MOVING BLOG

I decided on a name I like and I'm porting everything over right now. The new link will be http://kailahana.blogspot.com/. You can visit now, but functionality may be iffy until I finish adjusting the gizmos. Should be 100% within a few hours. See you there!

Useful Links for a First Trip to Japan

The focus of these links is primarily on Tokyo and Hakodate, Hokkaido since that's where I went. Some were more useful than others, but this is pretty much the assortment I used. It really paid off financially to spend a significant amount of time following links. I found travel deals that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I didn't use them all, but I did feel well-prepared for my trip. And if you're a strictly English-speaking never-been-overseas-before person like me, I strongly recommend spending some time on cultural research, too.

These are in no particular order:

Tokyo Metro Sightseeing Plans- has some suggested locations to visit and instructions for hwo to get there. Be sure to follow side links- you might find something that is more useful for your particular itinerary.

Eating Out in Tokyo for About $25 a Day- Not a recent entry, but some general information.

GALA Yuzawa- We didn't have time for this day trip, but will try on another trip. Looks fun and rates are good.

Welcome Inn Reservation Center- I didn't use this for any reservations, but it was good for some basic lodging cost information.

Akihabara Town Guide- If you're planning to visit Akiba, this site has a map. We left the station from the end opposite Electric Town and wondered what the big deal was at first until we got our bearings. But in so doing, we discovered a wonderful stationary shop where we had one of our best experiences in Japan. Sometimes taking the wrong turn ends up being a good thing :)

Edo-Tokyo Museum- Another place we wanted to visit, but didn't. No worries...now we know we have to go back to Japan!

Tokyo Zoo Net- Lists the zoos in Tokyo and directions for getting to them. Not recommended for people who expect wide open grassy plains and free-range roaming of animals. Just so you know.

Tokyo International Hostel- You can check availability online. Cheap rates. Didn't stay here, so I can't give you any more details than that.

Sakura Hostel Asakusa- We did stay here and I still recommend it. Will stay here again, especially since they have a couple of rooms that will house my whole gang.

Jalpak Tour Packages- Tour packages by rail and air.

JapaniCan- Lots of tour packages. Link will lead you to one for Tokyo to Kyoto. I really wanted to visit Kyoto, but wanted to see Hokkaido more. Hopefully, I can take the kids to Kyoto next year. They might lynch me if I don't.

Japan Rail Pass- Some good rail travel deals for foreigners. Be sure to purchase your exchange voucher in enough time that it can be shipped to you prior to your departure. I had to order mine online, but they FedEx'd them and the vouchers came in just two days. Depending on where you live, you may have a local office that is an authorized distributor (pretty much major cities only).

7-11 ATM Information- Okay, I have to say that combini like 7-11 will be your friends. You can get a good, tasty meal for a good price. Don't be afraid to buy meat dishes or sushi. It's safe to heat. The cashier will even offer to heat your meal in the microwave. You'll get hashi and oshibori to take with you. It's a deal you can't beat!

As for ATMs, I didn't use them much. I exchanged my cash at the airport and once in Akiba. It was easier to manage our budget (we were on a tight one!) by splitting physical cash into little piles for each day. I did use my VISA debit card at stores in Tokyo, but don't stake your trip on being able to use it everywhere. Have some cash on-hand. And on that note, too...NO TIPPING in Japan. Yes, it's true. NO TIPPING. Wheee!!! The only exception that I know of is your housekeeper in a ryokan. So double-check for your itinerary.

Japan National Tourism Organization- Lots of interest-specific tours and activities listed here. I think the link will take you to information on Tea Ceremonies for English Speakers. You definitely want to spend a little time on this site for info on annual events, etc.

Taito City- Information on Asakusa and Ueno.

US Department of State- Passport Information for Americans traveling abroad. You can also check the status of your passport application on the site. By the time mine had posted, it was already in my hands, though.

Tobu World Square- I would like to visit this place someday. Looks cool and there are some other interesting attractions nearby.

Tobu Railway- Did you visit the link above and want to go? Check this site for some package deals that include those other cool places I mentioned.

Ghibli Museum- If you want to visit the Ghibli Museum, do your homework first or you may not see more than the entrance. Click the link for info.

Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum- You just don't know how badly I wanted to visit one of these places. But they were too far away to fit in our itinerary. Waaa!! Invest a little time with your favorite search engine and you'll find several, including some as part of theme parks.

Japan-Guide- I used this site for some of the Hakodate trip planning. It has info for other locales, but this link will take you straight to the Hakodate page.

Well, this is far from a comprehensive guide to trip planning, but a few of these links should be helpful starting points for your own adventure. Once you arrive in Japan, be flexible. Traveling by rail takes up more of your time than you may have anticipated. And be sure to ask at your local lodging- they know all of the good places in the area, and can point you to practical locations like the grocery store and post office, too. Enjoy your trip and save some room in your suitcase for me!

From Narita to Asakusa 2

Continued from here...

We were staying at a hostel that wasn't near the ultra-convenient Yamanote line (something to consider when you make travel plans; do you mind changing trains and/or walking a bit farther? We didn't, so it worked for us.), so we had to find our connections to Asakusa. We had to go to another station first- I can't remember the name, but that's where I had my first speak-to-a-random-person experience. I will never forget her. *sniff* I asked her if this was the train to Asakusa and she said yes. Pretty hardcore Japanese usage involved there on my part, especially since I started to botch the word Asakusa and had to correct myself mid-word. But she didn't laugh at me or look at me odd or anything, so mission accomplished. Actually, she didn't look at me at all at first until she realized the person speaking to her has a goofy American accent. But she answered me and we got on the train and went to the right place, so she hadn't even tricked me! See? All those fears that people have about traveling to foreign countries are silly. Just do it!! And take me, if you're going to Japan.

So anyway, we took the train to Asakusa and then switched to the newish Tsukuba Express line to get closer to our hostel. (Or something like that. I was really tired and might have some details skewed, but we're looking at the big picture here!) We still had a 15-minute walk ahead of us, with luggage. And it started to rain. Did we care? Nope, not one bit. We were in JAPAN!!

We walked a ways and then saw a landmark that confirmed we had gone the right direction!! Woohoo! And we were getting close to the hostel! Kaminarimon, the outer gate with the big red lantern, which leads to Nakimise-dori, shopping heaven for souvenirs. The street looks like this when the shops are closed:

When the shops are open, the streets teem with life, and are filled with the delicious fragrances of food and incense wafting through the air, as well as the laughter of students visiting on school trips. It is a really great place to visit. At the end of the street (behind me as I took this photo), is the main gate to Senso-ji temple, Hozomon gate:

If you want a "perfect" postcard photo with no people, you might want to start a food fight nearby or something. This is a popular location; many people come here to show their respects and offer their prayers to Kannon. Depending on the day, you might get a little surprise that is worthy of a few photos- even the Japanese schoolgirls were giddy:

I don't pretend to know the difference between geisha and maiko, or any other related term that I haven't heard yet. But I was dumsstruck and awed by this lady's grace and beauty, nonetheless.

We moved through the temple grounds and weren't sure which way to go. A workman who was unloading crates from a van approached us and asked, "Sakura? Sakura?" "Hai!!" He then pointed and gave us what were undoubtedly excellent directions in Japanese. We were tired. Really tired. And grateful that this man spotted us and decided to help us just because. We bowed, thanked him very politely, and off we went. As for bowing, believe me, it doesn't take long to adopt that habit. I still do it here sometimes without thinking, and I was only in Japan for a week. And yes, people really do bow while talking on the phone. You will, too.

As we plodded through a small side street, we saw the most beautiful pink building in the universe. The Sakura Hostel.

I would have slept on the umbrella rack by this point. We checked in and went to our room. Because they were fully booked, we slept in a dorm for the first night. We were headed to Hokkaido for a couple of days, so it didn't bother us at all. And have I mentioned that we were tired? After our return from Hokkaido, we had a private room, which I photographed, so here it is:

Yep. Two beds, an air conditioner and a window. What else do you need, really, for 80 yen per night? We had a restroom + shower on the floor, and it was very clean and never a line for the shower, so it was great. The staff at this hostel is fantastic. They gave us lots of recommendations and directions and even helped me write a letter in hiragana.

I will leave you with one last photo from Asakusa. Remember when I said you won't miss your train? Well, I was caught up in the moment. If you're out drinking late at night and you miss the last train home, you'll have to make other arrangements for the night:

From Narita to Asakusa

If you've read from the beginning of the blog, you know we stayed in Asakusa. Before I talk about that, probably in a separate post, I want to mention our experience arriving in Japan, immigration, etc.

We made advance reservations for cell phones and purchased vouchers for JR Rail Passes in Atlanta, so we had to take care of these things at Narita Airport before taking off for Tokyo. We disembarked from the plane and entered the airport to near-silence. It was amazing and wonderful. The insanity of Atlanta-Hartsfield, followed by 12 hours of engine hum had left us tired. Not to mention the 12 hours without nicotine for me...

Honestly, I don't remember everything very clearly, but the airport was well-signed and we didn't have any problems finding where to go next. The Immigration stop was quick, easy and well...quick! No bags checked despite my maniacal organization of them back in the States. I was almost disappointed that no one would see my neatly rolled and bagged socks. Hmmpf. Once we had our bags and cleared Immigration, we went to the lobby. The information desk staff is very helpful. If you travel to Japan with limited Japanese, don't hesitate to use these services when they are available. The staff won't make fun of your Japanese and their English is typically quite good, particularly in places with high foreigner traffic.

Incidentally, learn to say this: "Oteari wa doko desu ka?" But be prepared for rapid-fire response. Look confused and the person speaking will point a lot and try better to explain. Oh, it means, "Where is the restroom?" I asked this more than anything else during our trip!

We located the JP office- hard to miss with the giant green JR Rail sign out front. Exchanging our vouchers for passes was simple. We just showed our passports, gave them the exchange vouchers and a form which I had completed in advance, but that they had available there, too, had I forgotten or not known about it. Too easy!

I then located the cell phone rental company, who had our phones and contract ready to go, including some printed usage and return instructions in English. We never really used the phones much, but wanted to have two in case we were ever separated or had an emergency. Small fee for some huge peace of mind for two women traveling in a country where we didn't know the systems or understand the language very well. I highly recommend it. If your own phone has a sim card, you can rent a phone that will accept it; this affects your rates, phone number, etc. I chose to forego this option because I was convinced I'd lose the phone and therefore the sim card, leaving my personal phone useless upon my return home. Yes, I am ridiculously paranoid.

All of the pre-business was now complete (and I'd had a couple of trips to the smoking box outside, heehee), so we were ready to go! We stopped at the JR ticket counter (a different location than the main office, but the airport is organized well for all of this trotting about), and we purchased our reserved seats for the train to Tokyo. It looked lind of like this:


The train wasn't very crowded, so seating wouldn't have been a problem without the reserved seats, but when you're that tired, you don't take chances! I think we bought tickets for the wrong train because this one had a lot of stops. When we left Tokyo for our flight home, we were on a nicer train that didn't stop. But it got us where we wanted to go, so no harm done. After about an hour, we arrived at Tokyo station. Wow. Busy, bustling, crowded, incredibly alien and exciting!!!!

Don't worry if you can't read a lot of Japanese. Quite a few signs are in English (other languages, too, but this is after all, a blog written in English...). The signs above are for shinkansen lines, so if you're planning to use them, take heart; it was very easy to do.

This is a typical turnstile thingy. You hold your ticket close to its mouth and it inhales with vicious force and sucks your ticket into its hungry maw. It doesn't seem to like the taste of tickets, though and spits it back at you as you pass through. The beast must slurp nutrients out of the ticket as it digests it or something. I don't know. An important note: If you are using a JR pass, DO NOT try to feed it to the beasty! Look to the left or right, and on one side of the row of turnstiles, you will see a nice uniformed man (sometimes a woman, but seems like it was almost always a man). He may be in an enclosed booth with a door, or at a large ticket-type window, but find him. Show him your pass and maybe your passport if you look shady (errr, that's a joke, I hope, since I had to show mine once or twice) and he will wave you through. As you become comfortable with using the trains, you will soon begin to feel superior to everyone else because you won't have to wait in line to feed your ticket to the turnstile.

The superiority will be knocked clean out of you, though, when you need to show your pass and are quietly forced to wait until all of the Japanese customers with questions have been helped. It's just the way it is, so stand to the side, smile, and wait. Anything other than that will not get you faster service. The reason for this, per my observations, is that the uniformed man doesn't know if you need to ask a question or not and wants to clear the line in case either you or he will be placed in a position where you may be embarrassed by any potential language barrier. Seriously, don't take this personally. You've probably done something similar in your own country when faced with a foreigner who doesn't speak your language, so don't get offended. Trains run constantly. You won't miss yours. I'm sure some of the "NJ Rights" folks on the internet will disagree with my summation, but again- my blog, my opinion :)

To be continued...

Booyah, Shibuya!

While we were on vacation, I started a Livejournal blog so I could post photos for my kids to see. I didn't do much with it other than posting huge blocks of photos, so I thought I'd start moving them here and actually writing a little bit about them. Good time for an introduction, since I've already posted about the trip several times! I told you I have no sense of continuity!

Shibuya. I would guess that most people who have ever seen photos of modern Japan would recognize this intersection:

It was around 0700, so traffic was light and the buildings weren't lit up yet. A perfect time for a breakfast run to Starbucks! It's on the first and second floor of that building across the intersection. Here's a view from the second floor:

Do you see the large cardboard box crossing the street? It is manned by one a group of young men who were filming what I presume was a student film. We actually ran into them again a couple of hours later in Harajuku.

Are you familiar with the legend of Hachiko?


He has a statue here at this intersection (photo coming in just a minute). The statue is a famous meeting point; reportedly, any Tokyoite knows where it is. It took us a minute to find it, so here is a high-speed, professionally designed map for your edification in case you miss the Hachiko station exit like we did and end up across the street:
Shibuya station is sort of where point #2 is. Here's some nice wall art from inside:

Point #1, during our visit in April 2009, was a train car with some advertising on it. I specify the time frame in case it's not a permanent fixture. Anyway, when we exited the station, we did so via a hallway that we discovered was a bridge over the street. So we came out near point #3, which is a Metro station entrance and was manned by the ubiquitous tissue-advertising-hander-outer-person:

Uh, this map is not according to any kind of scale, by the way. In fact, it isn't really very accurate at all. But point #4 is the building that houses the Starbucks. Point #5 is the tall, cylindrical 109 building. At least, that's where I remember it being...And that leads us back around the map to the big X. Hachiko, who sits and waits for his master's return.

What's the Deal With Pachinko?

I didn't visit any Pachinko establishments. Before I left for Japan, one of friends in Hokkaido said it was like a drug. Interesting comment, I thought, and decided that with my horrendous luck at things as simple as UFO machines, I would abstain. But curiosity will probably get the best of me on my next foray, especially after seeing lines of people waiting for places to open, like this line in Akihabara:

The line extended around the corner and most of the way down the block. If you look in the distance, you will see a small white and red sign. That's where the entrance was. What is the attraction of little silver balls zinging through a machine just to win some small novelty? If money was coming out of the machine, I might have been in this photo.

Three year-old news on the J-Blog-o-Sphere, but goofy enough to visit again:

I Have No Sense of Continuity

I tend to recall things out of order, based on trigger. I've been looking through photos from my trip to Japan and blogging as something in particular strikes me as noteworthy. Today, I have been thinking about flight. I had never flown overseas before and I wasn't very excited about it. But nothing was going to keep me from visiting Japan, so I gathered all of my courage and stepped on-board.

It wasn't that bad. Actually, it was quite nice. We flew business/first class, so really it was VERY nice. If you have the means, or a generous friend with some buddy passes (my father retired after 30 years with Delta Airlines, so that was my hook-up), I highly recommend flying this way overseas. Lots of leg room, especially for my daughter and me who are both 5'4". We had comfy blankets awaiting us, along with a nice toiletry bag with toothbrush, etc. We had a couple of nice snacks, two good meals (three-course dinner!) and excellent service. I would take that flight again without any hesitation!

Before it sounds like perfection in the sky, know that we were bumped from our original flight and had to wait 24 hours for the next one, which meant an overnight stay in Atlanta. That fiasco is a tale for another day, though. So that cut our trip short by a day. Shikata ga nai.

I took a few pictures on the plane, but the lighting was sketchy, so they didn't come out very well. But here is a photo of the meal I had on the return flight:


The thing that impressed me the most was the incredibly wonderful service, not just on the flight, but in Narita Airport. I will say, without hesitation, that when we arrived at Atlanta-Hartsfield, we were treated horribly. Airport staff yelling at people, glaring, rude. I had an overwhelming urge to turn around, get back on the plane and refuse to move. It was eye-opening, to say the least. At Narita, it was quiet, everyone was friendly and helpful, even the police who stopped us for a Keep Foreign Terrorists Out of Japan check were unfailingly polite and kind.


As our plane pushed back from the gate at Narita, the ground crew lined up, bowed, and waved to us as we pulled away. I already knew to expect that since my dad had worked at Narita a couple of times over the years, but it was such a simple and touching gesture. Laugh if you will, but I actually cried. I didn't want to leave. I wish I could take my kids to Japan and live there forever.

Harajuku, Baby!

Harajuku was on our must-visit list when we went to Japan. My 9 y/o daughter wanted me to bring her clothes from there (which I did) and my 18 y/o just wanted to go since she'd heard (? read, I mean) so much about it online. I was curious, too. We hopped on the Yamanote line one morning and zipped along to Harajuku station, pictured below:

We exited on the side that you see in the picture (obviously since that's where I took the picture from). We were on a bridge that goes over the street when I took this pic of the station.


When you get to the other side of the bridge, you keep going straight and it takes you to a nice shopping area (Omotesando, I think) with the Gap, Condomania, Uniqlo and tons of nice boutiques.

We arrived too early in the morning- the stores hadn't opened yet- but it was nice because there wasn't much foot traffic and we could meander as we pleased. We passed this clothing store that was preparing for its grand opening.

Remember that book I read- Confessions of a Yakuza? The storyteller spoke of giving floral bouquets to businesses for their grand openings; that took place about 50 years ago. I thought it was cool when I read that after having seen it. We don't really have this kind of tradition in the States.

Back to Harajuku station. If you exit from the front (the right side of the photo at the top), and then cross the street using the large crosswalk you can see in the pic, you will end up here:

Tons of great shopping, a 100 yen store, McDonald's (clean restroom downstairs), and several crepe stands. Go to the end of the street and look to the right for more shopping goodness. Just so you know, the Goth Lolita shops don't like for you to take pictures of their displays. Several other clothing shops had the same policy. So be on the lookout for signs, and it never hurts to be courteous and ask permission, especially if you are photographing a person! Incidentally, the gesture of prohibition in Japan is two index fingers crossed into an X. Didn't take long to figure that one out, but it was worth mentioning so I could feel knowledgeable about something small. :)

Random Facebook Album Cover

Yes, another Facebook game. But this one was actually fun to do. Probably because my end result was pretty cool. First, the steps to take:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More... Read More”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" and TAG the friends you want to join in. (you can untag yourself if you don't want this photo up)
OR don't tag anyone if you can't be bothered.

The results I got from each step:

1 - Lyndhurst (Jay Gould Estate), From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyndhurst, also known as Jay Gould Estate, is a Gothic Revival country house within its own 67-acre (27 ha) park beside the Hudson River, located in Tarrytown, New York approximately one-half mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge on US 9. The house was designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, and has been the home of former New York City mayor William Paulding, Jr., merchant George Merritt, and railroad tycoon Jay Gould, whose daughter Anna Gould, Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord, donated it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961. It is now open to the public.

2 -The gods too are fond of a joke.
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

3 -

Added the Parental Advisory, because it's MY make-believe band, and voila! Debuting at #1 on the charts: Lyndhurst, Fond of a Joke.

The Dogface Soldier

Earlier tonight on Twitter I threatened to record myself singing a particular tune. That song is the Dogface Soldier, official song of the Third Infantry Division. About a year ago, I wrote a class for Army Family members on the history of Fort Stewart and of the 3rd ID. It was fun to research and I discovered an old orchestral version of the rousing eye-opener that our Soldiers sing every morning. And at ceremonies. And plays when you're "on hold" with certain agencies on post. And that I hum or sing randomly throughout the day. A catchy tune :)

Here's the version that appeared in the autobiographical (is that a word?) Audie Murphy film, "To Hell and Back."



The following video was filmed at Fort Stewart, probably under what might be considered to be UNAUTHORIZED conditions. Heh heh. But it's funny and you can hear the song. You really only need to watch the first half for the song...the rest is just lots of chest pounding and spitting.



For those of you who don't understand Soldiers screeching in a gas chamber, here are the current lyrics:

I Wouldn't Give A Bean
To Be A Fancy Pants Marine
I'd Rather Be A
Dog Face Soldier Like I Am

I Wouldn't Trade My Old-O D's
For All The Navy's Dungarees
For I'm The Walking Pride
Of Uncle Sam

On Army Posters That I Read
It Says "Be All That You Can"
So They're Tearing Me Down
To Build Me Over Again

I'm Just A Dog Face Soldier
With A Rifle On My Shoulder
And I Eat Raw Meat
For Breakfast E'V'RY Day

So Feed Me Ammunition
Keep Me In Third Division
Your Dog Face Soldier's A-Okay

Good stuff :) For a little history, visit the Team Stewart web site. Dig around and you might find an article of mine in Frontline or an interview with me on The Marne Report. Don't dig too much- it's nothing spectacular!

More Love for J-List

I follow J-List on Twitter, so when I saw a tweet about some Hello Kitty sakura dishes, I cruised over to the site and bought five. Why five? Well, five people in my family and five petals to a sakura bloom. Together, they look like this:


Closer view of the design on the side of the dish:


Kawaii ne? They stack nicely for storage, too. I don't think the boys were as impressed as the girls, but the boys did like the plum blossom bowls that I bought in the same order:


Well, I always said I would never do a "Look What I Bought From Japan" blog, but it seems today I have posted just that kind of entry. Hmmm.

My Kitchen Loves Japan

I like to eat. Food is good. As I mentioned in the previous post, we eat a lot of rice, so, yeah, I have a rice cooker. I'm on my third one and actually the one we're using now was supposed to be for my eldest daughter when she moves to college next fall. We've nearly killed it, so I'll have to buy two new ones- one for her and one for me. Shikata ga nai.

This is one of my favorite appliances other than my rice cooker. It is a water heater-upper thingy that I got from the Korean market in town. The hostel in Tokyo had one and I decided I needed one at home, so I got a big one! It's great. You just fill it up with water, plug it in and *poof* Hot Water. Great for a quick cup of tea or a bowl of instant soup. Speaking of which...I wish I could find Knorr Corn Soup packets here. Grrr. I spend way too much money on shipping. Uh oh....I'm digressing again...here's the photo:

I love it so much.

I also love Bulldog Sauce. It is my favorite sauce in the universe. I just got four bottles in the mail from J-List (shameless plugs ensue- I signed up for their affiliate program, but only because I shop through them and have always gotten good service and good products, so there you go). Here's a nifty little pyramid of three bottles:


So tasty! You should try hamburg. Oishii! Click the link for an easy recipe. Treat your eyes and look around the site. Anna the Red creates some beautiful bento!!!

Bentomania

I took the kids out for dinner tonight at the local "Japanese" restaurant and ordered a bento. The food was passably good, but lacked that freshness that the food in Japan seems to have. Of course, it could be my grumpiness and desire to escape my horrible day by running off to Japan that influenced my review. *shrug*

Anyway, I got home and walked into my pantry, looked at my bento supplies and thought I'd do a pseudo-food-o post today. These are pictures of two of the shelves in my pantry. All of my small bento supplies: cutters, picks, baran, reusable cups, sauce bottles, etc. We go through tons of rice in our house, probably 25 pounds/11.5 kilos per month. And soy sauce. Lots of soy sauce :)

The two large containers on the left keep soba, chukaramen, wakame, panko and other bagged goodies. Using the big plastic bins keeps my shelves better organized. The four tall containers in the middle are full of cutters of all sizes. I buy tiny 1 or 2" cutters any time I can find them and am building a decent collection. The kids love cute, tiny sandwiches in their lunch. I have various animals, flowers, basic shapes and seasonal designs. I have hundreds of plastic picks in many many designs. The 100 yen store was like heaven to me in Tokyo. I bought a new suitcase in Japan just for bento supplies. Seriously.

See the two containers on the right, on the lower shelf? The bottom one has a drawer that pulls out. I keep individually packaged snacks in there, like chips, crackers, Pocky, etc. The kids clean it out pretty fast! The container on top has small canned drinks- perfect for the kids' lunches. The cute little container with the bright red cap is full of small jellies (like Jell-O, but good). My family loves them and I can get them easily at the local Korean market. I keep disposable hashi, a.k.a. chop sticks, on-hand, but we all have multiple pairs of reusable sets with cases.

This is a three-drawer bin on wheels that is against the wall adjacent to the pantry shelves. We keep all of the bento, reusable hashi, some of the smaller plastic containers and the insulated bags for drinks in here. A few of our lunch bags and boxes are on top (just for the photo-their normal home is in one of the three very large plastic bins on the lowest shelf of the pantry). You can't really tell from the photo, but we have about 40 bento in the drawers. Lots of Hello Kitty for my daughters (and maybe me), Totoro, shinkansen, animals, and Pikachu. They are pretty much all children-sized. I don't eat large meals, so that size is perfect for me.

Well, that's a partial tour of my pantry and a little insight into the obsessive lunacy that is me!

I Remember!

Today was an unusual day. I traveled to another location for work, about 45 minutes away. Whenever I go there, I listen to Japanese lessons since I'm alone and have no noisy distractions from the back seats. I'm listening to the newbie lessons right now, and I was surprised to find that I understood more of the dialog than I usually do. But the totally amazing thing is that I got home today and actually remembered quite a bit of the vocabulary! Woohoo!

So, if you need to know where in my house my computer is (nikai!), I can tell you! It's the little things in life that make me happiest, you know. Maybe one day I can move on to the beginner lessons :)

I only learned a few words and phrases in Japanese before I went to Tokyo. Still, we did okay. We were able to eat, find restrooms, navigate the transportation system, etc. Honestly, I just reflected on my experiences with non-English-speaking employees many years ago. We used a very simple method of single word questions/answers, lots of gestures and pointing, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating laughter. So, if anyone is postponing a trip to Japan, because they don't speak Japanese, don't. Everyone I met was very helpful and friendly, most likely because of my very earnest yet pathetic attempts to communicate using the native language. The word on the street is that Japanese friendliness is inversely proportionate to your language fluency. I hope to test that one day. But for now..."Hajimamashite. Watashi wa Kara desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

And Now For Something Fun

While cruising YouTube for the previously blogged video of a seriously disturbed young man, I came across some videos from Genki Japan. Catchy tunes to help you learn things in Japanese like numbers, colors, months, directions, etc. Some of the pronunciations are a bit different from what I heard native speakers use, but mostly just the vowel sounds- easily overcome. The important thing is grasping the concept. The repetition, images and upbeat tunes are good for retention. And the best part is the frequent repetition of the appropriate kanji to help with recognition. Most of the videos are about one minute long.

This one is my favorite: a Japanese version of the classic children's tune, Mary Had a Little Lamb. Short, colorful and cheerful. Here are some of my favorites. Click on each title to view it on YouTube.

Learn Japanese Numbers 1 to 20 ...good visual of the number system; aids memory retention.
Learn Japanese: When, Where, Who, What? etc. ...lots of repetition for one minute.
Learn Japanese for Hot, Cold, Fun, Cool & Interesting ...good, slow breakdown of individual sounds in the words.
Learn Japanese: Food & Animals "What food do you like?" ...entirely in Japanese. Ends with a little joke.
Learn Japanese: Weather in Japanese (sunny, cloudy, snowy..) easy to read furigana with each kanji.
Learn Japanese: How much? + I'll take it! in Japanese ...shows different denominations of yen.
Where are you from? Song Learn Japanese GenkiJapan.net ...pretty good. The tune stayed in my head for a while.
Learn Japanese: Left, Right, Forward, Back GenkiJapan.net ...this one is very good. Like Dance Dance Revolution for toddlers!

WOW: Disturbing

So this kids' mother canceled his World of Warcraft account and he completely freaks out. His brother was kind enough to record it and post it in YouTube:

It's pretty funny at first, but he starts to display some seriously disturbing behavior part way through the video. It really made me think about the amount of time that my kids spend playing games. It may be time to teach them what a library is.

Socialschism

Social media is making me schizophrenic. Who should I be? What should I talk about? I can't just let loose and be KARA: QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE! and voice my offensive and outrageous plans for world domination and the elimination of comma rules since random family members and business associates read some of my stuff online. And I don't want to post nothing-but-work from home because I could do that from work and get paid for it.

Oh, what a quandary. The mysteries of the 21st century reveal themselves, and we learn that the joke is on us. Social networking will doom us all! Doom us, I tell you! We will have all the information we want, instantly, and some of it may even be accurate. What will be left to wonder about?

Ooh, shiny! I just noticed at the bottom of this box I'm typing in that there's a place to enter key words for search engines and the examples are scooters, vacation, fall. Neat.

I'm Not Blogging Today

I am tired. That should be the name of my blog. But then I would feel special, as though no one else is tired at the end of the workday, and I suppose that isn't true or the pillow companies would make less money. But lately, work is just sapping me of my will to work. I haven't had any notable bad experiences; the days have been pleasant enough. I am just tired.

So instead of working through the evening as I usually do, I will kick off my shoes and curl up with my book. Poor Genji has been sitting on my nightstand for days, and must be cross with me by now. Although mentally tired, I think I can still focus. Unless a good cartoon comes on. That always does me in.

With luck, my reading glasses are in my handbag and I can read without squinting. Yes, reading glasses- my "oh, look, everyone, yes, I'm in my 40's now" apparatus. But ha! I have a Hello Kitty case for them. Take that! And my glasses are cool, too. For glasses. No offense to glasses-wearers. I also got blue contacts (non-prescription since I'm still 20/20) and boy, is that weird. Dark brown eyes my whole life and then WOO! Blue eyes. I don't wear them often because they make my vision sort of misty, but when I feel feisty, I pop them in and giggle inside as people tilt their heads and wonder what is different.



Useless fact: I had a friend a long time ago who tilted her head like a dog when she was feigning interest in what you were saying. It irritated the bejeebers out of me.

Second useless fact: I had another friend a long time ago who frequently said "useless fact" before stating something.

Things you need to know. Find them here.

Sleeping With My Eyes Open

I've learned several useful skills in life. One is sleeping with my eyes open. Practical application: meetings, classes, lengthy briefings (why aren't they ever brief?), and watching the Disney Channel on Family Night. How is that relevant to today's post? It isn't. Just thought you should know that I am a woman of many unique talents.


This is a poster I saw in Shibuya advertising services at a full-service salon. It is for the application of permanent eyelashes. Between this and double-eyelid surgery, I've decided that some Japanese are crazy. Why do they want to look more "western"? I don't understand. And why isn't there a surgery option to look more Japanese? I'd sign up for that, especially if this was the result:

Until that happens, I say no more double-eyelid surgery and no more permanent eyelashes.

Watashi wa totemo osagashii desu.

Gee, I hope that's right because I think I snarled it at everyone who walked into or called my office today. At one point, some of my officemates summoned me to the kitchen for birthday cake. I had to breathe deeply, remember my manners and go speak some pleasant words of appreciation before wishing (that they would all turn into crickets) and blowing out my candles. Now, it wasn't really all that bad. I was pleasantly surprised by the cake and I do enjoy being the center of attention. But I was so ridiculously busy today. Someone has leaked the secret that I am a "go-to" person. The notoriety is nice, but the workload is becoming a bit overwhelming. Working last Saturday was really brilliant on my part. With no phones ringling* or well-meaning visitors, I was able to accomplish several days' worth of work and get a head start on this week. I suppose I could explain what I do for a living so you don't think I playtest video games and that I should be tarred and feathered for fussing about my job.

I am a spy.

That would be SO cool if it was true. Actually, I work for the US Army, but they don't let me shoot guns or blow things up. Rather selfish of them, I think. Instead, I have an arsenal of e-mail addresses and phone numbers that I use to fight the common enemy of strictly formatted reports and documents, and the occasional errant news story. My office handles resident disputes in the housing areas on our installation, along with a variety of other "quality of life" concerns for Soldiers and their Families. (Mmmm. That capitalization is a direct by-product of Army standards. Bear with me. It took a long time to stop writing "neighbour" and "armour," habits I picked up to impress my British-born boyfriend many years ago. An affectation much like Midge's horrid accent that she used to sway the dapper Mr. Ritchie way back when.)

Working for the Army is weird for me. I have been a peace-sign-toting-hippie-type for most of my life and now I work for The MAN. I tell myself that I'm deep undercover. The truth is, I absolutely love what I do. The structure, the rank, the levels of respect and courtesy, all appeal to me way down deep inside my tiny stone of a heart. And I suppose some of those things are why Japan and the Japanese people appeal to me so much, as well. I'd give you a full psychoanalysis, but that would be boring and take away from the fun of just listening to me ramble incoherently.

One of the most entertaining parts of my job is working with our local Public Affairs Office. I get to write for the newspaper and develop story and feature ideas for our television station. Public Relations really is my calling, second only to Sitting in Front of the Computer All Day, but no one is issuing any type of certification in that yet. One can only hope.

*"ringling" was a typographical error, but I like the circus allusion, so it stays!

Speaking of Yakuza

I really should be in bed, but my last post reminded me of a Japanese drama that I watched recently: My Boss, My Hero. It has 10 episodes and I watched them all in one weekend. It was really funny. Now I see there is a Korean movie of the same story. I wonder which came first? I'll have to watch the movie sometime to see if it's as good as the series.

Here's the synopsis of the show:

Sakaki "Tornado" Makio (Nagase Tomoya) is a tough 27-year-old high school drop-out. By academic standards, he's pretty dumb. His father decides to force Makio to return to high school to receive his diploma and he asks an old friend who happens to be the principal (Iwaki Koichi) of a nearby school to admit Makio. If Makio doesn't graduate, the position of boss will be given to his younger brother Mikio (Kikawada Masaya).

Furthermore, he must pose as a 17-year-old during school hours and in the presence of any classmates or teachers outside of school. If his cover is blown, it would be the end of his high school career as well as his hopes to become boss. Things start out rough and tough as Makio's violent temper is tested. As the lessons and days go by he learns there is much more to school than just tests and studying.

The Boss/Hero is a big fan of pudding. I had pudding from the combini several times in Tokyo and watching him eat his made me want some. The closest I can get here in my little town is flan. Pretty close, but not quite as light. So I went hunting for a recipe online and I'll have to try it out. Still, I wish I could walk into a 7-11 here and get some.

Happy Birthday to Me

Well, it's almost midnight, so I'm wishing myself a Happy Birthday (tanjoubi omedetou in Japanese). Technically, it isn't my birthday for another twelve hours or so, with time zone differences, but who's counting? I'm 41 now, not a bad age to be, I don't think. In my melodramatic youth, I never expected to live past 20.

No exciting plans for the day- just work and maybe dinner out with the kids. I have a ceremony to manage on Tuesday morning, so I'll be fine tuning all the details and making sure it goes well. Sometime during the day, maybe I'll take a glance at my Kanji workbook.

Speaking of books and Japanese, I've been reading The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari). It is frequently recognized as the first novel. It is a story of court life, but so far it is a whole lot of playa drama! Pretty entertaining, but I'm only about a fourth of the way in, so I hope we get some war or something pretty soon. If the whole book is about the protaganist's wooing of the girlies, I might not finish it.

I took a break and read Confessions of a Yakuza. It was a very quick read, pleasant conversational style. The gentleman's 'territory' was in Asakusa and the book had a line drawing of the street that leads to Senso-ji temple. According to the storyteller, the street was lined with shops, as it definitely is today.

With any luck, I'll get to see it again this year (and take some better photos!). I'd like to go back to Japan in October, by myself, no kiddies with me. I'm afraid I'd return home to a total uprising since they all want to go, too!!

Learning Japanese

So I was cleaning my closet and listening to lessons from JapanesePod101 (see handy affiliate link in the sidebar). Pretty good stuff. You can listen to a conversation in Japanese at normal speaking speed, then they repeat it a little slower and then they give you line-by-line translation into English. The instructors then give an explanation of vocabulary, grammar points, context and politeness level. They have different plans that you can purchase and you can sign up for their podcast in iTunes, etc. They usually have a 7-day free trial, too (If you sign up for that, you will get LOTS of e-mail that week in an attempt to recruit you.) Honestly, though, the rates are fairly reasonable and you get lots of tools to use, including Kanji lists and self-tests.

I'm not much of an auditory learner- my mind wanders a lot- so I also make it a point to read the lesson notes. My retention rate is pretty bad right now, but I keep plugging away at it waiting for that little light bulb to go off accompanied by a nice *ding!*. I'm just too distracted by work and personal issues to dig in and really study, but if I keep listening to the lessons, at least I feel like I haven't abandoned all hope of learning Japanese.

Photo from here.

One thing that really irks me with all of the Japanese lessons that I've read and/or listened to is how they explain the differences between Japanese and English, especially in regard to politeness levels. It is common to hear that politeness levels are uniquely Japanese, but that just isn't true. There is no way whatsoever that I would speak the same to my boss as I would to my friends. The language is completely different. If I walked up to my boss and said, "Hey, dude, you gonna eat that?", I think he'd smack me. So while our verb conjugation may not alter much, our language certainly does.

Oops- kids are saying they're so hungry, so that's it for now! Matta ne!