commemorate the event. Cheers.

Halloween: the Day of the Dead

Last year I ran about the town dressed in drag.

This year, I was having none of that.

But, I wanted to continue to embrace Japanese Culture and enrich the lives of others.

SO...

I decided to be a lolicon! Gothic Lolita forever!

You think America is emo[tional]? Try a level up and make your angst into an art.

planned a Halloween lesson for the 30th of October, the Friday before the actual day. However, as I felt a bit put off by wearing such elegance to a junior high school, I opted for a more kid-friendly package: the Pink Panther.

You'd be surprised what characters from foreign countries penetrate the land of the rising sun and shine brightly in the eyes of children. I am. Every day.

So after I explained how it's popular for students and (sometimes) teachers to wear a costume to school in America, some of my female students were inspired to try on my costume. I encouraged this as it is a way from them to get over their embarrassment of looking silly in a public setting while indulging their natural desire to dress up. Some girls even told me they planned to buy their own version of the fleece pajamas (they come in many characters: stitch, care bear, minnie mouse, etc.)

I now use the pajamas in place of an actual heater. Heh.

Halloween night...well, it was interesting to say the least. My costume wins for most effort, though it seemed to scare many foreigners. However, Japanese people loved it and I was stopped the most for photographs. My new friend Tracey dressed up as a male host (and rocked it!) while Alexa was ganguro. We were the only ones who represented Japan, and I have to say, we made Japan proud

The Hair of Taiko

Special Edition

For a Limited Time
The Hair of TAIKO:

TAIKO: It only gets better from here

So, perhaps you remember a little entry I made last year about a certain TAIKO festival? Hmmm...? For those of you who are drawing a blank, please check October 2008 entries, as I do not plan to reiterate what this festival is all about. Instead, I will tell you how it was better this year.

So I did the Saijo trek up into the mountains again, but unlike last time, I decided to have fun with it and put on a little extra sparkle. I then decided if I was going to sparkle, so was everyone else. I managed to paint my friends faces before I took a bold move and asked Japanese people if they would like a little glitter on their cheeks. Surprisingly, I got a positive reaction and even splashed a few male faces as well. Let the party begin!

I decided that while it was fun just to trail behind the DANJIRI last year, I jumped right in and started carrying it as well! However, the other lads and ladies started to get quite drunk from sake and I gave up when I realized that I might be on my own in a minute.

I walked all night and at 6AM, promptly took a cab back to my city where I got ready for work. I had a full day where I didn't fall asleep once (last year I was a wreck and would crawl under a desk just to sleep the ten minute break period between classes). That night I took a short nap before pulling another all-nighter, this time at the opening ceremonies in my city, where the TAIKODAI weigh 2.5 tons and climbing up a mountain takes concentration and sobriety. I some students there and was pleased. I also took some snapshots of the coolest girls I have ever seen.

I then went to my school, where, to my surprise, they had TAIKODAI just sitting out on the track field. Huh? It turns out, they were there for the students to try. At first I was a bit hesitant, as I am not a student, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and jump in and carry one. Chance of a lifetime! It led to new friendships with some of the men who worked on the TAIKODAI.

The next day was Saturday, and the main event in my city. It seemed like the entire town turned out for this event.

Me and my former students!

What made it spectacular was the fact that I was asked to sit on one of the TAIKODAI and take pictures with people. I felt a little silly, but honored nonetheless.

That evening, I went to a different part of the city to meet with one of my teachers. He was hosting a party that night for matsuri, and invited the crew. We watched the TAIKODAI face each other, for the evening tends to bring out the fight in people. This time, someone lost a finger when reckless men dropped the TAIKODAI to one side and one guy juuuuust wasn't fast enough. There was no actually fighting, as the police bargade were out in full force, ready to tack on a heavy fine (think $35,000) for any group that fought. It turns out that earlier that morning, some TAIKODAI fought, chainsaws were used, things broke, fines issued, and they were disqualified to participate next year. Not to mention the repairs needed. One TAIKODAI can cost half a million dollars!

Party Time!

Mt. Ishizuchi

I love the outdoors, and why not? I come from "the Evergreen State" after all. We pride ourselves on our outdoors activities and snobby chic gear. However, like most people bred in the city, I've always been too busy to actually take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Now that I am a teacher, I have even less time because I always seem to be wasting it in between classes. Well, every now and again there is a weekday holiday, or even more rare, a burst of energy that screams "Feed me nature!" When that time roars, I follow eagerly. Now if I could only update this blog with the same passion...

Mt. Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in the West of Japan. 1982 meters in height, it is a beloved spot that attracts children to grandparents to climb it's peak. This is actually my second time scaling the mountain, with much different results in temperature and atmosphere.

The first time I went with Derry, Juliana, and Dave.

The second time I went with David, Simon, and Leigh.

The first time Dave drove us up there and back.

The second time we missed the bus so we took a taxi, and then hitchhiked back with a couple from Hiroshima.

There is a ropeway that will take you up the first part of the mountain. It was my first time to use one and I got to say, it's pretty awesome.

For those feeling adventurous, you can skip the winding pathway around the mountain and use metal link chains to scale over sheer rock face. The first time I skipped over it, as the mountain was still thawing from winter and I'm a chicken.

The second time I did the first set of chains but then decided not to risk my life and second time and took the alternate route.

At the top of the mountain, there is a shrine. Mt. Ishizuchi is one of the seven holy mountains in Japan, which only adds to the splendor. People can then cross the peak to the reaｌ where there is a small shrine. I made it across the first time and nearly toppled off into the abyss. The second time was so crowded that we decided to skip it. We had dinner plans.
P.S. Those white dots are people struggling to cross safely and not die.

Rainy Season

Please enjoy this video of rainy season in Japan.

Please also remember that Japan is subject to typhoons.

That is all.

Tokyo Playground

Every school teacher in the world must look forward to summer vacation.

No school!

No classes!

No brats!

No way!

Not in Japan baby. You only get to take paid leave. Otherwise, if you're a miser like me and hording those precious vacation days, you're stuck in school from 8:00AM - 4:00PM with everyone else. However, even someone like myself needs a break sometimes. Sadly, I work in a city that holds an English Speech Contest in September so I spend the month of August traveling to various J.H.S. and give speech coaching. In order to stay sane, I managed to squeeze out a couple of vacation days to make it a long weekend in the ultimate playground, the BIGGEST city IN THE WORLD.

THE ONE.

THE ONLY.

TO-KI-YO!

(Tokyo, the capital of, Japan)

I decided to visit my friend Kanako who I met and befriended on the lovely island of Shikoku. Being as cheap as I am, I took the cheapest form of transportation, the night bus, which takes about 12 hours and costs about $110 one way. It's not a sleeper bus either so get comfy in that chair because you can't recline it past two centimeters. I rode the bus with Derry and we got into the city at about... 7:00AM? We made our way to Roppongi district with only one minor setback: I left my glasses on the bus. Derry managed to go back and we rescued them. That's my personal hero right there.

We were to stay the night in Derry's mate from college's apartment. We took a quick nap then headed out to view the Imperial gardens were I got eaten ALIVE by mosquitoes:

We took haven in a maid cafe, where young women dress up in costumes and would provide conversation and sometimes games to predominately male patrons.


The night was spent at Ageha, arguably the largest nightlife dance club in Japan. It's on the outskirts of Tokyo and there are free shuttle buses to take people to and from there between the hours of 11:00PM and 5:00AM. There was even an outdoor pool. Oi.

The next day I met up with Kanako and the rest of my time in Tokyo was spent shopping, shopping, eating, and shopping except for one day that was reserved for my childhood: Tokyo Disneyland. As I have never been to any of the theme parks in my youth, this was arguably my best memory thus far in Japan.

Factoring in travel time, I spent eight hours at this place, absolutely delighted. The sun was shinning and we rode on a few rides:

Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Tours, Tom Sawyer Island Rafts, Pooh's Honey Hunt

Ate pizza and cream puffs for lunch, did a little shopping...

...and stalked foreigners hired to impersonate Disney Characters:

However, missing from this collection is Woody from Toy Story. The actor was a complete jerk and ignored my SEVERAL polite inquires about a photograph and chose to pose only with cute Japanese young ladies. Pox on him!

花火

Every season in Japan brings the celebration of beauty and nature. In Autumn, the full moon provides lamplight for faithful observers. Winter's bitter cold and winds are perfect for those who want to travel to Hokkaido and witness one of the greatest ice sculpture displays in the world. Spring blooms life in way of flowering trees that become umbrellas for picnics. And summer...the heat has the people of Japan donning traditional summer apparel, yukata and jinbei, at night to attend festivals that end with a bang - fireworks that is.

I already had practice with wearing a yukata so I set out to buy my own. Depending on the fabric, a yukata can cost ￥20,000 or more. Plus, there are the other factors, such as an obi (belt), geta

(wooden sandals), accessories for the belt, hair, and so on.