Monday Morning Meander

Thank you Zelda! It's was great to talk to you and...
I had a fabulous early morning this morning as my mom's friend called me from Canada at 5:20am (by mistake). The sun was so beautiful at that time of the morning that I couldn't fathom going back to sleep, so I did some yoga in my room, got some work done and then went for a lovely wander amongst the trees beside the coy ponds. It was so peaceful in the early morning. I swam my way through the spider threads, keeping ahead of the mosquitoes and trying not to jump at the sound of the bull frogs croaking, all the while snapping pictures of the pretty lily pads...

Yukata and dancing

Yesterday the volunteers of the Nisshin City International Association hosted a Yukata and dance activity at City Hall. I went with a dozen other exchange students. It took us an hour to all get dressed in Yukata (like casual Kimonos) since there is a rather complicated way to put them on. We squeezed into a little room where some sweet Japanese grandmothers tugged, tucked and patted at us until we were all fitted into our Yukata.
Once we had taken lots of pictures in our Yukata and more Japanese people had arrived (including my home visit family and 2 other families from their neighbourhood), we started dancing.
The first dance they taught us was the Tanko Odori (Coalminer's Dance). It clearly originated in a mining town and the actions include digging, throwing, shading, etc. The other dance was the Nisshin dance which was slightly more complicated and I'm not sure how it originated. Both these dances are done in a circular pattern with the most experienced dancers in the middle. They are traditionally danced during the Bon Festival in mid-August when people gather all around Japan to honour their ancestors.
After the activity, I went to my home visit family's house and shared my family tradition of waffles on Sunday for dinner with them and the two other families. Yummy!

Dodgebee!

Oh my, so much fun! Today there was a huge Dodgebee competition today at the university. It's like Dodgeball, but with a Frisbee!! I joined a team with some exchange students and some Japanese girls. Even though we practiced a bit this week, we lost both games we played. But we had lots of fun doing it!
Back at I-House, Taggs, from England had a tea party for his birthday, so I drank some good English tea and ate lots of sweet stuff. Now I'm taking a break from the many projects and assignments that have piled up to write in my blog. These days it's really hot here, in the 30s and humid! But most everywhere has air conditioning, to I'm almost cold more often than I'm hot.
I hope the weather is good where ever you are reading this from. Which reminds me that the other day we learned about Japanese letter-writing and it is imperative to make a comment about the weather at the beginning and the end of a letter. Interesting, eh?

Home Visit

This Sunday I participated in a Home Visit set up by Nisshin City International Association. I spent the day with the Irie family: Haruhisa, Misa, Ken-chan (5) and Kota-chan (3). They are such a nice family and we had a wonderful day. We spoke in Japanese the whole time except for when I couldn't express something and then Misa (who had lived near Niagara for a year) helped me out. I understood a fair bit of what they said!
First we went to a historical town called Arimatsu. Even though it is in the middle of the suburbs, on the main street, it feels like you're back in the 16th or 17th century. The town is famous for it's history in tie-dying. The patterns are extremely intricate and require hours of tedious hand-work and specific techniques handed down from generation to generation.
For lunch, we went to a typical Japanese restaurant and ate soba noodles and udon (cold noodles dipped in a sauce). From there we went to a bowling alley. It was the first time that the kids had gone bowling, so it was really fun to watch them try to roll the 6-pound balls down the alley.
At their house, the kids took a nap while we had iced tea and Japanese snacks. Later on, the neighbours joined us with their two little girls. They brought over a table-top grill and we made Yakisoba and Takoyaki!! Yakisoba is soba noodles grilled with onions, cabbage and pork. Takoyaki is so cool... it's little pancake-like balls with octopus and cabbage in them! They are so fun to make. We ate so much food!! And they even sent me home with some for breakfast!
I had a great time and am planning to make waffles for them this Sunday!

A ride on Daisuke's motorbike

Meet Daisuke, a 4th-year French studies student at NUFS who owns a motorbike for two :) We met back in April in the Spanish language lounge since he is also studying Spanish. Lately we've been hanging out after the French language lounge on Fridays. Today, we went for a walk around the hill shrine and then he took me for a ride around town on his motorbike. Yeee... fun!
He introduced me to a gaming centre near where he lives. There you can play slot machines and other games, but it's not actual gambling. There are also tons of grab boxes full of teddy bear, trinkets and snacks.
We went out for dinner at a nearby Japanese curry restaurant. Japanese curry is really nice! He explained to me that it actually came to Japan from England during the Meiji era (late 1800s) and therefore it's quite different from India curry.
It was a nice break from studying! Now I must get back to the books as I have loads of kanji homework and a unit test on Monday.

Wow, phone call!

Just now a friend called me from Tokyo and we talked for 13 minutes, in Japanese!! I guess I'm over my phobia of talking on phones in foreign languages! Ha! It's still crazy nerve-racking though.
So random!! Mayuko stayed with my family during a high school exchange for just 5 days... nearly 10 years ago! Since then, we have kept in touch by sending letters and more recently short emails.
She is now working as a nurse near Tokyo and I plan to visit her next month during summer holidays. I am so excited to meet her again. I think we will have both changed a lot! It should be fun!

Random Tuesday

Today started with another morning of fun in signing class followed by lunch at Ikue's place. We made okonomiyaki! This is a lightly battered cabbage, leek and shrimp pancake made on a table-top grill. We enjoyed another afternoon of idle chatting and language exchanging. When I left, she explained to me why a little light reading "pet" on it lit up as the elevator came up... someone had their pet with them and in case of allergies, they pressed a button upon entering the elevator to let people know!
Back at I-House, Jared, who is moving to the apartment building down the road, gave me some of his plants!! Yay!!
Although it was rather cloudy and threatening to pour, I went for a walk with Keisuke. It was good to catch up with him and it only spittered slightly. We walked around the community on the hill above the university. I had gone there on Saturday morning to put up some posters to see if anyone is interested in being a host family from September to December so that I can speak more Japanese and experience the culture. So far I've had no reply, but I'm getting more and more comfortable here in I-House and I have many friends to visit as well, so it's ok. Saturday morning, a man who was trimming his hedge said good morning to me followed by, what year of university are you in? That's just kind of how things work in Japanese conversation. Next thing you know we were chatting in English and Japanese and he was introducing me to his wife who is a certified instructor of Japanese cuisine! They took my cell phone number and said they would like to have me over sometime, so we'll see!
This evening (Tuesday that is) continued with thunder and lighting (fun!) and a bomb threat at the superstore around the corner (random!). We finished the day off with some delicious home made pizza including a chocolate, banana, marshmallow one for dessert. Fabulous!

Sunday bike ride around Sobue town

This story actually begins on Saturday night in Nagoya where I visited Mayu at work. She works in a small ECC Centre (Foreign Language Institute) as a secretary and English teacher. When she finished work around 7:00pm, we went out for dinner at a Hawaiian restaurant (need I say that it was delicious?). From there we took 2 trains back to her town and I stayed at her house overnight. I met her whole family, mother, sister, 88-year old grandmother, father and grandfather. They were all very nice and didn't stop complementing my Japanese.
This morning, her mom had prepared a beef stew-like dish, salad and bread for breakfast. It's customary in Japan to eat savory things for breakfast. They live right across from a small shrine, so we visted it before heading out on our bike ride. Our first stop was at bargain store that Mayu used to work at and I found Holey Soles! Well, a cheap brand of Crocs, but I was so excited!! I bought 2 pairs and they are so comfy!
For lunch, we went to the little food court in a small shopping centre (rather like Chako Mika Mall!). I had shrimp tempura with rice while Mayu had raw ramen noodles. We also tried some dango (rice flour balls with sweet sauces).
Our next stop was at a famous temple that Mayu had never visited before. First, we put some coins in a box and touched a tall wooden pole decorated Chinese symbols for good luck. In the temple, there were many trinkets for sale, such as charms, bracelets, scripts and candles. We went down a narrow stair case into a pitch black hallway under the main flour. We had to follow the wall with our right hand until we reached an illuminated miniature set up of Buddha figurines. There we banged a metal bar, threw a coin in, prayed and banged the bar a few more times.
Back on the main floor, we lifted a stone statue of a deity and supposedly if it was light, our wish would be granted. For me it was heavy, but as I went to put it down, it helped me realize that I had the power to make my wish come true. Lastly, we stood before a monk, with a flower petal-shaped paper between our hands in prayer position as he recited a mantra and touch a cloth-wrapped round-shaped something to our heads. It is believed that God usually sits upon this particular type of flower and that this is a way to connect with God. It's very hard to express all this - Mayu had trouble translating and I am not familiar with the religious terms in English either.
At the entrance of the temple, there was also a lounging bronze statue of a deity which people could touch and touch they did! On the way out, we sampled many of the Japanese snacks for sale at the stands. A lady that Mayu used to work with treated us to an ice cream at the stand she was working at. Blueberry frozen yogourt! So refreshing on a hot, sunny day.
Our last stop was at a nearby park with a large ship-shaped playground and a 70m-long slide!! We had to give it a try... twice! Finally we collapsed on the grass! in the shade of a tree. Mmm... so relaxing.
Back at home, I made myself some waffles with with a Granny-Smith apple that I bought on sale for about $1.15. Apples are so good, I miss them! And my family and friends too. Happy birthday Gram!

A new friend

I met Ikue-san a few weeks ago at the NUFS community party when she invited me to have lunch with her. Today I walked 20 minutes to her 11th floor apartment where she lives with her husband and 3 children (aged 28, 22 and 17). Her husband works as an executive at Toyota. She doesn't work so she often has free time during the day. She is studying English and volunteers to write a local English newsletter for the area.
She had prepared some lovely Japanese food for lunch - sushi, soup and the likes :) We chatted in English and Japanese over lunch and then coffee. I really enjoyed spending time with her and learning many new expressions in Japanese; I'm looking forward to having lunch with her again next week!

Sunday continued... Orchid Garden

On the train back from Tajimi I took some photos of the mountains in between the very long tunnels we travelled through. Hiromi got off at the stop near their house and the rest of us continued on to Nagoya, to the Orchid Gardens.
The flowers are simply stunning! The first picture is of an Ikebana, Japanese flower arrangement. The second is a beautiful cascade of orchids and the last is of some funky lanterns in the outdoor garden.
Today I learned more Japanese while relaxing and having lots of fun with marvelous people! Like I said before, what a wonderful day!

Ceramics Workshop with the Suzukis

Today proved to be a perfect occasion to use a word that I learned last week: "subarashi" - wonderful! I had a simply fabulous time with Katsutoshi and Hiromi Suzuki and Esha. We first went to a ceramics workshop in Gifu prefecture, on the other side of the mountains from where the Suzukis live in Kasugai. The shop was a beautiful, peaceful place on the side of Tiger Valley Mountain, over-looking the city of Tajimi.
Esha and I each made 3 pieces on the wheel while Hiromi made a large water basin. We started with a Japanese-style tea bowl. I then made a small plate and with my last piece, had some fun which turned into a triangle pinch-pot, he he! It was so nice to shape the soft clay with our hands. When finished we chose which one piece we wanted to buy and what glaze we would like to put on it. They will be sent to us in about 2 months. I'm so excited to see how they turn out! I decided to keep the little plate because it was so cute. Then on the way home, Katsutoshi told us they had bought us each another one of the pieces we had made! So I will be getting my tea bowl too! :)
After playing with the clay, we went upstairs to a little lunch room and Hiromi brought out a lunch they had packed, complete with sandwiches, sushi, fruit, sweets and green tea! She brought her portable tea set and did a tea ceremony for Esha and me! Everything was very interesting and super delicious! They are such generous people!

Local Pre-school Visit

On Monday afternoon Rosie and I volunteered to visit a local pre-school, arranged by a lady at City Hall in order to encourage intercultural understanding. Upon arriving at the school, we were greeted by 50 or so pre-school students waving little Canadian and American flags! I felt famous! Some of them had never seen a foreigner before and were a little shy, but it didn't last for long as they were soon clinging on to us. Well, clinging isn't quite the right word, but after consulting some friends here we couldn't come up with a better one... I want to say they clammered us, but I don't believe that word exists and glom isn't in the dictionary either. They asked me many questions in Japanese, some of which I was happy to be able to answer, but others that I just didn't understand and they looked at me like they just couldn't comprehend how I couldn't understand, it was a little awkward. Anyways... we played "London bridge is falling down" (in Japanese and English) and then separated into two classrooms for snack time. We had cantaloupe, milk and cookies - animal crackers! At what point in time they started asking me the English word for different animals and soon anything they could find to point at in the room, so cute! I read a story to them (in Japanese!!!) and then it was time to go.

Kanazawa with Jason, Yuki and Noah

In Kanazawa, Jason met me at the bus station. I had gotten in touch with him because back in Nelson, I was on the volunteer fire department with his uncle. He teaches English here in Japan and he and his wife, Yuki just had their first child, Noah who is now 7 months and simply adorable!
The four of us went together to an exhibition called "Hundred Stories about Love" at the 21st Century Musuem of Contemporary Art. There were some really neat displays, such as a room with 290 light bulbs hanging from the roof, each pulsing at the rate of someone's heart beat. We took turns holding two metal rods, transferring our heart beat to the first light bulb. Noah's heart beat was noticeably faster than the others. Another display was of old, cracked window frames, originally from Germany constructed into a 2-story high circular structure. It's interesting to think of all the stories behind them. The picture I attached is of Jason, Yuki and Noah in the "swimming pool" a room with a thin layer of water on the glass above it. It was raining at the time so there was a really neat effect. Jason's favourite exhibition was a cardboard box that spoke and talked all relaxed-like about what it was like to be a box, how it was great to get to see so many places, but that sometimes people just don't know how to use packing tape. It's was hilarious!
Before heading back to the house, Jason took us to a nearby Mr.Doughnut that I have to admit is a good competition for Tim Hortons. The doughnuts are really nice and seem less sugary/ oily. Yuki's parents' house (were they are living now) is a little ways outside of Kanazawa in a very beautiful, peaceful area, with forests out the back and rice fields out the front.
For dinner, we went out to a sushi bar!! We sat at a booth table with a rotating track coming from the kitchen with different dishes on it. There was also a small computer screen used to place a specific order and when ready, the sushi came on a rocket-like tray in a fast track... like a Shinkansen! So much fun... and delicious! Jason dared me to eat sea urchin, a little strange tasting, I'll admit and something that was called crab brains! If you're considering visiting Japan but are hesitant because you don't like sushi etc. don't worry! You don't have to eat it, there's plenty of other delicious dishes! To calculate the bill, the waitress just counted the number of different colour plates at the end (notice the stacks of plates on the table behind Jason).
Back at the house I had a relaxing bath, Japanese-style and took a turn in the massage chair while watching the movie I-60. That night, I fell asleep to the serenade of frogs in the rice paddies.
The next day, we relaxed in the morning. I showed them all some photos of Nelson and the area as they are considering buying property there. Yuki has just started a business on the internet, selling... diaper cakes! Actually, it's a really cool concept! At baby showers, you can give the mother a gift of diapers, bottles, socks and other useful baby stuff in the shape of a cake! Check out the pictures on her new website: www.noahz-ark.com
Lastly, on the way to the bus stop, we spotted a fire department with open doors so decided to try to stop in. A fire fighter greeted us and we explained that I was a fire fighter from Canada. He was familiar with the fact that fire departments around the world sometime exchange patches, but all of theirs were sewn on their shirts already. So next thing you know they were cutting one out of the sleeve of an old shirt! Another fire fighter showed us the trucks, and it turns out he lived in Vancouver for a bit while working for Yamaha skidoos. And... he travelled to Nelson 3 or 4 times for photo shoots there! So random! Somethings just work out they way, eh?

School Trip Cont...

Saturday morning started off with a trip to the local street market in Wajima. Although we got there just as it started (8:00am) and people were just setting up, it immediately reminded me of the markets in Ecuador, only significantly cleaner. I bought a cool little chopstick resting piece... a peanut in its shell with red lacquer on it! He he!
After checking out of the hotel, we went to the Traditional Paper Lantern Museum. These are wooden structures with paper lanterns hanging off on them, used in various festivals (carried on peoples' shoulders through the streets). At this museum they have the tallest one ever made... 15m high! That's about 4 stories! It weighs 2500kg and takes 150 people to carry it! And all coordinated too! There was another Taiko drumming performance by a local group, including 2 kids. We got to try banging on the Taiko drum and also carrying one of the lanterns!
Before leaving Wajima, we visited the pocket rice fields. These are built on a steep hill leading down to the ocean. After a lunch stop at the bus station, everyone left back to Nagoya on the university bus, but I left the trip there to take a public bus back to Kanazawa to visit with an acquaintance...

Japanese Hotel Experience

Upon arriving at our hotel in Wajima, we were taken to our room on the 7th floor with a balcony overlooking the sea. A lady showed us into the room, with tatame mats on the floor and a low table with four floor-level seats around it. She proceeded to explain the hotel amenities and then served us tea and gave us all yukatas to wear around the hotel! Talk about service! While we were at dinner, someone came and replaced the table with futons.
The dinner they had prepared for us in the banquet hall was fabulous!!! So much wonderful Japanese cuisine!! Everything was so delicious, the cooked seafood, the sashimi, the vegetables, the tofu dishes, the soups, the rice and a dessert pudding! There was even a full fish head, complete with sharp little teeth!! And I ventured to eat the eye ball! (only after asking if it was in fact edible).
Before I could even finish everything on the tray, the Taiko drumming performance began. Taiko drumming began hundreds of years ago when a coastal village was threatened by a major army. The night before the attack, they wore masks and used seaweed to appear larger. Then they brought drums to the beach, lit fires and began drumming and dancing. When the army looked down from the mountain, the captain proclaimed that there were a bunch of monsters and the soldiers lost confidence. The next day, the villagers won the battle.
After dinner, we went to the Karaoke bar and even sang 2 songs in Japanese! Then some people were going to the beach so I hung out there with them for a while. The water was surprisingly warm (well, some thought it was cold...) and some of them went swimming!
At 11:00, I went to the onsen (Japanese-style hot springs) with Vanessa and Camille (from France). The hot springs were open 24 hours! They are separated between men's and women's because in Japan, you don't wear a bathing suit to the hot springs. It's more like a public bath. As foreigners we're not used to that, but we got more comfortable with it after being the in the baths for a bit. First, you sit on a little stool at one of the shower spots (all lined up like sinks in a regular bathroom, complete with mirrors!) and wash your self down. Then you enter into the hot pools. We stayed in there until after midnight, so relaxing.