After leaving the hotel in Tokyo today at 2:00 in the afternoon, I arrived home at 7:00 p.m. tonight. No, it wasn't a 5 hour journey but rather a 19 hour journey due to crossing the international date line.
It's nice to be home and now I will sleep, hopefully.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
sushi!
We went out for sushi last night. We went to a "conveyor belt" sushi restaurant where there is sushi rolling past us as we sit at the counter. I take whatever I want and pay based on the color and number of plates I take. It is so good! I had shrimp, raw tuna, raw salmon, california rolls, and some edamame (soy beans). I am going to miss Japan.
This is Andy, a teacher from New York, who really, really loves sushi. Actually, he likes anything that is food.
This is Andy, a teacher from New York, who really, really loves sushi. Actually, he likes anything that is food.
Home stay and Japanese Tea Ceremony
We got up early on Saturday so we could leave on our homestay with a Japanese family. My mama-san (Japanese mother) is name Junko (with a long u sound). Her husband is a university professor and was at a conference so it was just the two of us at her home this weekend.
We began the visit by making lunch, okonomiyaki, but prepared Osaki style where everything is mixed together rather than layered. It was delicious! I was a little nervous when she said she was adding squid but cooked squid is much better than raw!
When I enter her home, I removed my shoes and put on slippers like everyone in Japan does. When I enter the bathroom, I remove my slippers and put on a different pair of slippers used only in the bathroom. When I enter rooms with the straw tatami mats, I must remove my slippers and go with stocking feet. It's hard to remember every time you leave one room for another!
We ran some errands and got to stop at the grocery store. It was very similar in size to a SuperTarget and that surprised me! I thought it would be much smaller. There were some very different foods but many foods that would be very familiar. Look carefully at the photos.
Junko invited her friend over for dinner, a combination of boiled items.
Then they surprised me by dressing me in a kimono for a traditional tea ceremony. They were shocked that this was my first tea ceremony. You can see that I'm a little taller than most Japanese women. The white "slip" is suppose to go down to my ankles!
The tea ceremony is a special ceremony that follows a very precise routine. I'm not sure what the meaning of every part is but I enjoyed the green tea. I first started with a small candy treat that I placed on a small stack of paper used as a plate. I was taught how to hold the cup with one hand underneath, the other cupped around the cup. I had to turn the cup in a circle before sipping the tea.
I watched carefully as Junko prepared the tea one cup at a time. In fact, there's only a small amount in the bottom of the cup. She put some green tea powder in the bottom of the cup, added boiling water, then whisked it quickly for at least a minute.
And then I had a try at it. I am proud to say that Junko said the tea was well prepared. I'm not sure how I could mess up but they did say that the tea can be prepared poorly.
And then it was time for bed. I was so tired!
We began the visit by making lunch, okonomiyaki, but prepared Osaki style where everything is mixed together rather than layered. It was delicious! I was a little nervous when she said she was adding squid but cooked squid is much better than raw!
When I enter her home, I removed my shoes and put on slippers like everyone in Japan does. When I enter the bathroom, I remove my slippers and put on a different pair of slippers used only in the bathroom. When I enter rooms with the straw tatami mats, I must remove my slippers and go with stocking feet. It's hard to remember every time you leave one room for another!
We ran some errands and got to stop at the grocery store. It was very similar in size to a SuperTarget and that surprised me! I thought it would be much smaller. There were some very different foods but many foods that would be very familiar. Look carefully at the photos.
Junko invited her friend over for dinner, a combination of boiled items.
Then they surprised me by dressing me in a kimono for a traditional tea ceremony. They were shocked that this was my first tea ceremony. You can see that I'm a little taller than most Japanese women. The white "slip" is suppose to go down to my ankles!
The tea ceremony is a special ceremony that follows a very precise routine. I'm not sure what the meaning of every part is but I enjoyed the green tea. I first started with a small candy treat that I placed on a small stack of paper used as a plate. I was taught how to hold the cup with one hand underneath, the other cupped around the cup. I had to turn the cup in a circle before sipping the tea.
I watched carefully as Junko prepared the tea one cup at a time. In fact, there's only a small amount in the bottom of the cup. She put some green tea powder in the bottom of the cup, added boiling water, then whisked it quickly for at least a minute.
And then I had a try at it. I am proud to say that Junko said the tea was well prepared. I'm not sure how I could mess up but they did say that the tea can be prepared poorly.
And then it was time for bed. I was so tired!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Today we visited an arts high school in Hiroshima. WOW! It earns it reputation of being one of the most prestigious high schools. I learned to play a little Japanese flute and do some Japanese calligraphy. I made signs for the library doors! We also learned to play a Japanese flute. This one the instructor made out of PVC pipe for all of us!
I am leaving tomorrow morning to stay with my host family overnight, then head back to a different hotel called a ryoken which is a traditional Japanese hotel with futon mattresses on the mats on the floor. I'm looking forward to both evenings. We will go back to Tokyo on Monday night on the bullet train. I won’t have Internet access until I return to Tokyo.
The rest of next week is filled with seminar sessions and some free evenings to explore Tokyo, then I head back to the United States on Thursday. Where did the time go?
I love being in Japan and feel so comfortable here. I didn't expect to feel that way. I expected to love Japan but to have it feel more "foreign" to me. I don't think there's any better sign of a successful journey than that!
I am leaving tomorrow morning to stay with my host family overnight, then head back to a different hotel called a ryoken which is a traditional Japanese hotel with futon mattresses on the mats on the floor. I'm looking forward to both evenings. We will go back to Tokyo on Monday night on the bullet train. I won’t have Internet access until I return to Tokyo.
The rest of next week is filled with seminar sessions and some free evenings to explore Tokyo, then I head back to the United States on Thursday. Where did the time go?
I love being in Japan and feel so comfortable here. I didn't expect to feel that way. I expected to love Japan but to have it feel more "foreign" to me. I don't think there's any better sign of a successful journey than that!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I did it!
We went out for sushi tonight. I like sushi but I'm usually pretty safe with what I choose to eat but tonight I had octopus, eel, squid, raw salmon, salmon eggs, shrimp and crab. The octopus didn't have much taste but it was chewy, same with the squid. I told my friend that the salmon roe (eggs) squish like a pimple popping and she thought that was gross. The salmon and shrimp were my favorite. I forgot my camera so I'm waiting for a photo from my friend and then you can see what I ate.
What do you think? Would you eat this?
What do you think? Would you eat this?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Photos from the elementary school
I thought I'd post a few photos of my day at the elementary school so it helps you to have a picture in your mind when I talk to you later today.
Hi everyone!
I'm looking forward to seeing some of you later today. I want to warn you that it will be 4:45 a.m. on Thursday in Japan when I talk to you at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday so you may catch me in my pajamas!
Today we visited an elementary school in Japan and I can't wait to tell you about it. There are things that are very similar (such as happy children) and things that are very different (such as students serving lunch in their classrooms).
Time to head to dinner so I can get to bed early tonight.
Think of some interesting questions!
Today we visited an elementary school in Japan and I can't wait to tell you about it. There are things that are very similar (such as happy children) and things that are very different (such as students serving lunch in their classrooms).
Time to head to dinner so I can get to bed early tonight.
Think of some interesting questions!
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