middle school rock
Originally I was supposed to go to Tokyo this weekend but that didn't happen when I was informed earlier in the week that I was had to be at Nichu on Sunday for their cultural festival. Later on in the week it was decided that I got to visit Ojimachu as well on Sunday, so I was getting to visit my two favorite schools despite having to cancel plans for Tokyo. Plus this meant to got to hang back and go out with Melissa, Emily, Kogen, and Masaki on Friday night. Let's just say it was a time for venting a little about the week's frustration with our respective Boards of Education's (BOE) and language programs. Melissa and I decided that we should pre-party at my apartment before going out to the bar. It was an interesting idea, to say the least, since after a bottle of champagne, a bottle of red wine, and half a bottle of white wine we decided to go meet everyone else at the bar. Before I prayed to the porcelain god in my apartment, we at least got some special gin and tonic shots made, the bar we went do didn't have shots but liked the foreigners. The following day was definitely some McDonald's to calm the stomach after some heavy drinking the night before and then lots of rest.
Sunday morning rolled around and I waltzed right into Ojimachu bright and early. Did I mention it was cold? Because it was freezing in there!!! I was really glad I decided to wear a long sleeve shirt that day, instead of my usual polo. Since the schools don't have central heating in the gym they had this huge rotating heater, which was very nice to stand in front of, that was supposed to heat the entire gym. Needless to say it didn't but as people moved around more I stopped feeling like a human icicle. After the opening ceremonies I was shown around the school to the various rooms with arts and crafts that the students made. Things like painted rocks, wooden boxes, and homemade books were just some of the highlights.
Once I had finished parading around all the craft rooms, it was back downstairs to see what else was happening. Turns out they had this "store" where people had donated unused goods and people were able to buy them for dirt cheap. I only bought a cup and a towel for about $2. Afterwards they started the performance portion of the program, which is when the kids could go on stage in organized groups to play, sing, or dance anything. The ninnensei (8th grade) boys did a dance from to a J-pop (Japanese pop culture) boy band, which wasn't too bad. Then the sannensei (9th grader) girls did a band performance that was a little rough around the edges. After it was the sannensei boys turn to do some Japanese rock songs. They were actually pretty good for 13 year olds and I even knew a couple of the songs. On top of that they had all the students on their feet cheering them on and singing along.
Following the student performances there was game time. This was the point in which all the teachers, including myself thanks to a last minute email from my parents, had their baby pictures projected onto the screen and the students had to guess who it was. It was great because it actually took the students a few guesses before one of them finally figured out it was me. Can you tell? It is hard to believe I was actually cute once I know but that picture was taken at my grandparents house with our old dog Sadie. Anyway, once that was finished the farmers started to sell all their fruits, vegetables, and rice for dirt cheap again. I bought some apples and it was a good thing I did because next was lunch and they forgot to tell me that I was supposed to bring my own. Oh and during lunch time the students were allowed to get up in front of everyone and say whatever they wanted to, I am sure it was humorous but, let's be honest, I had no clue what they were saying.
My post-lunch plans involved going to Nichu, my base school, to watch their choral contest. We don't have things like this in the States, every homeroom class has to perform a song in front of everyone. Someone, if anyone at all, has to play the piano and be the conductor. I got there just in time for the start and watched them all. Mighty impressive for a bunch of junior high schoolers. One of my JTE's (Japanese Teacher of English) homeroom won which was exciting because I knew most of them. The only downfall to the whole thing was, once again, I couldn't really understand the song but at least I could tell if they sounded good. Once the winner was announced that was the end of the festival and of course an enkai followed. This wasn't just any enkai though, the parents came this time as well. Talk about awkward... At least after the first round or so they opened up and everyone started talking, even to me. I definitely had to use my Japanese a lot but I was surprised at some of the parents that decided to talk to me in English, it was great. The night ended earlier than usual which was nice for a change, especially since I had to work the next day. Oh well, the weekend was worth it.
ice cream binge
So the temperature in Niigata is really starting to drop, we are down to the 50's. I know that right now it is as cold, if not colder, back in Minnesota. However they don't believe in central heat here so when it is 50 outside, it is 50 inside as well. For a modernized country they sure believe in making life miserable for people. Anyway, what is the logical thing to do when it starts to get cold out? Eat more ice cream, specifically Haagen Dazs. After Gavin left I actually went to the Sanjo hospital with one of my English teachers to figure out what was going on with my stomach. Apparently it was some kind of stomach bacteria because I was given a weeks worth of antibiotics to finish. On top of that I was given a diet of food and drink that I should have and avoid. The avoid list consisted of pure fruit juice and milk. Then on the indulge list was water, yogurt, and expensive ice cream. There is Japanese logic for you, don't have milk but eat a bunch of dairy products that are derived from milk. Oh well I cannot complain because my stomach sickness has completely vanished. That is also what started my Haagen Dazs binge. They only come in these little cups for around 240 yen ($2) but it is oh so good. I have tried the following flavors: green tea, strawberry, cookies and cream, apple pie, and classic chocolate. The best part about it is that they are all as equally amazing as the next! Hopefully my ice cream binging will halt once the snow comes in but for now I still make daily visits to 7eleven.
One last note, in case you were wondering, I have had to invest in both an electric blanket and a halogen space heater. Both have proven to be wise investments so far as I have already started to use them. Later on in the month the kerosene and electric heaters will be busted out for use in the apartment as well. Don't you wish you were in Niigata?
gavinator round 2
So after some great times in Sanjo we headed to the big city. What is a stay in Japan if you don't go around Tokyo, the largest city in the world, for a while? We stayed at the Andon Ryokan (Japanese style inn) that was catered a bit to foreigners but still very Japanese. It was only a couple subway stops away from Ueno, which is one of the major areas of Tokyo. The only major bummer, other than me still being sick, was that it was raining the majority of the time we were there. We just bought some umbrellas and made the best of a rainy Tokyo.
The first place I took him was to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building to get a view of the city but the rain took care of the view which turned out to be nothing more than a 100 feet in front of us. Instead we headed to Roppongi Hills which is a new elaborate upper class shopping area with some amazing architecture, shops, and restaurants. After grabbing a bit to eat we took a ride on the Marunouchi Line and got off at Korakuen, which is home to an amusement park, mall, and the Tokyo Dome (which happens to be modeled after the Metrodome). Afterwards we took a "ten minute" walk to Bunkyo Gakuin University, by ten minutes I really mean more like 20 minutes because my guess was really off. Of course while we were here I needed to visit the old stopping grounds. Anyway once we got there I gave Gavin the tour of the university that I studied at for four months of my life. However a lot of the small campus had changed since a portion of it had been under construction while we studied there. Another noticeable change, besides the buildings, was that there were boys roaming campus. When my abroad group there, we were the first men enrolled at Bunkyo, which at the time, was an all women's college. Then we visited the dorm to hang out with Nichole before heading out to dinner.
That night we actually met up with both my cousin Nichole and Gavin's friend from orientation a couple of summers ago. We met up at the Shibuya crosswalk, which is actually the most photographed spot in Tokyo. We met at Shibuya station near Hachiko, which is a statue of a famous dog. Everyday this man and his dog walk to Shibuya station where the man left his dog so he could head to work. Then in the afternoon the dog would come back to the station and vigilantly wait for his master to return so that they could walk home together. One day the man had a heart attack on the way back from work and never made it back to Hachiko at Shibuya station. The dog waited for its master until it died, hence the permanent statue. Anyway we decided to get some sukiyaki (Japanese stew) that night in the heart of Shibuya. It was at a place called MoMo Paradise which was all you can eat for an hour and a half. There was great food and good company. That night was also Gavin's debut into the world of sake (rice wine) but sadly he didn't really take to it.
The next day we got up and headed to the only place that Gavin requested to see the whole time he was in Japan, the Imperial Palace. Well it was actually just the Imperial Palace grounds since the actual castle is not open to the public except on the current Emperor's birthday, which is December 23rd, and New Years Day. Anyway there were some fantastic views despite the wind and rain. After we went to the famous Tokyo station, which is one of Tokyo's busiest stations and the brick building was built back in Meiji Period (1868-1912). We couldn't stay near the Imperial Palace too long because there was still plenty more to do.
Next we went to Asakusa, a great flea market in Tokyo with hundreds of vendors. It was quite amusing to watch Gavin in action shopping because he kind of has a difficult time making up his mind sometimes. Since I had seen most of it before all I could do was make suggestions and let him do his thing. I didn't really mind cause I needed to get some ideas for Christmas presents anyway. About an hour into it there was this huge mob and neither of us could figure out why. It turns out Steven Seagal was wandering through the stalls with some TV show. It was quite amusing because he is really tall, probably around 6'5", and just made the Japanese people look even shorter than they already were. Then we headed back to the ryokan to put our feet up before that night's festivities.
After a long day of walking we actually headed back to the ryokan to enjoy the hot tub after a long couple days of walking. Once we finished out an hour in the spa we got ready for a night out on the town. Our destination was the Park Hyatt Hotel in which there is a bar the 52nd floor, supposedly great drinks to go along with a spectacular view. We made it to the hotel and even took the elevator up to the 42nd floor at which point we got out to ask for directions to the bar we wanted have a couple of drinks at. I ask the receptionist and she responds by giving me all the directions to the bar and finishes off by telling me that I won't make the dress code. What did I do this time? Apparently sandals are not enough for upper class bars. I think I am just not meant for high society, first Hong Kong and now Tokyo!?! A little defeated we headed back towards Shinjuku, which is a hot spot for night life in Tokyo. Of course we headed to the only gay district in Tokyo, even though it is quite small. Once we were there we tried out a few different bars that had quite different atmospheres Advocates, Arty Farty, and Dragon. Having to get up early the next day and catch the subway before it shut down we called it an early night and headed back to pack and hit the hay.
The following day we got up early to back and check out of our room. We had some time to burn before Gavin left so we revisited Asakusa to finish up Gavin's last minute shopping and visit the temple. Then we went to sushi-go-round where Gavin tried a few kinds sushi but we didn't really have much because we had just eaten recently but that didn't stop us from trying. Afterwards we went to Ueno park, one of the largest parks in Tokyo, to take a paddle boat ride around the pond for an hour. Then we headed back to grab our bags and head out to the airport. It was a great week having Gavin out here! Thankfully the goodbye was not as tear filled as the last since I will be home in less than two months for Christmas. Still I miss him but there is plenty for him to do back home between the fraternity, Most Holy Trinity, and classes. Thanks for coming out here Gavin, it is a week I will not soon forget.
gavinator round 1
That's right Gavin came to Japan! It was his first time out of the States and I was definitely glad to be the one to show him around! I ended up taking the bus for the first time to Tokyo which was great because it was like 3000 yen cheaper than the shinkansen but a few hours had to be added to the time it take to get there. That was ok thought because Gavin didn't come in until 2:30pm or so I thought. I took my time getting there only to find out that Gavin had arrived an hour early! So there I was standing around waiting for him to come through the customs gates when he surprised me from behind. Being away from someone for three months really does make you miss them and seeing him again took my breath away. It is the first time in my life that someone has traveled across an ocean to see me, it was a great feeling. So we took the limited express train back to Tokyo, Ueno to be more specific, and then caught the shinkansen back to Tsubame-Sanjo. I tried my best to keep Gavin awake to avoid jet lag but in the end I let him doze on the shinkansen, it is a two hour ride after all. That night we made some spaghetti and called it an early night.
The next day we had to get up early because Gavin came to work with me at Nichu that morning. Fridays are nice here because I only have a half day. We ended up only having one class but it was fun having Gavin give a self introduction and playing jeopardy. We headed back to my place and took a nap. I forgot to mention that I was sick the whole time Gavin was here, something I ate in Hong Kong I guess, so add that on top of our love for sleep and that equals lots of sleep. Anyway tried to salvage the day so we left for Mount Yahiko, which is the local mountain and shrine. We took the ropeway up the mountain which was basically because I couldn't find the road to the top. It was worth it though. The view was amazing!
That night I started in on having Gavin try Japanese food so we started with okonomiyaki, a Japanese vegetable pancake. We went to a place called Monja, one of my favorites. The best part about this place is you make your own food and you sit at the grill. Gavin was impressed by it and wanted to bring it back to the States but I guess it will have to stay here for the time being. At these restaurants being able to use chopsticks is pretty important but let's just say at this point he hadn't mastered them so we had to ask for a fork. It was hilarious when they came back with a little kids fork so that is what Gavin ate with for the night. To top it all off we had a chocolate crepe which was absolutely delicious.
Despite Gavin not knowing how to use chopsticks before coming, he sure picked it up quick! In fact the very next day we went to a famous ramen restaurant, named Komadori, and he was determined to learn how to use them. First I used an old trick that I think my grandparents taught me, fold up a napkin and use a rubber band to keep it wedged between the chopsticks. That way someone, in this case Gavin, can just pinch the ends of the chopsticks and it will grab food. Screw that! After 5 minutes with the beginner chopsticks Gavin started to use the normal ones and we couldn't even tell. Way to go Gavin! Everyone was impressed since it's not easy to master chopsticking, if you ever try it you'll know what I am talking about.
Before getting lunch we had actually met up with Emily, Melissa, and Kate to visit the Maki Winery. It was raining in Sanjo but not in Maki so the view was beautiful. There is actually grass at this place, you would be surprised and how rare grass is in Japan, and it has a fountain and great little restaurants to wander through. For some reason the winery was being difficult with us and it seemed like we couldn't eat, drink or sit anywhere that we wanted to. In the end, we decided to do some wine testing since all else had failed, but of course we had to do it standing up. Despite all of that we enjoyed the testing where we got a small glass of wine for 100 yen, a little less than $1. Great wine with no food was interesting but thankfully Komadori wasn't far away.
The last night we were in Sanjo we met up with a few people for dinner and later more people joined us for drinks. For dinner we went to a place called Tonkatsu Sanjo which oddly enough serves tonkatsu, also known as breaded pork steak. After a good meal we headed to the Sanjo bar district called Honjikoji and a bar called Banana Boat. Great name but the reason we usually go there is because large groups can easy get in, it's not the busiest place. Plus all the uncovered particle board and the unusual decor doesn't exactly attract the masses but the drink specials are good. Sadly, we couldn't do nomihodai (all you can drink) because it was a Saturday but that didn't stop us from drinking. After some socializing and a few drinks it was decided that we should just nomihodai at karaoke.
Off to Manekineko (lucky kitty) Karaoke we went. It started off a bit slow but after everyone got in the room and had their drinks in hand things went a bit smoother. At one point any song put in took around an hour to be played. Things like that don't really matter when people are drunk and singing in a small room with friends. It was great to have Gavin there though because he can actually sing. Not that everyone else can't but I am personally a little rough around the edges in terms of singing. Eventually we headed home and took the Sunday to catch up on sleep and finish watching the first season of Nip Tuck, which I highly recommend. The rest of Gavin's trip is to be continued...
bubble lifting
It feels like I am constantly getting behind on blogging on here but once my life settles down I will get back into it. Time to tell you about the amazing time in Hong Kong with my two partners in crime, Melissa and Emily. There is so much to say without making this into a novel so bear with me if this gets a little lengthy. First of all Melissa and I took the shinkansen (bullet train) from Tsubame-Sanjo to Tokyo and decided that some drinking was in order, surprise surprise. So we finish off all the cans of chuhai and realize that we don't have a bottle opener for all our beer. When we get to Tokyo Station we stop in a store for a bottle opener and find some Sam Adams. Well of course we had to buy a couple of them too. Let's just say the trip to Narita Airport was a lot less stressful than it should of been for two people that were arriving one and a half hours before their flight. We got their so late, in fact, that cutting the line in front of hundreds of people was necessary, and by hundreds I mean millions! However all the cutting paid off because we got to the gate to meet Emily with time to slam another mug of beer before boarding the plane.
We landed in Hong Kong after a delayed take off and decided to take the bus to our hotel. Although direct, the bus is not the way to go when you are the last stop on the route. We finally rolled into bed at the hotel around 1 in the morning. Not like it mattered much in the end because we decided to sleep in a bit the next morning, which was glorious. The next day we decided to be a tourists and take the Peak Tram to get an awesome view of Hong Kong. Not before grabbing some lunch in an very upscale shopping mall called Pacific Place. Once at the top and taking the in view we decided to get some well deserved ice cream at Hagen Daas. It may have been a bit pricey at almost $50 for two scoops of ice cream but it was well worth it. Keep in mind that they were Hong Kong dollars in which seven are worth about one US dollar, give or take a few cents. Later we returned to the fancy shopping mall to grab some Starbucks before trying to grab some afternoon drinks. Little did we know that white teeny boppers would be there in full force with mini skirts, high heels, and too much make-up talking about how "Starbucks is over theeeere." It was annoying and unwanted especially since we were in the heart of Hong Kong.
Continuing on our journey we were in search of a bar called the Shangri La which was supposedly on the 28th floor of the hotel directly above the Pacific Place mall. It was our designated location for a great view of the sunset and some vacation cocktails. We get to the 28th floor and start wandering around for this bar. Then this lady comes up to us, since we were obviously confused foreigners, and asks what we are looking for. Only to inform us that the bar the Lonely Planet suggested was closed two years earlier, talk about misinformed. So we head back down the elevator, or bubble lift if you will, to find another location for our night on the town. On our way down this pretentious lady gets in part way down. She was in her robe and apparently on her way to the spa so in our uncomfortable moment Melissa says, "What time are we meeting Dad for drinks tonight?" Emily is about to explode and I am equally surprised but somehow manage to say, "Not until seven so we have time." Then Emily mentions, "Good because I need to change." I naturally reply, "Definitely, we can't look like this because Dad is entertaining the bankers tonight." Once the lady leaves the elevator we just about die of laughter, as you can see below, and this obviously became the joke of the trip and just kept on elaborating as the vacation progressed. Needless to say it was mostly busted out when we were in somewhat uncomfortable high class situations. At least we made ourselves feel less awkward by continuing our story about having the same Dad with different Moms.
Next is was off to another place we had heard of called the Peninsula Hotel with has a bar on one of the top floors. Another high class place that has a dress code and who didn't make it? That's right, this guy! Don't wear shorts to a fancy bar, they don't like that. Defeated we head to TGIFridays to take advantage of happy hour. Normally I would yell at myself for eating at a restaurant from home in a foreign country but we were hungry and needed some beer. It was put to me this way, we are on vacation and should do whatever we want. We wanted happy hour and some food we knew would be good. Anyway, had a few drinks and some appetizers and went back to our room to change. This time we head to the Sky Bar in the Sheraton which basically had the same view as the Peninsula but with a cooler ambiance. So great view and vacation cocktails can't ask for more. Starting to feel good we head to a Martini Bar for some more fun drinks. Let's just say we were a bit liquored up so we went to an Italian restaurant for some personal sized pizzas and some more drinks that we couldn't finish. Afterwards we came back to get ready for bed and made goofy pictures in the mirror. What a night!
Sunday was definitely another sleep in day, at least for me and Emily. Melissa got up at some ungodly hour in the morning but at least she brought us some chocolate muffins for breakfast. That day we went shopping again because Emily needed a dress for an upcoming wedding. Melissa and I got some stuff too at this crazy store where the workers pretend to be helpful but really they just throw clothes at you and then pretend that they are taking it up to the counter for you. They had some fun clothes and we all actually ended up getting some stuff for that night but it was an adventure to say the least. Ice cream was again on the agenda since we saw a Ben and Jerry's stand while we were walking around, anyone noticing a trend? Anyway we got back to hotel to get all dressed up for the Peninsula and again had too much fun taking pictures.
Before we went out for drinks we decided to grab some dinner at this little underground Malaysian restaurant. We had beef skewers, coconut chicken, noodles with peanut sauce, fried rice, and a bottle of white wine. A great dinner to start off the night and then we were off to the Peninsula to finally get into the bar. We take the elevator up and get in!!! It was so exciting... Until we saw the bar which was this tiny area that had the shades down. Not only could we not see the great view but it was cramped with campy people that just wanted to look high class. Just when we were about to get a drink Melissa was like, "let's get outta here" so we left. Good thing we did because across the street were some more hotels with bars on the bay. The InterContinental Hotel is where we ended up for drinks that night and the view was gorgeous. It was on the first floor but there was nothing obstructing our view of the harbor. We just got to have some great vacation cocktails and talk about how lucky we were to be traveling the world and have great friends to do it with.
We got back and being slightly buzzed decided to have one last model shot to send the Zima Asia representatives. It was a shot that even Ching Chong Wow (our fathers new Hong Kong fling) would be proud of. The next morning we were up at 5 in the morning to get to the airport and this time we had plenty of time. Once there we grabbed some Burger King, as if we could have eaten more food from home, and hopped the airplane. We parted ways in Tokyo and had a long shinkansen (bullet train) ride home to Sanjo. It was nice to finally get back to my apartment and get ready for Gavin to get here. There is nothing like a quick three day vacation with some good friends to give life a new twist and another stamp in the passport. I can't wait to travel with the two of them again, we had a great time just being ridiculous and enjoying Hong Kong.
quality cousin time
Nichole came last weekend! I was so excited to have some one from home visit, especially the family. Even though I was running a little behind, I managed to make it to the shinkansen station just in time to catch her getting off the train. That night we went to the famous tonkatsu place in Sanjo for dinner. Afterwards we hit up the movie theater and the original plan was to see the Fantastic Four that night but it turned out that there wasn't a late showing for that so we saw Cinderella Man instead. It really wasn't too much of a disappointment because we got to the Fantastic Four on Sunday so it all worked out. Oh and for all those disbelievers out there about that movie, it was fantastic.
Saturday we slept in until noon, NOON, and it was glorious. Neither one of us could remember the last time that we slept that late. Then it was a great lazy afternoon of watching movies and bumming around the apartment until dinner time. Melissa and Kate met up with us for dinner so afterwards we could go to a birthday party together. That night was a birthday party for Kogen, Emily's boyfriend, who just turned the ripe old age of 30, although I guessed 25. There was plenty of drinking at Banana Boat, including zima but that is an entirely different story, and after the candles were blown out on an amazing chocolate cake we headed to karaoke. Now obviously the first rule of karaoke in Japan is to be drunk and the second rule would be to stay drunk. With that in mind we keep drinking and singing the night away at karaoke.
After the crazy night we woke up to go get some hung over McDonald's, which by the way was amazing, and then headed back to my place to get ready for the day. Then it was time to hit up Saty, the local department store, where we did our fun little pelicula (little sticker pictures) and played the taiko drum game in the arcade. We tried to find Nichole a souviener but, lets face it, Sanjo isn't exactly a tourist destination. Once the Fantastic Four was done we called it an early night because Nichole's train to Tokyo left the shinkansen station at 7:00 am. It was a great weekend with the cousin! We had plenty of time for family gossip and just generally to relax. I am excited to see her in Tokyo soon, hopefully in a couple weekends.
