Fun in Fujiyoshida

Disclaimer: Not all of the aforementioned fun was had in Fujiyoshida, some fun was had in Otsuki. Now that we have addressed the elephant in the room. I am going to share my quick trip to Fujiyoshida this last weekend. We had a big get-together in Otsuki with a bunch of the ALTs in the prefecture. 

 Quite a sight...this is the town of Tsuru as seen at 60mph. I told my sister that I would take pictures if I could of the city she was in when she lived in Japan...I tried. 

 Look familiar?

 How about this? I will take a better trip to Tsuru sometime and take real pictures. 

 Approaching Mt. Fuji

 We had the party in a big room at some restaurant in Otsuki (which is a place you should have no reference for other than that is where the Pub Quiz took place).

 Clearly, people are enjoying themselves.

 The party was 'nomihodai' which basically means all-you-can-drink. Paired with Karaoke, it set the foundation for an exciting night. 

 Only the classiest of foods for the partying foreigners...cheese doodles and potato logs. I did make frysauce, which no one else really understood. Heathens. 

 Also, pasta! You can see the bottle of beer in the picture, I myself drank nearly 2 full liters of Coke...I know...crazy. 

 People just meandered around chatting and getting progressively less understandable. 

They served okonomiyaki, which you may remember is like a Japanese waffle pancake with fish flakes on top. It was not delicious.  

 I am wearing a hat that makes it look like I have traditional Kimono-style fancy geisha hair. Standing next to me is Erik who lives about 200 yards from where I teach. He is featured heavily in the following videos. 

For some reason, this strikes me as so stereotypical of an all-you-can-drink party. I think they were trying to be the Rockettes.

Once the Karaoke had begun.

A good time is being had by all, but a REALLY good time is being had by some. The girl at the end is my Irish friend Karen.

Erik again. Japanese people consider it rude to eat, drink, talk on a cell phone or be otherwise disruptive on a train. Naturally, a bunch of inebriated Gaijin breaks all of those rules. Erik is wearing the fancy hair hat, and has a toy gun he was pointing around. You may ask yourself, what was the topic of conversation? Oddly, it was a tirade by the only British member of our group directed at Egyptology. Evidently they fail to recognize the conquering of the Romans and the impact it had civilization-ally...blah blah blah. 

Japan had a full lunar eclipse right as we were coming out of the first party. It was really cool to see...as I point the camera skyward, you can see a little bit of light that represents the lunar eclipse. Naturally, I had more than a few people singing the popular tune by Bonnie Tyler, "Total Eclipse of the Heart." I must say this about the eclipse, it was far better to watch than any stereotypical, pseudo-abusive movie saga about vampires.

 After we regrouped in Fujiyoshida (where we were staying the night) and getting some McDonalds for fuel, we went to the Big Box Karaoke to lay down some sweet tunes. We got there at about 1:15 and signed up for 2 hours of Karaoke. In retrospect, that might have been a mistake. You can see that we booked the party room. They understate the party. 

 I took this picture because I think it helps to describe how this place smelled. It smelled like a motel that you find on the side of the interstate. The kind where you ask for a no-smoking room, but it still smells like stale smoke. It also has a touch of sadness and neglect that made me immediately think of the motel chains in the U.S.

This video skips and lingers in the wrong places, but it was dark in there. Everyone started out very energetically, but more than half of them ended up passing out/sleeping through the best ballads. I sang some Queen, Billy Joel and Spice Girls. 

 After going to bed at 3:45 and waking up at 7:30, I snapped this picture from my friends apartment. You can see Fuji-Q Highlands in the distance up against the mountains. We drove by it on the way in and on the way out. It looks like the most fun place in the world. Hands down. They have a bunch of world record breaking rides, but the wait during the summer can be up to 4 hours for each one. I am putting my ear to the ground to find out when the best time is to visit. 

 This is not a picture of a post, look past it to the mountains and such, that is the point. 

 I just think this is the coolest thing ever. If you stand in the living room, this is your view. Such a cool mountain.

 I took two pictures, this one has 70% more angelic presence. 

 For lunch, we went to a burger place. I was skeptical, but evidently it is run by some Japanese people who spent a lot of time in Canada (this made me more skeptical). 

 Evidently there was a Japanese biker gang in the restaurant while we were there. It is hard to tell though because they look just like regular folk, 

 The thing that really struck me is how much the area around Fujiyoshida reminded me of Flagstaff, Arizona. It was all pine trees and fresh air. 

 The name of the burger place. 

 Coke in glass bottles, Diet Dr. Pepper in cans and A&W Root Beer. Unfortunately, they cost 350 yen, which is about $4.50. I had water...and an Oreo shake.  

 I figured that I would go big, or go home. I ordered the biggest burger that they had available. The deluxe had bacon, avocado, cheese and the rest of the burger fixings. This burger now holds the title for the messiest burger I have eaten. 

 SO good! Unfortunately, it cost the same as a nice steak in the U.S.

 A case of Americana. They had a CSI shot glass, I love NY mints, a few other shotglasses and a few baseballs with Yankee logos. 

 ...don't forget the presidential peppermints. Did anyone else know that they made these? Was his election that historic that we needed to remember it in mint form? Although, it is sitting 3 inches away from a pottery hamburger, so I guess that shows how important it is to these folks right?

As we were leaving, we saw a Bentley parked under a tree. Nothing like parking your $200,000 car in the pine needles. 

Burnin' Health

So...I had intended to write a really nice and poignant post about being in Japan on the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, but I couldn't come up with anything that fit the bill. It was a rather unspectacular day here in Japan. I went to get my yearly health check (more on that later). That night, we had our English society as well. I will say that in attendance at that meeting was an 82-year-old woman who would have been 11 when Japan entered the war with the U.S. My grandfather was a bomber in WW2 in the Pacific, and yet here we are, 70 years after the fact, speaking as friends in Japan. It's funny how the world works right? 

I have been reading a book for a while on the history of D-Day. I have a tremendous level of respect for veterans of all wars, but especially for those of World War 2. I can't imagine fighting a war under those conditions. It is moving to read the stories of bravery, brotherhood and sacrifice. I am extraordinarily proud to be an American, but I am even more proud of the goodness in people to resolve conflict after the fact and come together. I believe me living in Japan is a testament to that. 

 Health time! I went to get my annual checkup and they do it differently than we do in the U.S. It is actually more like a book fair than a health check. They pull up a bunch of busses that have the different stations for health. They had an X-ray bus, a CAT scan bus and all sorts of stuff.

 I snapped this picture of the eye test station. Getting a health check in Japan was a harrowing experience for me. Evidently I was supposed to bring my urine sample already prepared...I neglected to do so, and found myself standing in line with a cup of pee with other people watching me. They organize it a lot like a buffet, you just go from station to station. After the urine sample test (which I guess I passed), I went to the lady who asks you a bunch of medical questions. Answering medical questions is significantly more stressful when you are can't speak the language. She asked me something about hospital (the only word I know) and blood. I said no to both. She also asked me about su-pee-do gohan, which translates (I think) to speed food. I don't know if she was asking me if I ate food while on speed, or how fast I ate my food. I just said yes and waited. 

When they took my blood pressure, they saw that it was pretty high. I can't imagine why... The lady administering told me to relax and it came down by 20 points. I saw about 3 other people who asked me to lift up my shirt about 3 times, and took my blood. I am not a doctor, but I am sure that the lady who took my blood was not qualified because it hurt really bad!

 I snapped this as I was walking away. Bus number 2 is where they did the ECG. I knew this was an EchoCardioGram, but it might as well have been in Japanese. I went in, laid down, and they put suction cups on my chest and heart monitors on. Evidently I passed because they let me go in the end. I also got a chest x-ray. They had me go in the back of the bus and hug this thing that took an x-ray of my chest. The doctor showed me the picture, and it looked good (to me).

Little funny thing I had today. We were talking about whether or not it was good for Junior high students to have cell phones. I caught this little tidbit that one of the students wrote. "it is emergency for us to noise." I think the student was just putting out all of the English words they knew, because the other two were really coherent.

Tuesday is a Different Kind of Day

Most days go by with relatively little to write about...today was not that day. i don't know what the stars were aligning to do, but today had about 3 or 4 blog-worthy things happen (blog-worthy being a loose term). To start, I was in my small elementary school. After my first class, I saw that all the students were unnecessarily orderly out on the playground. After investigating, I was told that they were playing dodgeball! Dodgeball is evidently one of those things that has transcended national boundaries. There were some twists to make it convenient for playing on a field, but it was dodgeball alright. 

3rd and 4th graders competing ferociously for the glory of being the All Akita Elementary School champions.

The 1st and 2nd graders played a little different variant. I didn't catch the good stuff, but here is the end. They played in a circle. Circle of Death. Maru (Japanese for circle) Muerte (Spanish for death). Tri-lingual name game here. 

I taught a Christmas lesson to the 4th graders today. Upon reviewing the list of Christmas words, I realized how difficult it is to explain Christmas-y things. Think about stockings...socks...that you hang on the fire until candy comes. I didn't do a good job of clarifying it for them, but what can you do? I ate lunch with the 4th graders, and they asked me if I knew about chapurin. They meant Charlie Chaplin, I discerned this from the mustache, hat and cane imitation. As lunch was winding down, I was folding up my milk carton when a funny thing happened. I left the straw in, and as the air exited the carton, I launched a stream of leftover milk into the air about 7 feet. I immediately laughed and looked around to see if anyone else saw. There was one little girl with wide eyes that was laughing along with me, the other 12 students had no idea. 

In my 5th grade class, we played a game of charades. I let the kids choose their own names in English. These were the best that they could come up with. Team Fairy and Team Angels. The class is 60% boys. 

 You can see that I awarded Team Angels 10,000 points. I don't really remember what it was for. 

 I went to a discount grocery store while I was waiting to meet some people. The store is called Trial...perhaps because it is like a super-packed dollar store. In other words, it's like every Asian market in Chinatown across the world. In any case, they had Natural Hardwood Smoked Bacon. Nice right? I figured it was worth a shot. It actually tasted like regular bacon if you cooked it and left it on the country until it got cold. Not too shabby for Japan! 

 Another seeming by-product of America. I don't think I have ever seen corn this giant. 

 In the beer aisle, I found this. Now I am no expert, but this seems a little small for a beer...am I right? 

This picture pretty much sums up everything you need to know about Trial Bargain Store.

Parade and Costume Party

Today as I was going to church, I saw three things of interest. The first was all the new snow on Mt. Fuji. The snow is getting lower and lower on the mountains. This picture doesn't do it any justice, but the mountain looked awesome. As somewhat of a mountain aficionado, I must say that Fuji might take the cake for my favorite...

Mind you that this picture was taken as I was driving...

As I got off the train, this happened. I have no words to describe it. Apparently the gentleman in the white is a captain of something. I think the people in the suits are gods or demigods of some kind. They were celebrating the first day of...I got nothing. They are advertising "Suica," which is a passcard that you can use on the trains. Suica is Japanese for watermelon. London has the Oyster card, Japan has the Suica. Why does public transit have to involve food items? 

On my way back, I was talking to my parents and I saw this...a parade of people over 50 (I suppose it is fitting that I am talking about bus schedules in the background). I recognized one of the guys in the crowd, but I can't remember where it was that I know him from. I only know like 100 people in a country of 100 million, and I can't remember where I have seen him before. For some reason, there was a marching band of children associated with this crowd. They were also wearing yellow, which may or may not be associated with the dancing stuffed animals and the captain dressed in white. 

Catchall Part 1

So I have a series of random stories that have happened through the last few weeks. I don't have any real good way to tie them together...here we go?

 First off. Japanese fashion is...terrible. It seems that most male fashion in Japan is loosely based on Jack Sparrow, but in an awkward way. Not this guy though. He evidently got into a Delorean that didn't have enough plutonium to get back to the present. You can see that he is wearing: Hammer pants, earing in the left ear, plaid, big Ray-Bans, bowler hat and a the tie to a fancy curtain.

 Thanksgiving was last week, I showed the kids how to make hand turkeys. We wrote all the things we are thankful for on the fingers. I have written sensei (teacher), tabemono (food), tomodachi (friends), and family (family). 

 I found this picture hanging in the hall at one of my elementary schools. The thing in the middle of the rice fields is my small elementary school.

 We get treats at the elementary school when the kids go home... I love the Engrish on the cookie. "The choice raisins are sandwiched in between cookies baked elaborately with fresh milk." Not bad right? I don't really know how you bake a cookie elaborately though...

 Thursday we had a fire drill. Odd right? I was interested in seeing what would happen. Such questions in my mind were "would the kids change their shoes before going outside" and "is this what the helmets in all the classrooms are for?"

 Consequently, during the firedrill, I was left pretty much alone in the staff room. Kind of eerie. I guess I was deemed "non-essential personnel."

 Yes, they do wear the helmets for this. The teachers put on the helmet and lead their students out to line up on the soccer field. Unfortunately for the kids, they were doing this in December...and it was raining. 

They are all into it. They cover their mouths as though there was smoke. You may be asking yourself, as I was, what the kids have on their heads. The kids are wearing their chair cushions on their heads...yeah. Awesome.

 Oh yeah, the tea lady was left to die in the inferno with me. 

 I just thought this was funny. Japan is all about jumpsuits. This brand makes me laugh.

 Today, I had the office manager come up to me and tell me something in unintelligible Japanese. The only words I caught were cafeteria and some pointing. I went to the cafeteria to find this. As near as I could tell from the sashes and the speaking, these are the student body elections. They wanted me to listen, so I did. I passed 3 levels of Angry Birds. Unfortunately, I almost missed the ending stand-up-and-bow.

 My JTE asked me to take over a class for her in the afternoon. We played an awesome game of Jeopardy. Things were going well for about 10 minutes until a student came in, mumbled, and all the students stood up and walked out. Naturally, I followed them down to the first floor where they were voting.

They take it very seriously. It was absolutely silent the room, and this kid would let them in one by one. Democracy at work people. 

In other news, I tried a Tim Tam Slam today for the first time. I was absolutely blown away. Tim Tams are chocolate covered cookie things from Australia. You can find them for a price here in Japan. A Tim Tam Slam is biting both ends off of the Tim Tam and drinking a hot beverage through it. I tried it with hot chocolate. The cookie gets soggy and starts to fall apart as you drink. Before it totally collapses, you pop it in your mouth and experience the best sugary snack I may have ever had. These are my new favorite everything.