Language experiment!

I have been studying Japanese very seriously now for the last year. The first six months or so of our time in Japan was consumed with learning how to function in a foreign country, teach a new set of students, and everything else. Also, there were a variety of ways to study: different textbooks, classes, tutors, etc. It took awhile to figure out what worked for me.

I finally settled on Rosetta Stone, a computer based, immersion system. Both Joan and I find it effective, fun, and addictive. And along with the audio tracks to listen to while running or gardening, as well as a Iphone/Itouch flash card program to be able to review the material anywhere and anytime, it seems a perfect combination. We feel like we are learning boatloads.

However, all this formal Japanese makes me sound like a mentally disabled grandmother... "The cat is watching the fish." "They are reading a book in the library." And if someone tries to talk to me about something else besides what time the train arrives, I'm screwed.

So, I decided to take the plunge last night. There is a tiny izakaya (bar) up the road from us that we have been to a few times, a real hole in the wall. It is probably no more than 20 feet long, six feet wide, and has maybe 10 seats. They have always seemed friendly and entertained by the foreigner. My plan is to make it a weekly visit to drink a little sake or shochu and have to communicate in "real" Japanese for an hour or two.

Well, it was 110% of what I hoped it would be! Two of the locals made a spot for me between them and quickly poured me a drink from their own bottle. Within moments, I was struggling to explain who I was, where I come from, and what I do. Thank goodness for the photos on the Itouch! I quickly turned the tables and started asking them questions, which of course generated answers that I struggled to understand.

Hiryoki, an insurance company office worker, adopted me and made sure that my glass was never empty and that I was involved in the flow of conversation.

It helped that that woman working part time behind the bar spoke passable English, Spanish, and French, so she was able to help me out a little. If we didn't know the word in one language, we'd just through it in from another language, mid-sentence. My brain hurt, but it felt soooo good!

And this morning my brain hurts, as well as my stomach. Why? Because I learned that I should not drink shochu (Japanese rice "vodka") with Japanese business men at their pace. It'll kill me....

Hiryoki invited me to come back next Monday and drink with him. I'm going, but I swear I'm not going to drink as much shochu this time...

Pass the sunblock, please!

While at K's House hostel in the Fuji 5 Lakes area, we saw a poster for one of their sister hostels in Hakuba, about 44 miles west of Nagano. It is located in the Japan Alps and looked like a good jumping off spot for hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing. With more vacation time to use up, we decided on another little mini-vacation. A friend of ours is coming in September and wants to do some hut-to-hut trekking in the Japan Alps, so it seemed a perfect excuse to do some "research," as we call it.

The night before, we had extremely strong winds which made the windows rattle and the building shudder. It also played havoc with the train system, shutting down and delaying almost all the train lines in Tokyo. Normally, everything runs like clockwork - it is an issue of national pride, I believe. This happened last year when a typhoon hit the city dead center; everything shut down. After living in Japan for awhile, it sort of feels like the end of the world. The electronic signs don't give any information or times about the next train. Everyone just stands worriedly on the platform, waiting for the next train. In the photo, everything is supposed to be green colored!

Well, we missed our bus. Luckily, the helpful bus station clerk in Shinjuku helped us figure out a way to get to Hakuba with only a loss of three hours, not the eight hours we thought it would be. After passing through Nagano, the road slowly climbed up into the mountains. The light rain turned to heavy snow, and soon we were deposited at a bus stop at the foot of the mountains. With sandals on (C'mon! It was warm and sunny in Tokyo) and iphone in hand, I led Joan up the narrow roads to K's House. The area really reminded us of Lake Tahoe or any other skiing tourism community: the same small hotels, cafes and gear shops tucked in the trees.

As per usual, K's House was fantastic, and the staff were super-helpful! The style/design of all the K's Houses is a sort of Ikea meets traditional Japanese; it makes for a very relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. After we settled in, I quizzed the staff about things to do and places to go. Luck was with us as the weather the next day was supposed to be perfect. So, we decided to go big!

The next morning, we got up early and took a train, bus, gondola, and finally a rope way" (cable car) to Tsugaike National Park at 2,000 meters about sea level. It had snowed about 30 centimeters the night before, which added to the already waist-deep powder on top of who knows how much snow.

We had rented snowshoes and poles at the bottom of the gondola, which we strapped on and headed out into the bright, sunny valley with mountains all around us. There were a good number of people with the same idea, primarily skiers and snowboarders, who planned on climbing to the tops of nearby peaks above the park and then carving down through the fresh, untouched snow.

Throughout the day, we would hear whoops and yells from above and quickly look up. Soon we would see a black dot that turned into an ecstatic, gravity powered, snow rider. By the end of the day, almost all the high slopes were covered with snaky lines of tracks.

We had a map, but there were no trails, so we just followed some ealier snowshoers for a few hours. After awhile, we struck out on our own, forging through the deep powder. We quickly realized, from the burning sensation in our thighs, that it was better to stay on the more established trails. However, one highlight of our wandering in the woods and drifts was a white show hare that magically appeared from nowhere and took off across the snow in a classic dash. We backtracked him and found the door to his snug little house under the branches of a low pine.

As the day wore on, it became warmer and even sunnier! Ah, the sun! It was great, until we realized we didn't have any sunblock/screen. Well, let's just say that we got more than a little sunburned. In fact, we got fried: "Yaki-Bailey" in Japanese.

However, we both agreed it was worth it. It was Joan's first time snowshoeing, and it was fantastic. Throughout the day, she kept declaring that we were "definitely going to have to buy snowshoes."

Over 10 hours later with a reverse repeat of transportation, we finally made it back to K's House, exhausted and parboiled. A quick dinner led to drooping eyes which led to bed by 9:00 pm. We want to do it again but with better preparation. We are also looking forward to returning for the trekking this summer!

If you want to see all the photos, click here.

Fuji 5 Lakes trip

From certain places in our neighborhood, we can see Fuji-san in the distance. Even far away, he is a breath-catching site. On clear days, after a rain has washed the haze from the sky, we run to the tallest building in Musashisakai, the nine-floor "Swing" building, and take the elevator to the top to say hello.

In one of the many redesigns of Tokyo after fires and earthquakes, the streets were laid out to enhance the view of Mt. Fuji. It makes one realize that, before all the buildings began increasing in height, Mt. Fuji was an ever-watching "kami" (Shinto deity), looming over everyone and everything.

At the foot of Mt. Fuji are the Fuji Five lakes - "Fujigoko" - a popular destination for day trippers and hikers. Many of our visitors have asked about it and whether it is was worth a trip. So, to answer that question, we decided to take a short trip there while I still have vacation. We stayed at K's House Backpacker hostel, a chain in most big cities. We stayed last year at the K's in Kyoto with my mother and really liked their operation.

An easy highway bus trip got us to Kawakguchiko in about 1.5 hours, with lots of time to rent bikes from K's and ride around the lake and part of another. It was a great way to see the area, and the views of the mountain were fantastic.

That night we had "hou-tou" udon (a soupy dish with vegetables and meat), with the thick, wide noodles that make it a specialty in the Yamanashi prefecture. Our farmer friends had recommended we try it, and, as usual, they were right!

The next day we went for a seven-hour hike to the top of Mitsu-toge, a nearby peak with great views of Fuji (covered in clouds) and Lake Kawaguchi. Joan suffered mightily, still sore from the six-hour broccoli planting marathon on Sunday before! The uphill was long and gradual, following the ridge through forests and open meadows. The downhill portion was short, steep, and snowy, eventually dropping into a deep valley with a small stream that got larger and larger. We thought the finale of the trip was to be the waterfalls at the bottom. While they were fairly impressive, we were completely surprised and stunned by the Sengen shrine that we stumbled upon.

Among the buildings of the shrine, massive, and I mean MASSIVE, cedar trees disappeared up into their own greenery. With late afternoon sun and a quiet stillness, it was one of the most enchanting places we have found so far.

That night, we went to the onsen next door to soothe our muscles and then had "hou-tou" udon, again!

The trip was really a recon trip for future excursions and to find out details about climbing Mt. Fuji, something we hope to do this September. I can finally now say that we have been there, and we highly recommend it...

The full photo album for the trip can be seen HERE.

Back in the saddle again - the food saddle, that is!

After reacquainting ourselves with all the lovely food of Midwest America, we are back to our food adventures in Tokyo.

A recent article in the New York Times about ramen, the famous Japanese noodle/soup, recently got our taste buds quivering. It profiles some of the best and most interesting ramen shops in Tokyo, as well as exploring the whole culture of ramen. We have already found some ramen treasures out there, especially the yuzu ramen that Joan wrote about earlier.

We tracked down the closest ramen oasis and made plans to bicycle there to meet Peter, a fellow teacher who lives near the shop. Ivan Ramen was opened three years ago by a New York city chef who had made Japan his home and decided to take on an interesting challenge: could a "gaijin" (foreigner) make ramen good enough to win over natives who consider it a key element of their culture?

Well, after a 45-minute bike ride, the line of 20 people waiting outside the small shop on a sunny Saturday afternoon seemed to answer that question. As we waited for customers to duck into the shop, slurp their big bowls of noodles, and quickly clear the stool seats for the next hungry person, Ivan, himself, came out to say hello. Fluent in Japanese, he greeted everyone and thanked them for their patience. Switching over to English, he eagerly told us his story of how he ended up with a tiny noodle shop on a back street in Tokyo. He also guided us through the menu and made some recommendations. The smell filling the small alley made us salivate.

We finally ducked through the curtained doorway and took our seats, eager to order and get to work.

After a flurry of finger pointing at the menu and "Hai. Hai," one of the five busy guys behind the counter called out our order.

Soon, we received our bowls of goodness. As a change from my normal choice of traditional soupy ramen, I ordered Spicy Red Chilli Men, with a smaller volume of oily sauce on top of sautéed tomatoes and eggplant with a piece of grilled pork.

Joan does not care as much for soupy ramen, so she ordered hers "tsukemen" style, with the noodles served separately (hot or cold) to be dunked in a dish of dipping sauce. She ordered hot, rye-flour noodles that came with a creamy, spicy chilli-sesame sauce.

Wow. Let's just say we'll take you there when you come for a visit. That's all you need to know about how good it was.

And to finish it all off, Ivan followed us out of his shop and stood on the sidewalk with us for over 20 minutes, telling us all about his ramen adventures, especially becoming a TV celebrity on"ramen game shows."

We will definitely be back to try his other offerings, both traditional and not. We are also making plans to try out some of the other shops profiled in the NYT article, especially Basanova on the west side of Shibuya. Their green curry ramen sounds delicious but inconceivable!

Thank goodness for elastic waistbands!

So, it's been about four full days of eating now. I am a little apprehensive to step on the scales. Maybe later today after a run...

This is the first real meal we had on Friday for lunch: baked fish with mushroom soup sauce, baked beans with bacon, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes. Please ignore all the cheese and crackers that were consumed in the late morning, plus all the homemade cookies that call to us in our sleep.

Things are good so far on our reunion tour here in Wisconsin. We have seen most of Joan's family up here in Portage and have plans to see more.

We got together with our old Madison group of friends at Karen and Thor's house. Pat Burke and family did not make a photo op for some reason. We had lovely cheese and snacks and lots of good Wisconsin beer (New Glarus, especially!)

Joan's college roommate, Laura Gillis, drove down from Green Bay to meet up with another college roomie, Michelle Gigot.

Mike Doughtery and new bride, Rocio, are back from Guatemala, and it was muy bueno to see them!

Last but not least was Clarence Olsen and his wife, Louise. Clarence was the Scout Master of the troop where I was Assistant Scout Master back in 99-00.

The Eagles Have Landed!

Well, after a 23-hour door to door trip, we have made it to Joan's mother's house. The flight from Tokyo to Dallas/Ft. Worth went well, as did the puddle jumper to Madison. It was interesting to observe the change in the mix of people as the trip progressed. In our area, it is fairly rare to see a foreigner (who we don't already know). At Narita airport, it was still most Japanese but with a healthy international mix. At our gate, it became much more American with a lot of military folks flying home from all over Asia. Then Dallas - wow. Texas is something else: lots of cowboy boots with hair, fur, skin, and scale still attached. It is always strange to come back to one's country after being away for awhile.

Dorothy met us at the airport, along with some Madison friends, Karen and Thor. While it has been almost 11 months, it really doesn't feel like we have been gone that long. It is weird: it feels like both a long time and a short time. Dorothy had driven down our Honda Fit, so we loaded up and hit the road. I was a little concerned about driving since Japan drives on the "wrong" side, but since I don't drive in Japan, it came right back.

Dorothy has already been feeding us way too much! In less that 24 hours, I feel like I have already gained weight... The seemingly endless supply of homemade cookies is not helping things. I have been looking forward to some good beer; however, there was only a classic in the fridge!

Gooby, our cat, looks good and seems to at least tolerate our affections, if not actually remember us. She slept with us last night, and that was great!

We will keep you posted as to where we will be when!

Mata ne! (See you later!)

Winter Break 2010

On New Year's day, we took the "juhachi kippu" trains all the way to Osaka to visit our friends, Seth and Haruna, in Osaka. It was a long train ride, but we saw Mt. Fuji and some places covered with snow.

Osaka is a bustling, working town and feels quite different from Tokyo: perhaps Atlanta compared to New York? We had a really interesting time walking around and getting a feel for the city. There was not enough time to see much, and we plan on returning again for a longer visit. One highlight was going to "taishi engeki" (大衆演劇), returning translated as "theater of/for the masses." It was a very strange experience and best explained by the link to the wikipedia page. The best part was the little old lady who came up to the stage during solo performances and tucked 10,000 yen ($100) bills in the belts of kimonoes. Between 20,000 and 60,000 a pop, she tucked over $3,000 worth of tips that night!

Here is a link to the youtube video of the Osaka portion of the trip: Osaka 2010

We also went to a shrine near Nara in the Kyoto area that is famous for it connection to the year of the tiger (in this case, 2010). Haruna was born in a year of the tiger, so we, along with thousands of other people, went there to pay our respects and wish for health, wealth and wisdom.

Here is a link to the youtube video of that outing: Visit to Tiger shrine.

To finish off the trip, we decided to go WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). It is an excellent way to meet people in a non-touristy way, especially if you like farming! In exchange for six hours of work, you get a place to sleep and three meals.

Since Joan is a farming junkie and writes about it, it seemed a perfect match. We found an organic tomato farm on Shikoku island, south of Osaka and arranged to stay for six days.

A five-hour bus ride got us to the island (on the bridge, we passed over the world famous Naruto whirlpools - very impressive boat eating sized whirlpools) and finally to Ikumi, a famous surfing town on the Pacific coast of Shikoku, the fourth largest island in Japan.

To read more about our WWOOOFing experience, you can read Joan's post on her blog: Farming Holiday: WWOOFing in Japan

There is also a youtube video slide show: WWOOFing in Winter!