Disney Welcome Party!
02 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
Today was intense, but magic. No Disney pun intended. It started off with a delicious Japanese style breakfast at home and meeting the group in downtown Mishima which is some ways from our home. Our entire morning was spent at the Mishima Fire Department, at which yes: finally! there was a Dispatch Center! I was so giddy I couldn’t stand it. The tour itself was super detailed, and their operation was impressive. It seems Fire Departments (being in charge of Search and Rescue and major emergency and disaster response) are also the warehouses for emergency supplies in case of typhoon, earthquake or other major event anywhere in Japan and are expected to respond. The Dispatch Center, as it turns out, is a type of satellite dispatch center. They receive calls from the main 1-1-9 center and then dispatch them, but don’t actually take calls from the public. To see the system work, I was allowed to essentially prank call the downtown 1-1-9 center and create a call. The technology was surprising in various ways. My host father, who was with us for the morning, decided to make an appointment for me to see the main 1-1-9 center, and it looks like I’ll be going Thursday. Yay!
Lunch was a sushi restaurant!!! A huge conveyor belt carried tons of sushi past your table and you could also order from the chef. After spilling a plate of slippery scallops on myself, I recovered and focused on the large menu. My host father and translator were at our table and basically ordered for us (bummer!). The sushi kept coming. We had two kinds of eel, yellowtail tuna, creamy tuna, cooked salmon with sauce… but I think the most challenging was ‘kanimiso’, otherwise known as crab brains. It was a pasty greenish goo over rice, but generally not hard to get down. Also something I won’t be actively seeking in the States. Windy and I were impressed by the corn and eggplant sushi, along with many other kinds we had never seen on the menu, but didn’t get to try them.
The beautiful blue-sky afternoon was spent out in the countryside at a Japanese inn, where the girls were whisked off to be dressed in Kimono. The obi was covered in a separate skirt-like garment, a type of dress worn specifically for university graduations. Craig meanwhile practiced secretly in another room at the Koto, a traditional Japanese instrument. When we came out, me in a bright orange and green kimono, and after a lengthy lengthy photo session, we went to another room where we were amazed at Craig’s new skills and then listened to long mournful songs by professional players that put us in a trance. Sitting on my knees in a kimono set my legs painfully tingling but my eyes open and awake: ouch! There was time enough for “as fast as you can” onsen in another nearby hotel. This one was small and steamy, with pretty rocks as tiles and aloe vera floating in the water. But my hands smelled suspiciously of chlorine later….hmm… was this really spring water?
Well, they warned me it was coming: my family’s Disney welcome party at Yamaguchi’s office down the street from our house. Being in a room filled with ten-year-old’s is hard enough when you know what they’re saying! Actually they were sweethearts. First off, Yamaguchi’s office is really a kid’s paradise. There are rooms filled with Disney decorations, fun signs and colorful statues. What looks like a bookcase is a secret staircase to an upstairs loft with a fake store filled with foam foods (very fun!) and a music studio for his older sons.
And he had it all set up for the party. Kids gave me presents right off (while Disney princess music played) including a multi-colored pen and tiny book. They all wrote their names in romaji (English letters), and katakana (Japanese but with English sounds) and then the name games began until I learned them all. Difficult! But they were so cute and spoke slowly and were patient with my trying to get everything right. Then we played pass the Jack-o-lantern (yes, there is Halloween here! everywhere!) until the music stops. If you got caught with the pumpkin you had to either stand up and introduce yourself in English (apparently super embarrassing), make a face at the group, or perform a talent. Then we played hide and seek in a small room where it was extremely easy to find everyone, but they were thrilled. The ‘oni’ (monster) had to count to ten. The hiders, had to call out when they had hid, so the monster knew it was ok to start looking, but you could run around after shouting so the monster couldn’t follow your voice. The monster had to call the name of the person they had found (I think this step was inserted for me). After I had properly learned all names I was instructed that I could then call everyone by their nicknames, and was taught those too!! Airi and her two friends snuck off with pom-poms for all of this, and I was bummed she wasn’t playing with us.
Dinner, as far as I could tell was a kids’ food paradise. Yamaguchi made a speech about my being there, they applauded and we had a big kanpai. Let’s see: there was pizza, french fries, a sushi platter, a plate of everything fried, tako-yaki (those octopus balls, very popular), tai-yaki (fish shaped pancakes with sweet stuff) and a plate that had stuff that looked like hot dog buns stuffed with chow mein, and garlic bread with salmon. The kids kindly served me and showed me how to eat each thing, what to eat with soy sauce etc. Mizuki, stayed by my side and spoke slowly and smiled. She always wanted a hug — who says hugging in Japan isn’t a custom??
Turns out Airi wasn’t being aloof. She was arranging a dance performance!!! She hid, building the tension, and then emerged with her friends in pink cheerleading costumes shaking pom poms. They did a full routine to an Avril Lavigne song blasting from the speakers and her dad had brought out the smoke machine for effect. Her brother had come from Tokyo for the party, a really shy guy but nice and helpful with English. In fact, many people were there and Yamaguchi-san made caramel corn from a traditional cart and gave big bags to the kids upon leaving. So much fun! What a night… But a long one!!!
GSE Day 17
01 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
Forgot to mention that my host runs a parking garage near Mishima Station. He had been a reporter-photographer for the big Tokyo newspaper for forty years and is now President of Mishima Rotary club. Spouse , Setsuko, is in Soroptimists. Mishima RC has about 52 members and 6 of those are women. Met the family dog, Amigo, a very friendly black lab who is not allowed in the house now that he is adult. But, he helps Yamaoka san clean the garage in the mornings.
Family Matters
01 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
This morning we met our new families briefly before starting our day. My family is not another Furuya family, my host father’s name is Yamaguchi, which means “mountain” and “mouse”, just like the last town I lived in Yamanashi meant “mountain” and “not any”… I suppose that means it is located in the valley.
We went to a gorgeous city park in downtown Mishima, bubbling up with clear Fuji spring water that pours into the greater river. A myriad of huge trees line the paths of this 400-year-old park. There’s an animal sanctuary and a chrysanthemum festival going on. We finally saw the elusive red lesser panda, a cross between a raccoon and bear that can stand up like a human.
After a lunch of tsukemen (cold ramen noodles you dip in sauce, and real Japanese gyoza dumplings!) we tried to go to a paper company but we were all so exhausted with food coma, and my feet hurt so bad in high heels after our long walk in the park and around town and over a river… I could barely handle it. Jerry says I didn’t make it out of the parking lot before I was out like a light. And before I knew it, we were at the mall for coffee at Tully’s and free time shopping that was bound to wake us up. I went to the bookstore and spent my giftcard, won earlier at bowling, for baby books that should help me learn to read better. Then I went to a huge arcade called Sega World and ended when my sore feet gave out at the Sanrio type store for girls.
Yamaguchi-san and his sweeter than sugar 10-year-daughter Airi was waiting for me at the designated pick-up hotel lobby. She shyly introduced herself in English, and slid behind her dad’s arm to hide before we jumped in the car. Dad doesn’t speak a lot of English, but between the three of us we did well. I can tell my Japanese is improving, although grammar’s out the window and I usually throw out key words and smile, hoping I’ll be understood. The family home is near the ocean, and practically next door to the emperor’s summer home. The sun had just gone down when we passed, but it was extremely impressive in the dark. I’m bummed to know I’m minutes away from the clearest scuba diving in Japan, but I didn’t pack my diving card because I considered it too precious to potentially lose, and had no clue I’d have an opportunity to go diving.
I just love how so much of Japanese culture centers around the family. At my last house, the whole family gathered around the kotatsu table because it was the warmest spot in the house. Children and grandparents are the center of attention, and everyone is so kind to each other. I haven’t met a single married couple here that doesn’t seem to thoroughly enjoy each other’s company, and who aren’t infinitely proud of their spouses and children. Even bathing is a family affair. Showering and actual cleaning occur outside the tub, and the perfectly clear tub water is used for soaking at a customizable temperature, one person after the other, same water. As the guest, I’ve gone first. But the family takes turns afterwards and it’s so cute to see each person emerge, all refreshed and bright-eyed, to tell the next person “Your turn!”. We ate tsukiyaki tonight, because I said I hadn’t tried it, and Mom seemed to eat less and serve more. It was a lot like shabu shabu ingredients in a big hot dish in the middle of the table, with the cooked items taken out and dipped in egg before beating noisily munched down. I loved it! Rice was made again from the resulting flavors left in the pan.
The Yamaguchi house was unlike any other. We’ve got two puppy mini poodles that run and jump all over the house, sweet Airi helping her mother serve everything, the obaasan (grandma) talking a mile a minute and repeating over and over, do I understand her Japanese? (which by the way, is all I can understand) and her sister who lives next door, who bowed to me from the ground and their 18-year-old son who set up my internet connection God bless him. The children are all (there are three) named after Yamaguchi’s favorite samurai who was assassinated at age 33 for the sake of his country, but I don’t have the full story yet. It’s a circus of love and happiness. They have a computer on the dining room table they are apparently keeping open to a translation site so we can type to each other the things we don’t know how to say.
It’s a family obsessed with Disney, and we have already watched a promotional video on Tokyo Disney, which looks ABSOLUTELY AMAZING by the way. So tomorrow night we are having a Disney party for Airu and all her friends, down the street at Yamaguchi-san’s office which he has decorated like mini-Disney. And the rest of the week is set up for me, after asking what I’d like to do and eat. Sounds like a full week. They have accepted me so easily so far and I’m so happy here already….
Halloween in Japan!
01 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
The whole group had been looking forward to Halloween because it had been labeled ‘Free Time’ on our schedule; the only day like that. But the day before we’d been approached by our host Rotarians. Yamakura-san said we ought to join them for the day, that they’d be happy to take us around. And after all! There was bad weather from the typhoon and our hotel was in a ‘boring part of town’.
Sounded like a good deal since we weren’t leaving until 1pm, and we’d be back by 4pm. I was up early, enjoying skyping and drew myself a bath that became bright green with the hotel’s bath salts, wearing a masque made of paper that dried to my face. All very relaxing until it became obvious someone was trying to get ahold of me. Phone calls and knocks at my door, I realized something was up. Well, the tour was leaving early and I had to get ready pronto and be down in the lobby. Jillian has a cold (I wonder where she might have picked that up, oops!) so she declined to go with us, but later made plans to take the bullet train back to our original city of Shizuoka and hang out until that night.
Good thing I got the message from the group, because we went straight to a pizza restaurant where we ate three Japanese style pizzas and three plates of delicious pasta. Coffee too, which is very expensive here at about $5 a cup in a restaurant. Then we went to the aquarium down the peninsula and saw all manners of sea life including a dolphin and sea lion show. I think the best part was the 1000-pound walrus doing tricks, and the ‘feeding platform’ where we were able to sneak down, lean over the water and put our hands out and the dolphins would just jump up and touch our hands. Such wonderful creatures.
Afterwards, all we knew was that we were going to a ‘castle’ but had no idea it was a trek over the mountains to get there. In another town, Odawara, we checked out the huge castle surrounded by moats and various huge gates. The castle keep itself was a museum filled with artifacts and samurai armor and weapons. We got there just before closing time. We were going to be well past 4pm (so much for costume shopping and trick-or-treating!) and we still had dinner to go.
Dinner back in Mishima was Shabu Shabu! Kelp-flavored water boiling that veggies and meat get swirled in for a quick cook. The beef is fatty and soft and eventually a delicious broth forms in the water. At the end of many, many plates of beef (thanks to Craig packing away a lot of it haha) they added rice to the broth, green onion, and raw scrambled eggs. It made a type of risotto called ojiya (moon and cloud rice) which rivaled the delicious Shabu Shabu that proceeded it. Someone caught a glimpse of the huge bill, and we were reminded of the hospitality we are shown each and every day we are here.
Chaga Missed!
30 Oct 2010 1 Comment
Nothing happened. Typhoon swung out to sea and we didn’t really notice anything but some wind and rain. One of the larger islands out there was hit pretty hard, and the news is showing some major mudslides and flooding. By now, the storm is way out there, hopefully no longer bothering anyone.
Typhoon City
30 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
Today breakfast was a hot dog bun filled with egg salad… I think It was good! It was a tough one leaving the Furuya II’s house. I teared up as all the families lined up to wave goodbye. It was mainly a travel day up to Mishima, a city on the coast of Shizuoka prefecture… and directly in the path on an oncoming typhoon. Wahoo! We have free time, but it seems we’ll be in the hotel for the rest of the night. In an hour the worst of the typhoon should hit but the news is showing the storm moving slightly out to sea. Hope so! Nonetheless the group walked to a nearby 711 and grabbed bento boxes for dinner, just in case. I also have a bottle of wine and a jar of canned peaches as rations courtesy of the Furuya’s and I’m determined to put them down tonight (they’re heavy!).
Speaking of that, I packed a box yesterday at the Furuya’s of gifts and Rotary flags that I couldn’t keep lugging with me. It was a small box (for a rice cooker) that Hiromi-san had around the house, but it still cost a pretty penny to send it back to California, and I had to choose to ship it by sea — it will take 1 month!
At lunch we met a very nice British girl named Hannah who was our interpreter and very helpful. She was a missionary who met a Chinese man here, married and now teaches English to small children. We had a big welcome lunch that included a speciality, a boiling tea kettle with matsutake mushroom broth inside. You poured it slowly into a tiny dish with a lime and enjoyed the aroma. No actual mushroom though; they are ridiculously expensive ($100 for ONE). They were amazed that these mushrooms grow in our woods in California for FREE.
One of the skirts we bought’s seam is coming undone, so I had a buy a new one while I work on handstitching it. And I was given an umbrella to keep me dry. It seems I was unprepared for full-on winter storms and clothing malfunction!
Last day in Kofu/Yamanashi
30 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
Another jam-packed day that left my head spinning. Early start to drop me off to the hotel. Two museums in the morning: one about the history of the area with some wonderful English narration that we’d sorely missed at some of our other destinations. Then an art museum that highlighted Jean Francois Millet’s work. I remember ‘The Sower’ from playing FreeRice.com with Jeff at work!! Art museums are so tiring; thinking about and considering every painting, photograph or craft… scrutinizing is very hard work!
For lunch, we had ‘hotto’ a regional speciality. These thick noodles are in a rich broth with various other ingredients. Craig got the original kind with pork, Jillian and Windy got theirs with pumpkin (more like acorn squash) and Jerry and I got ours with mushrooms, although there were bear and turtle meat options.
The best part of the day was going to the canyon out of town. There was a cool walking trail past waterfalls and granite and many shops that sold huge rocks and crystals, even a medicinal rock shop (I think the Furuya’s had these rocks in their water jugs and bathtub!) - I wanted some! But no way can I keep traveling 2 weeks with rocks. It was so pretty. But even with Infinite Zoom pictures weren’t doing that place justice. It was just too big. Exercise was nice!
We went bowling afterward, and I was paired with a very talented Rotarian and his son…. needless to say, I bowled a clean 85 each game. Immediately from there, we went to a Korean BBQ house where we grilled meats we couldn’t immediately recognize and dipped them into great sauce, not to mention feasted on huge boiling pots of shabu shabu. Good times! I stayed up as late as I could manage with Hiromi and Masumi but knew it was an early day ahead….
Police and Family Day :)
29 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
After the long crazy day, Thursday was meant to be Independent Study with your family, and mine had set up a visit to the police department. I was so excited. First was breakfast and some horrifying dental problem that was not meant to be watched while eating. Then the news came on in every language, which was a lot of fun actually. 10 minutes of French, 10 of Spanish, 10 of Arabic… and on it goes. A typhoon is coming. And the world series was on at 8am. I caught that much.
We went to the bank and then to laundry. Laundromats are cheap here too but you do zero work and your clothes come back pressed and folded. Wahoo! The bank was interesting (had to change those dollars in my wallet). You’re called up to the desk, and just like everywhere else, they serve you tea! Just to get some yen. What a deal! Driving with Mom is hilarious because we listen to the language learning radio station. Sometimes it’s “Learn Russian” time, but it’s definitely focused on English. One example conversation was, “Whoa! Mia, your costume is fantastic!” in unrealistic cartoon voices. “Yeah,” she whimpers back, “but one of my ears is loose. Can you fix it?” This morning it was nursery rhymes like Hey Diddle Diddle. We came back home and my Host Dad was there, hoping to take us out to lunch before the police station. I’d mentioned I’d never had tonkatsu before so they took me to a specialty restaurant. The part I liked best was being served sesame seeds in a grooved bowl that you use a pestle to grind. As it makes a paste, you choose the consistency and later add rich katsu sauce. Tonkatsu is breaded pork. Sounds boring which is why I don’t order it in the States, but wow! It’s crazy good, moist and perfectly done meat and served with wonderful sides.
So I had just enough time to get into a dress for the police station. Craig and Jerry came along. I won’t go into everything I learned there on the blog, but I spent the better part of the afternoon transcribing my notes. I met a really nice female officer who helped translate, and had a great question-and-answer session with the Chief. He was really impressed with some of the things we do differently in the States. We toured the station, and two officers upstairs showed us some hand-to-hand tactics. They are all trained in judo, kendo and a third form of martial arts reserved specifically for the police. We saw the radios, patrol cars, detention facility… everything but the dispatch center which is apparently, always, across town. I’m beginning to wonder if these mysterious dispatchers of theirs even exist! I will find a way to find them… I vow it.
When we came home, we found grandparents there! Perfect timing. How funny. I introduced myself as Bri, which isn’t as confusing as Brianne which is pronounced “Brian” according to my name badge, but Bri is pronounced “boo-ree” and my family adds “chan” which means kid. Grandma didn’t hear “boo-ree” but “pudding”. To save face for my unfortunate name, she declared, “Well that’s not that bad of a name… Pudding is delicious.” The whole family laughed…”No! Not pudding!!!” At the table, over tea and cake, she kept talking hoping I would understand. Some of her questions were so blunt. Did I know any big people? And weird. Out of nowhere, she asked me, “How tall is your mother?” They didn’t stay long; Mom tried to explain something about Grandpa wanting to drink beer. We looked through family photos of their many travels and I saw the dolls for March’s girls dolls festival. The original ones passed down to Mom were unfortunately destroyed in the old house (not by the typhoon, but by rats). They gave me a gift of beautiful ceramics and jewelry for my mother.
Next they took me grocery shopping. It was my last dinner with them because tomorrow night is another Rotary meeting and presentation at night. So Mom strolled through quizzing me on what I’d eaten and what I hadn’t, picking up new foods to try and choosing items I said I liked. The result was a variety of yakitori both salted and with sweet soy sauce, yaki tori (pancake shaped like a fish) filled with red bean and custard, sushi fillings (shrimp, octopus, squid, and tuna) that doubled as sashimi as well, natto (fermented, basically soy beans gone bad) – AND – a huge pizza, with shrimp and basil. Uncle and niece came over and we sat at the kotatsu, which looks like a low table but your legs dangle underneath where a heater keeps you warm, and a built in blanket skirts the table and makes you cozy. We munched, drank beer (why couldn’t grandpa have waited a little longer?) and I tried to make sense of the TV. We watched the Japanese baseball draft, but it was more dramatic than anything: 20 minute reenactment of each player’s tragic lives were played before they revealed which team drafted them, and they always had to read a letter to their mom afterwards and everybody cried. One player survived a childhood brain tumor,another’s father who taught him to love baseball died tragically young… It was pretty heavy, but the meal was delightful and my chopsticks skills and politeness were remarked on again. Yay! Doing something right I guess!
Longest Day Ever…
29 Oct 2010 1 Comment
deserves the shortest blog:
Meet the Mayor, shake hands. Stand there, smile. Goodbye! Drive to Fruit Museum, go through as fast as possible. Snap snap, photograph. Famous house, tea ceremony. Sip sip, gulp. Feed the ducks. Snap snap, smile big, photograph. Go! Rotary meeting. Star Spangled Banner. Ground beef patties: chew chew. Get up, present. Applaud, snap snap. You’re on camera. Say goodbye. Van. One winery, taste. Swirl, sniff, sip. Mmm. Up you go, out you are. Quick tour, back to the van. Wine cave. Saw it, back to van. Zoom across town. Wine cellar. Saw it, back to van. Return to town. Another mayor. Snap, snap… you’re not done. Stand over there. Say “cheezu”. Back to van. Up to vista. Too cold. Snap snap, anyway. Van. Another Rotary meeting. Bento. Chew gulp, sip more wine. Whoa. Present. Applaud. Remain standing. Say Goodbye. Goodnight!