Hanami season is among us! That being said I've already been to two hanami parties. (Hanami literally means "flower watch", so what we do is get together in a park and drink all day.)
My first hanami party was also a goodbye party. The aftermath of the earthquake took its toll on my friend so he decided to move back to America. He was my first friend at my hometown and really went out of his way to show me the ropes and make sure I settled in nicely. He doesn't really speak any Japanese and was quite bothered by the lack of information getting to him regarding black outs, water contamination etc so he decided it would be safer for him to return home. I can see what he means, it's frustrating being here and in a way trying to compete with people to get water and food while everyone around us is panicking and getting information before us. My Japanese is ok but I dont know the words for things like "radiation", "evacuation", and "contamination" hahah. I guess I should try to learn those at some point hey?
At my second hanami party I got to see my friend who lives up in Sendai right by the epicenter for the big earthquake. I cant imagine what it was like up there. He said his building was swaying about four meters back and forth and people were flying across the school into walls. He also said that twelve of his students are missing. It's really amazing the fragility of life, one day you're doing the same thing you always do and the next it's all over. I still cant believe it happened.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Arise Therefore (Dont remember where I picked that one up)
So I made it back to Osaka and then Tokyo safely without major incidents.
I must say my flight to Osaka was a lot more pleasant than my flight from Osaka.
On my way into Seattle I was sandwiched between an overly talkative middle aged Japanese woman on one side and an American man who would not stop talking about plane crashes and radiation poisoning. How lovely. While on one hand I was able to practice some Japanese but it was rather frustrating trying to get to sleep when all she would do it tap me and show me origami and ask me to fold her some. The only one I know how to fold is a paper crane so I taught her how to do that. The American man was fleeing the country with no intentions of returning and was telling me that we were all going to get leukemia. He was from Nagoya which is (I think) roughly 600km away from the Daiichi plant. Needless to say I was happy to get off that plane.
On my way to Osaka I was pleasantly surprised with a seat in Economy Plus right beside the emergency exit, the bathrooms and a chatty but interesting British man who lives in Kyoto. He and I managed to talk for the entire eleven hour flight while getting slightly pissed. As luck would have it the flight attendant missed us with drinks during the first service and felt so bad she was smuggling in things from first class for us and giving us extra drinks. All in all... one of the better flights I've been on.
I arrived in Osaka and was able to get out of the airport very quickly... through customs, immigration and baggage claim in under an hour! I hopped on a bus headed towards my hotel and managed to find it without incident. After that I went out for dinner with one of my new Osaka buddies, we went to two restaurants - one was kushikatsu (like kushiage - meat and veggies on skewers) and the other was Okinawan food (a lot of goya and tofu) both were delicious! After that I was exhausted so I called it a night and went to my hotel and crashed.
The next day (Saturday) one of my Osaka buddies and I went to Kyoto because we plain old had nothing better to do. It was really great for me because I had never been there before and had a tour guide to show me his favourite places. We didn't end up staying too long as I wanted to get back to Tokyo that evening. I saw some temples and wandered around Gion where I was able to catch a glimpse of a couple geisha/maiko (I dont know which one they were) so I can cross that off my list of things to do in Japan.
I bought my shinkansen ticket and boarded the train only to find that I was on the really slow one when I had paid for the fastest train... how nice. I ended up transferring to a faster train half way and arrived about a half hour later than planned.
It was eerie arriving in Tokyo. I couldn't even tell we were approaching Tokyo because it was dark out and the majority of the lights in the city were out. As I walked through Tokyo station the atmosphere was subdued and cold. The heaters on the train seem to be out and almost half the lights in the stations and in the city are also out. It left me feeling pretty uneasy. That night I had a terrifying nightmare about trying to escape radiation by scrambling to find a fall out shelter where I live. It was a mass exodus of people trying to out run an invisible poison. Of all the dreams to remember...
I have started work again. My students and most of my coworkers are happy to see me. My one twat of a coworker is griping and moaning about how I left and what a martyr he is for having stayed.
In the end the trip home was really good for me. It made me realise I want to stay in Japan as long as possible. I guess while I was gone I had been glorifying Vancouver and how great it is. While it is great because my parents live there and the food and views are phenomenal, my home is Japan for now.
I must say my flight to Osaka was a lot more pleasant than my flight from Osaka.
On my way into Seattle I was sandwiched between an overly talkative middle aged Japanese woman on one side and an American man who would not stop talking about plane crashes and radiation poisoning. How lovely. While on one hand I was able to practice some Japanese but it was rather frustrating trying to get to sleep when all she would do it tap me and show me origami and ask me to fold her some. The only one I know how to fold is a paper crane so I taught her how to do that. The American man was fleeing the country with no intentions of returning and was telling me that we were all going to get leukemia. He was from Nagoya which is (I think) roughly 600km away from the Daiichi plant. Needless to say I was happy to get off that plane.
On my way to Osaka I was pleasantly surprised with a seat in Economy Plus right beside the emergency exit, the bathrooms and a chatty but interesting British man who lives in Kyoto. He and I managed to talk for the entire eleven hour flight while getting slightly pissed. As luck would have it the flight attendant missed us with drinks during the first service and felt so bad she was smuggling in things from first class for us and giving us extra drinks. All in all... one of the better flights I've been on.
I arrived in Osaka and was able to get out of the airport very quickly... through customs, immigration and baggage claim in under an hour! I hopped on a bus headed towards my hotel and managed to find it without incident. After that I went out for dinner with one of my new Osaka buddies, we went to two restaurants - one was kushikatsu (like kushiage - meat and veggies on skewers) and the other was Okinawan food (a lot of goya and tofu) both were delicious! After that I was exhausted so I called it a night and went to my hotel and crashed.
The next day (Saturday) one of my Osaka buddies and I went to Kyoto because we plain old had nothing better to do. It was really great for me because I had never been there before and had a tour guide to show me his favourite places. We didn't end up staying too long as I wanted to get back to Tokyo that evening. I saw some temples and wandered around Gion where I was able to catch a glimpse of a couple geisha/maiko (I dont know which one they were) so I can cross that off my list of things to do in Japan.
I bought my shinkansen ticket and boarded the train only to find that I was on the really slow one when I had paid for the fastest train... how nice. I ended up transferring to a faster train half way and arrived about a half hour later than planned.
It was eerie arriving in Tokyo. I couldn't even tell we were approaching Tokyo because it was dark out and the majority of the lights in the city were out. As I walked through Tokyo station the atmosphere was subdued and cold. The heaters on the train seem to be out and almost half the lights in the stations and in the city are also out. It left me feeling pretty uneasy. That night I had a terrifying nightmare about trying to escape radiation by scrambling to find a fall out shelter where I live. It was a mass exodus of people trying to out run an invisible poison. Of all the dreams to remember...
I have started work again. My students and most of my coworkers are happy to see me. My one twat of a coworker is griping and moaning about how I left and what a martyr he is for having stayed.
In the end the trip home was really good for me. It made me realise I want to stay in Japan as long as possible. I guess while I was gone I had been glorifying Vancouver and how great it is. While it is great because my parents live there and the food and views are phenomenal, my home is Japan for now.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Starvations - Kid's clothes store in Nanba, Osaka
So for the past week or so I have been observing the Japanese nuclear situation from afar at my parent's house.
The trek back home was a long adventure. Kansai airport was really busy with all the departures, but all in all it wasn't too unpleasant. I had to fly from Osaka to Seattle and then to Vancouver with a six hour layover in Seattle. I had an interesting time waiting around Sea-Tac airport and had a "Talking to Americans" moment with the gentleman sitting next to me. He asked where I was flying so I reply "Vancouver" and he asks "so that's what... a four or five hour flight?", I give him a dead pan stare "What?! No, it's 35 minutes."... his response? "I was always under the impression that Vancouver was directly above New York."
Excellent.
The week home has been relatively uneventful. It was good to catch up with some old friends, see the family (of course) and eat some delicious Canadian cuisine. It's funny how different everything looks, everything is so green and trees are everywhere, not to mention the mountains and ocean. Needless to say I was taking a lot of pictures. It was amazing how hard it is to tune out people speaking when they are speaking in English!
I'm on my way back to Osaka tomorrow morning bright and early. I know a lot of people are concerned for my health but after staying as updated as possible about the situation and a deal of consideration I've decided to return home to Japan. I wouldn't feel right staying in Vancouver much longer. I'm going to spend a day or two in Osaka and see how things are going up in Tokyo before I return. I'm really looking forward to seeing my adopted family in Japan. :)
The trek back home was a long adventure. Kansai airport was really busy with all the departures, but all in all it wasn't too unpleasant. I had to fly from Osaka to Seattle and then to Vancouver with a six hour layover in Seattle. I had an interesting time waiting around Sea-Tac airport and had a "Talking to Americans" moment with the gentleman sitting next to me. He asked where I was flying so I reply "Vancouver" and he asks "so that's what... a four or five hour flight?", I give him a dead pan stare "What?! No, it's 35 minutes."... his response? "I was always under the impression that Vancouver was directly above New York."
Excellent.
The week home has been relatively uneventful. It was good to catch up with some old friends, see the family (of course) and eat some delicious Canadian cuisine. It's funny how different everything looks, everything is so green and trees are everywhere, not to mention the mountains and ocean. Needless to say I was taking a lot of pictures. It was amazing how hard it is to tune out people speaking when they are speaking in English!
I'm on my way back to Osaka tomorrow morning bright and early. I know a lot of people are concerned for my health but after staying as updated as possible about the situation and a deal of consideration I've decided to return home to Japan. I wouldn't feel right staying in Vancouver much longer. I'm going to spend a day or two in Osaka and see how things are going up in Tokyo before I return. I'm really looking forward to seeing my adopted family in Japan. :)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Waiting Game
Wow. So unless you've been hiding under a rock somewhere you have probably heard about the big earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Dont worry, I'm safe and sound.
The earthquake hit about 200km north of where I am so there wasn't a lot of damage here. The quake itself was the strongest I've ever experienced and our building shook for a good two hours because of all the aftershocks. The quake hit at about quarter to three in the afternoon and immediately after all the trains stopped running. We spent most of the evening wandering around near our school expecting the trains to start back up again. A lot of people were stranded all over Tokyo and the line ups for taxis and payphones were huge. A student of mine said he walked for six hours to get home on Friday night.
The atmosphere here is really strange to say the least but I guess that can be expected. Everyone is kind of panicking and buying as much food, water and candles as they can get their hands on. Most stores have run out of bread and water... of course I do not have any water haha.
So today Tokyo has scheduled rolling black outs for each area... we were told 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. but the lights did not go out and again at 12:20p.m. to 4 p.m.... the lights are still working. We're wondering if it's all a hoax. It would be nice if the company I worked for would contact me and let me know what is going on. My coworker and I were saying this feels a bit like pergatory or limbo. There have been quite a few announcements over loud speakers today but I can't understand them so hopefully it wasn't anything too urgent. I've spent the whole weekend staying very close to home and just waiting to hear some news or for something to happen. I'm not quite sure what I'm waiting for but a lot of people have said there is a large chance of another big earthquake to hit within the next few days. There was a relatively large one in Ibaraki this morning which woke me up.
I've heard through some friends that a lot of foreigners have decided to just leave Japan all together and go back home. I cant say I really intend to do that, either way I've heard that the airports aren't operating so everyone who's flocked to the airports are just sitting there waiting.
The earthquake hit about 200km north of where I am so there wasn't a lot of damage here. The quake itself was the strongest I've ever experienced and our building shook for a good two hours because of all the aftershocks. The quake hit at about quarter to three in the afternoon and immediately after all the trains stopped running. We spent most of the evening wandering around near our school expecting the trains to start back up again. A lot of people were stranded all over Tokyo and the line ups for taxis and payphones were huge. A student of mine said he walked for six hours to get home on Friday night.
The atmosphere here is really strange to say the least but I guess that can be expected. Everyone is kind of panicking and buying as much food, water and candles as they can get their hands on. Most stores have run out of bread and water... of course I do not have any water haha.
So today Tokyo has scheduled rolling black outs for each area... we were told 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. but the lights did not go out and again at 12:20p.m. to 4 p.m.... the lights are still working. We're wondering if it's all a hoax. It would be nice if the company I worked for would contact me and let me know what is going on. My coworker and I were saying this feels a bit like pergatory or limbo. There have been quite a few announcements over loud speakers today but I can't understand them so hopefully it wasn't anything too urgent. I've spent the whole weekend staying very close to home and just waiting to hear some news or for something to happen. I'm not quite sure what I'm waiting for but a lot of people have said there is a large chance of another big earthquake to hit within the next few days. There was a relatively large one in Ibaraki this morning which woke me up.
I've heard through some friends that a lot of foreigners have decided to just leave Japan all together and go back home. I cant say I really intend to do that, either way I've heard that the airports aren't operating so everyone who's flocked to the airports are just sitting there waiting.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Marverous - Name of a bar in Fussa
After a month hiatus, I'm back blogging.
What have I been doing you ask? Nothing particularly special. In the past month I have:
-Worked, worked and worked. I was given the opportunity to teach some silly classes... French, darts and bar. No, I do not speak French.
-Taken a day off and got lost in Gunma on said day off. I ate a horrifying kaiseki dinner at the hotel in Gunma which included fish kidneys and clams. I'm still shuddering about this. The dinner had good points too... like salad, wild boar and some unidentified fish. Breakfast at the hotel was much of the same. I also went to an onsen where I could watch the snowfall. I went to a farm (which I later discovered was intended for five year olds) and saw some goats and sheep. I got lost on the way home because I foolishly got off the train to pee (turns out the train had a bathroom) and found myself stuck in darkest Saitama for an entire hour and a half with Take. We made some friends with the locals and wandered around. They laughed when we asked where we could find a restaurant haha.
- Caught up with some friends... Mainly drinking around my area and singing Karaoke, there was also some darts and purikura.
- Had an evening out with my co-workers and got to know them personally a bit better. We ended up drinking until 5 am... unfortunately most of them were drunk after the first.
What's on tbe books for the next little while? A friend of mine from Scotland is coming in for a few weeks to visit so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm celebrating a friend's birthday and successful surgery next weekend. I'm teaching English to the masses. That's about it. Glamorous life, I know. :)
What have I been doing you ask? Nothing particularly special. In the past month I have:
-Worked, worked and worked. I was given the opportunity to teach some silly classes... French, darts and bar. No, I do not speak French.
-Taken a day off and got lost in Gunma on said day off. I ate a horrifying kaiseki dinner at the hotel in Gunma which included fish kidneys and clams. I'm still shuddering about this. The dinner had good points too... like salad, wild boar and some unidentified fish. Breakfast at the hotel was much of the same. I also went to an onsen where I could watch the snowfall. I went to a farm (which I later discovered was intended for five year olds) and saw some goats and sheep. I got lost on the way home because I foolishly got off the train to pee (turns out the train had a bathroom) and found myself stuck in darkest Saitama for an entire hour and a half with Take. We made some friends with the locals and wandered around. They laughed when we asked where we could find a restaurant haha.
- Caught up with some friends... Mainly drinking around my area and singing Karaoke, there was also some darts and purikura.
- Had an evening out with my co-workers and got to know them personally a bit better. We ended up drinking until 5 am... unfortunately most of them were drunk after the first.
What's on tbe books for the next little while? A friend of mine from Scotland is coming in for a few weeks to visit so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm celebrating a friend's birthday and successful surgery next weekend. I'm teaching English to the masses. That's about it. Glamorous life, I know. :)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Shady son of a bitch whatever - t-shirt on a guy
How agro!
Well... I havent been up to much, hence the lack of updating.
I've been missing my Mum terribly... and missing my Dad even more.
It's one of those things though... how do you get the best of both worlds? Until I have a Doko demo doa (go anywhere door) like Doraemon I'll just have to make do with what I have. Beautiful pictures! Enjoy! They are both of Kamakura where there is a large Buddha statue. It once was in a shrine but due to a large tsunami it is now outside. I went there with my Mum a few weeks ago.
Well... I havent been up to much, hence the lack of updating.
I've been missing my Mum terribly... and missing my Dad even more.
It's one of those things though... how do you get the best of both worlds? Until I have a Doko demo doa (go anywhere door) like Doraemon I'll just have to make do with what I have. Beautiful pictures! Enjoy! They are both of Kamakura where there is a large Buddha statue. It once was in a shrine but due to a large tsunami it is now outside. I went there with my Mum a few weeks ago.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Both the cooking and the life had better be pleasant - words on a sauce cup
The deepest apologies with a very deep bow. I know it's been ages since I last blogged. I have been very busy with my week off from work and my two weeks back to work.
What on Earth have I been up to?!
My lovely Mother came to Japan. I was very busy showing her the time of her life. We covered a huge amount of ground in the short time she was here (only nine days). I tried to show her as much of Tokyo as possible and some of the outside areas and then show her my favourite parts of Tokyo again. I also gave her a rudimentary education in the Tokyo train and subway system... I'm not too sure how much of that she grasped (no offense Mum!!)
In the short time she was here I:
- Took her shopping (duh!)
- Took her shopping
- Tried (and somewhat failed) to get her to try authentic Japanese cuisine... she ate (very reluctantly) sashimi and takoyaki, she loved ramen and shabu-shabu
- Took her to Mount Fuji
- Took her to an onsen
- Took her to some traditional Japanese places... shrines, Buddhas etc.
- Introduced her to some pop culture... karaoke, purikura, bonnenkai etc. She had a blast
- Introduced her to my family away from my real family
- Introduced her to Take (ahhh) :)
In the nine days we went to: Mt. Fuji, Kamakura, Shinjuku, Nishi-Shinjuku, Aoyama, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya, Haijima, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Yoyogi and Hino. Phew.. we walked a lot.
So now my Mum is gone and I'm very sadly back to reality. Work is the same. Enough about work... there are some exciting things in store for 2011 (as I hope there are for you!). What you ask?
- I am starting to learn how to DJ so I can DJ for my friend's CD release party... who knew I was so cool?
---> Anyone have any song recommendations? :)
- I get to tattoo Take! Which means I have to learn how to draw... he said not to worry and to just free hand it but I dont think he knows how bad of an "artist" I am. In return... he gets to tattoo me... he threatens Hello Kitty... I dont think he'll do it though.
- I have plans to learn how to fish. Although the general consensus is fishing is moderately to extremely boring.
Well that's all I have in terms of an update! Promise to update sooner rather than later... possibly with pictures.
What on Earth have I been up to?!
My lovely Mother came to Japan. I was very busy showing her the time of her life. We covered a huge amount of ground in the short time she was here (only nine days). I tried to show her as much of Tokyo as possible and some of the outside areas and then show her my favourite parts of Tokyo again. I also gave her a rudimentary education in the Tokyo train and subway system... I'm not too sure how much of that she grasped (no offense Mum!!)
In the short time she was here I:
- Took her shopping (duh!)
- Took her shopping
- Tried (and somewhat failed) to get her to try authentic Japanese cuisine... she ate (very reluctantly) sashimi and takoyaki, she loved ramen and shabu-shabu
- Took her to Mount Fuji
- Took her to an onsen
- Took her to some traditional Japanese places... shrines, Buddhas etc.
- Introduced her to some pop culture... karaoke, purikura, bonnenkai etc. She had a blast
- Introduced her to my family away from my real family
- Introduced her to Take (ahhh) :)
In the nine days we went to: Mt. Fuji, Kamakura, Shinjuku, Nishi-Shinjuku, Aoyama, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya, Haijima, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Yoyogi and Hino. Phew.. we walked a lot.
So now my Mum is gone and I'm very sadly back to reality. Work is the same. Enough about work... there are some exciting things in store for 2011 (as I hope there are for you!). What you ask?
- I am starting to learn how to DJ so I can DJ for my friend's CD release party... who knew I was so cool?
---> Anyone have any song recommendations? :)
- I get to tattoo Take! Which means I have to learn how to draw... he said not to worry and to just free hand it but I dont think he knows how bad of an "artist" I am. In return... he gets to tattoo me... he threatens Hello Kitty... I dont think he'll do it though.
- I have plans to learn how to fish. Although the general consensus is fishing is moderately to extremely boring.
Well that's all I have in terms of an update! Promise to update sooner rather than later... possibly with pictures.
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