and now....

MC Hammer has a blog . yoshi~

For Those of You Unfamiliar with the Pleasures of Sushi

How to Eat Sushi

The Truth About Sushi

check out these videos, they are sure to please....

おいしいそうだね！ doesn't this look delicious??

Last night, I got a surprise visit around midnight from my friend Takahito. He brought me this sushi that he made for me as a gift. Doesn't it look fabulous...too bad, it is sitting in my fridge until I get home this afternoon to eat it for dinner. (Well actually I have already devoured one of each for a succulent breakfast...it is melt in your mouth, sushi wonderfullness...

if you are ever in town, I will have to take you to his sushi restaraunt, he trained in and specializes in delicate japanese cuisine that is drawn out over a long relaxing meal....the place has no menu, it is always omakase, chef's choice, so you are at his mercy (and the mercy of his father and mother who also are there socializing and running the business- don't be surprised if you are handed a plethora of random treats i.e. cookies, mikans (tangerines), sake, wine) you not only will get the treat of delicious sushi made as you chat, him forming the rice in his hands and cutting up the fish, slapping it all together, and then setting it in front of you on the counter that they have cleaned off....but you can have martini glasses full of delicacies such as ikura (salmon roe)...which to be honest I can only take so much of (and not a martini glass full)....or seared tuna with wasabi...or salmon with pumpkin sauce...or mussel soup.... the food (when served) has yet to dissappoint...that and he is one of the friendliest men I have met in Japan, when Tiff and I were going through pre-HongKong missing item trauma, he was the one who helped us out by calling the police and rounding up information....even though he can't speak English, he is a joyous person who is always generous.

this photo must be credited to Tiffany, it is from a dinner we had at sushi yoshi a while back- oishisoune!

.....great friends are so important in life...and surrounding yourself by true genuine people is even more important...I am so lucky to have those luxuries in my life...this delicious surprise topped off a rockin' weekend I spent with Tiff dancing our butts off, socializing our hearts out, having stimulating conversation, enjoying each others company, and discussing the true important things in life.... (that and we missed liz a lot too, hoping for her safe return)...

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Suess

so true. so true.

Got a New Keitai

So I got a new keitai...cell phone...mobile...whatever you want to call it...and it has a ton of great features...like a 3.2 MP camera with amazing lens/antishake etc...but it is proving to be less than Eigo-friendly...so I may change it...I will know by tommorrow..then I will tell you all about it!!

Weekend Becomes Eclectic

This past weekend, was a lot of fun. I got to get to know new people, I got to see people I don't always see, and I got to celebrate at a matsuri with a large wooden phallus. Who could ask for more? It was also one of those weekends that was only half-assed planned. We knew we wanted a good time on Friday, but it wasn't until Thursday and Friday afternoon that our plans got underway. Friday was definitely one of the most random nights I have had in a while.

...has nothing to do with story, but it kind of goes with it..

On Friday, we started at Nest meeting up with a guy I had met a few weeks earlier, Junichi, (I also had since forgotten about him until a drunken conversation the night before inspired me to mail him) So since it was his day off, he wanted to meet, but he wanted to bring friends (which was ok by me) but not ok by the girls since they both were pre-occupied with other people and they were worried he was going to bring the friends they had met when we met...groups colliding choto abundai ne? (a little dangerous, huh?) But after a series of emails, in which I tried to get him to ditch his friends all while trying to not make the meeting sound like a date or a gokon, finally I gave up and told the girls to suck it up, he is coming with his friends...truly the more the merrier.

So Tiff and I met at Nest, got a beer and waited... there were a couple of tables there already, one was a big group of people and one of a couple men. To be honest it was one of those times when I didn't really remember what he looked like to know if it would have been him, but they looked like they had been there a while, and he had mentioned that like me he was gonna be a bit late.

While we were sitting there a couple people came in, this one dude all nice and sexy in a suit with a bright smile. Then this other guy with dreads, who was sporting a men's kimono and those rope sandals and dirty hands, that were falling apart. Every time someone came in there was an air of anticipation, Tiff even commented on the guy in the kimono "check out the guy in the sandals and trench coat"

So finally my phone rings... I missed the call but it was him... I called him back, told him I was at Nest and asked where he was... he said he was there... well obviously I didn't see him or have it click at this point, and Tiff and I being the only gaijin in the place stuck out like a sore thumb, so he knew who he was meeting, but I was a little clueless... turns out that he was waiting outside...so I waved him on in, told him we were all meeting here at Nest to start drinking..

Tiff and I were at the bar, so we moved over to a table, because his friend was coming and so were Liz and her friend she had met in Osaka the week before. As we sat down I was surprised when his friend turned out to be "that guy in sandals and a trench coat". his name was Reichi, or just Re. We all took a big swig of our beers, nervously laughing at the situation that was unfolding.

Liz showed up with her friend, Kimihiro...who do to my lack of ability to remember names, I dubbed Osaka-chan for the night...he said he was cool with it...Osaka-chan was a little more conservative looking than the other boys, just one of those "good boy" looking guys. There was a moment when Re was introducing himself that Kimihiro couldn't catch his name. The boys, in order to explain his name started rambling off the Japanese alphabet...going "Ra,Ri, Ru, "Re" which made us a little uneasy about how this group dynamic would turn out, but it turned out alright.

as we sat there drinking, the final friend of Junichi showed up, Takaya. Liz, Tiff, and I all had that moment of "hmmm maybe we know you from somewhere", and he informed us all he had held lengthy conversations with all three of us before, at Nova (go figure). turns out he is the break dancer we see in there some times...

you should have seen the faces of our friends at Nest when they saw the collection of people we had assembled... the sight was priceless...
around the table we have me, Takaya a hip-hop breakdancer with hyper-active-energy that's through the roof, Re the dreadlocked kimono clad hippy, Junichi another ball of energy with wild frizzy hair, Kimihiro the conservative cute boy from Osaka, Liz and then Tiff both looking hot as usual.

We had a few beers, which really loosened everyone up you know. The laughter and conversation was in full flow, on everyone's parts (I think everyone got a chance to get to know each other a bit). Junichi, Re, and Takaya kept going on how cool it was to be so internationalized.

After we all got to know each other at Nest, we moved on to an izakaya. At the izakaya we kampaied and ordered food.

I tried shirako for the first time... this is the kanji for shirako 白子 the first kanji 白 means white while the second kanji 子 means children...so "white children"...another hint, it comes from a fish.....before you read on think about that for a second, what type of food could this be???

Shirako meaning white children is milt.... still clueless??

Main Entry: milt : noun: the sperm-containing fluid of a male fish

I had fugu (the dreaded deadly blowfish) shirako. So basically I ate a blow fish's sperm sack. Now, this is a pretty normal food over here in Japan. So the shirako really wasn't all that bad. I had heard it was completely awful. Maybe it was the beer that helped me out, but i had seconds and then thirds. I will say I don't think it is something I would crave or order on my own. The taste isn't what makes it crazy it is the texture... you break through the soft skin and the sperm explodes in your mouth, and then as you chew the consistency of the liquid turns chalky like...then you finally have it were you can swallow. It definitely is a bit odd, but I am glad I had the experience.

So while we were at the izakaya Tiff's friend, Hase, showed up. He is a bit older than the rest of us, but not much older (35ish maybe) and he owns a ramen shop in a town about an hour and a half away. I felt kind of bad, he shows up to this eclectic ensemble of people, and we were all already drunk. But he was a good sport about it all. The boys also had another friend show up, he was one of those bling bling open white shirts blonde guys. I didn't really get to talk to him too much, but what I gathered is that they were all old friends and it had been a while since Re had seen everyone. Good times. All in all the evening was great.. Tif went home early. And Liz and I dragged everyone else to Nova for a party that turned out to be a bunch of highschoolers celebrating graduation, we definitely weren't the oldest in the club, but definitely the only teachers. Liz retired home so she could go boarding the next day (but that didn't happen because they missed the train- Osaka-chan came all the way from Osaka to go boarding...ha!) But Junichi, Re, Takaya, blonde hair guy, and I stayed and danced for a long time...I honestly have never seen a funnier site than a dreaded man in a kimono breaking it down.. I retired home, and got ready for the next days activities.

Hodare Festival

The next day the girls and I drove up to Tocchio for a shindig put together by Michelle and Kelly. It was a great time. Saturday night we went to Kelly's for a party. There was a great collection of people gathered, everyone up for a good time. After the food was served, Michelle, being the darling MC she is, broke out a game. We had a good time doing various activities competing against other teams; we had to trade clothes with a partner, play a round of I have never, musicless lap dances, do a round of clap, clap, snap; and I can't remember the other activity...I suck..or it could be because I was making tea kettles full of french martinis to enjoy... we then went to karaoke, which I didn't survive very long at, so I got a cab and somehow managed to get back to Michelles, where I was told Liz came home, attempted to spoon me, and I was having none of it.. no recollection, I was obviously asleep..

.

The next day was the Hodare Festival. The Hodare Festival celebrates fertility and the worship of a large wooden phallus. It is known around town as the penis festival. I finally have some pictures, so here you go....

these men are hammering the living daylight out of some rice which is over a fire. They are making mocchi. This is how you would make mochi until about 50 years ago when the machines were made to do it. Mochi is sticky rice cakes..I really enjoy it.. I brought some home for Christmas. .

We got there too late, so we missed the ceremony of blessing the girls, but after the ceremony you line up to pray at this shrine.

After praying you walk across the stage, where you are given a branch of leaves and sake to drink out of a plate. The man in the orange is wearing a hapi, which is typical fashion for those participating in matsuris (festivals) the man in the gold robes is the priest like figure who blesses and performs the ceremony on the girls and the wooden phallus.

It may be decieving in the pictures, it was not raining, but pouring snow. Here in Japan the snow is so wet you use an umbrella to keep from getting too wet- although me and my comrades were drenched through.


after everyone is done praying to the penis, it is brought out of the shrine and put upon a wooden contraption made to carry it. It is tied down with rope and the girls who are wishing for fertility set upon it and are carried around town. After that you can get upon it yourself and be carried around (I am too shy for that, but I know some people who were up there riding it around)

a cup of sake with fish in it

After the festival, we went to plant 5, for the first time. Plant five is like the Home Depot/ Super Target of Japan. I took special interest in the crazy t-shirts they had for sale. here is a tastse of them....

...leftover crack..

a cap from Destin Florida, something you would maybe buy if you were actually in Destin Florida?? but instead you need only to travel to Kashiwazaki Japan to get one...

and we thought other countries hated us??

this is only a small bit of the selection of cup of ramen available.

or you can get some constraining underwear that makes your butt in jeans look beautiful by any angle..

...I had a great weekend, with great people, and great friends....

i will later try to get some pics off Liz for Friday night (she was the only person with her camera out)

いいあんばい！！ II Anbai--> Good Feeling...

II anbai, is hougen (local dialect) for a good feeling...

Today, instead of a typical ohayou gozaimasu, I was greeted with an open armed, running start, gigantic hug from my third year student, Misato. It was great. Hugs are a rarely practiced in Japanese society. It is such a good feeling to have an effect on someone in such a way that they are willing to step outside social norms, and venture into an area of thought or action different from others. It is moments like these that make me so happy I am here, teaching in Japan. I have learned so much from my students, and in the simple instance of a hug, I can tell my students have learned as much from me.

Today is graduation.

Everyone is working in natural hectic fashion. Preparations for this Junior High School graduation are intense. There were four days of shortened lessons last week to prepare, and one day dedicated to just cleaning the school and graduation and singing practice. It really is a big deal, and after three years of hard work and having to prepare for other classes to graduate, the third year students really deserve this day to go smoothly, even if as a few of us sit here sipping our coffees, the rest of the school appear to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

I must tell you. It is a great feeling to see these students graduate. But I am really, really, really sad to see them go. I love my third year students. Now they can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I mean they are at that age, 15. Some of course are just too cool for school. I totally relate to these kids, I was there once, so I have a good time with that attitude. Now that I have been teaching for a while, I honestly think back to what a little tyrant I was when I was 14. Especially to foreign language teachers, of which I have now determined to be one of the most difficult subjects to teach. A lot of the time you have no clue what is going on, and if you, as a student, fall behind at all, you are so doomed. And on top of that, who can understand the practicality of learning a language at the age of 12?? Not many students; other than those who want to be politicians, writers, or rock stars--> but many of my students are destined to take over the family land and be farmers or baby makers in this little corner of Niigata. Other than the immediate desire to talk to me, or to understand something they have seen written or heard, my students have very little reason in their mind to need to learn English. And as many reasons as I can come up with; travel, meeting people, film, music...there are those students who honestly aren't interested in leaving this area. There are actually people who never care to leave thier little corner of the world. This has always amazed me, but you find people of this nature in most countries. I remember one time I called home and a lot of my extended family were gathered at my house. Other than my close family (immediate and grandparents), the rest of my family has spent most of thier lives in very rural America. I do come from Kentucky, which is a rural state in and of itself . It was interesting to me though, because when I called home, one of my relatives mentioned to me, "Wow, I have never talked to someone on the phone in another country. "

What different lives my relative and I lead. I have very little desire to stay in one place for a long time. I find that I get stir crazy quite easy, and am always looking for the next adventure. And here my relative is content and happy on staying close to home, barely even ever venturing to cross the river into Indiana. To be honest, in some ways I admire these people, and their ability to be so content doing the same thing day in and day out. They never do seem to be bored. They go day by day saturated with the simplicities. I try my best to enjoy the simplest pleasures of life, the first bits of sun in the morning, the sound of rain, a good surprise snowball attack, the comfortable silence while with loved ones. It is life's simplest pleasures that bring us the greatest joy, ne? But, I see that in my life, as shy as I am, I yearn to meet many people, and nurture my passion I have for learning and sharing. I think I have now found an answer to the question everyone here seems to ask, Why did you come to Japan? "I came here to learn from everyone I meet."

And these students, as they leave here today, may have no idea how much they have enriched my experience teaching here. They are the ones who make my day.... Misato's hug, the whole student body's excitement, and the way they go out of thier way to share with me their feelings and happiness, there is no better feeling than that.

II anbai!!

いいあんばい！！