American Rock Star in Tokyo

You gotta hooooold on to what we got!
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not!
We got each other, and that's a lot for love...
WE'LL GIVE IT A SHOT!

Yes, it happened. I saw one of the American greats perform live at the Tokyo Dome this past Wednesday: Bon Jovi! I am aware that I am not a die-hard fan or anything, but not only did I grow up listening to this dude, but I also traveled 700 miles to check him out...I think my fan status went up a few notches after this trip.

Curry udon = MESSY!

I began my rock 'n roll adventure on Wednesday morning with Keiko and Yakko. We took the Shinkansen down in the morning and were going to play the day away in Tokyo and then meet up with Kate and Snapz for the concert later that evening. I had never been to the neighborhood where the Tokyo Dome is, so I was totally at the mercy of Keiko and Yakko for navigating the train system.

We headed first to Asakusa in search of food. We found a "classic" Japanese restaurant and I tried curry udon for the first time. Shockingly delicious and not-so-surprisingly messy. There is an art to eating noodles in Japan and I have yet to master it. My lack of abilities are bit more discreet when the noodles are in a clear sauce or water, but throw them in a bowl of curry and I'm doomed. I enjoyed them none-the-less and after our delish lunch, we went in search of a good viewing spot of the Sky Tree.

Sky Tree @ 500m

Kate and I are both slightly confused at the excitement over this tower. From what I understand, it's simply a reception tower, but its height will make it the tallest building in the Pacific (I doubt tallest in the world...although that's been thrown around too). The day we saw it, it had just passed the 500m mark, far surpassing the existing Tokyo Tower in another part of town. We oohed and aahed but really, there's nothing I can see to be impressed by yet until it's finished.

Next stop on our list was in the area and is famous for the plastic food shops. Now, for anyone that's been to Japan, you know exactly what I'm talking about, but there are a few shops in America that have them too. They are replicas of the dishes served in the restaurant, usually displayed outside or in a window for passer-bys to see. The food is shockingly life-like and made to look very tasty, but will certainly make room in your wallet. A small keychain is around 1200 yen ($13-14) and a beer of mug can run up to 4200 yen ($45). I love you all and they would make great gag gifts, but....

Infamous garbage cup

We wrapped up our afternoon at Ameri Street (or something like that), and I got in trouble for throwing my cup away in a garbage. First of all, it was clearly burnables and secondly, I saw other trash in there NOT from the vendor. Anyway, I played dumb tourist and kept walking. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to fish my cup out of your garbage.

After finally meeting up with Snapz and Kate, we all headed to the Dome in search of food. After realizing that most restaurants in the area had waiting lists that would cause us to miss the show, we opted for the arena food inside. I have had my fair share of arenas and I would say I'm pretty spoiled with HP Pavilion - let's face it; despite the long lines for food and the bathrooms, it's pretty organized overall. Well, Tokyo Dome might have it beat in organization. It's an older building, but each section has its own separate entrance, reducing lines exponentially. The security "requests" to check your bags and once inside, the lines for food maxed out at 5 minute waits! Incredible. But, as it was to be expected, the line for merchandise was far longer. In fact, we had to wait in line to wait in line to buy anything. Sasuga Japan...

The concert itself was incredible and even though we probably could've touched the ceiling from our seats, we had a great time. Not like many around us, we stood up for the majority of the concert, dancing and bopping along to songs we knew and didn't know. Of course, he performed "Livin' on a Prayer" as the encore performance, which everyone went crazy for and it finished out the night perfectly. We headed back to Kamagaya, made the ritual stop at the McDonald's and then off to bed.

Our plan the next morning was to head to Tokyo at a decent hour, play around for a bit, and then send me on my way to Takko. Well, we woke up much later than anticipated and by the time finished getting ready and arrived at Tokyo Station, I only had a couple hours until my train left. We picked up lunch at Dean & Deluca (always choice) and went in search for paricura (essentially photo booths on crack). The concierge informed us that the nearest one was a train ride away, but I knew that to be false. I had just done one a few months earlier during my weekend Tokyo trip with Patrick. By the time we walked around searching for it and found the general area, I had to turn back to make my train. For next time...

Overall, an excellent mid-week weekend that was much needed. Not only did it cause my week to just fly by, but I got to hang out with my Japan biffle and got to spend some quality time with Takko friends. Oh and by the way, the entire trip including the concert was in celebration for Keiko and Yakko's anniversary. Happy Anniversary!!!

Coming up... The holiday party at the GC is this Saturday! Round two for me in making that turkey and here's hoping that it turns out the same as before! I'll also be preparing the side dishes throughout the week after work hours, so this week is mapped out for me. Cooking, cooking, cooking...

Letters Written: 26

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!
Takko Hoikuen

Gobble gobble!

It's turkey time! Happy Thanksgiving from the Far East. This time change stuff really confuses me because technically, Thanksgiving was yesterday for me, but today feels like the real thing since all of you in facebook land (okay, me included...) update statuses like its your job. No one could ignore the fact that it is one of the great American holidays today!

To celebrate, I got together with a few of the local ALTs and we planned for a Thanksgiving feast. What  was first planned to be a small gathering of foreigners in the area turned into a rather large ordeal involving large servings of everything and quite a few guests.

After a shopping spree at the Misawa Air Force Base the week before, Ulu and I hunkered down Saturday afternoon and began cooking. We quickly realized that many of our dishes required an oven, a huge obstacle for Japanese kitchens considering that they usually don't have one. The turkey would be occupying the GC oven and the only other one available was my tiny microwave that doubled as a small oven. We cooked some of the dishes in "shifts", which turned out great, although we had to forego making the green bean casserole - there was no time!

Shichimencho!

But the side dishes were the least of our worries. Our big concern was making sure the turkey came out at least fully cooked...no one wants to be sick after Thanksgiving. So we jumped right in and were pleasantly surprised when we found out that Butterball just so happens to make "dummy-proof" turkeys...the giblets,etc. were already pre-bagged inside the turkey and since we didn't plan on making homemade gravy, into the trash they went! After that, it was a cinch. Instead of actual stuffing, we stuffed the turkey with apples, oranges, lemons and onions and let the turkey cook in a water/apple juice mixture. It came out tender, juicy and a bit fruity! Our 17 lb turkey gave enough meat to feed our 22 guests at least one serving...perfection.

The dinner itself was great, but what was really amazing was seeing the mixture of people who had gathered together to celebrate and enjoy each other. Our group was comprised of foreigners and Japanese, and as people met and socialized, both languages could be heard in conversations throughout the room. Before carving the turkey, we decided to take part in a common Thanksgiving tradition that involves talking about what one is thankful for; that, too, involved a mixture of the two languages with translations running the entire time.

Carving the turkey

I've been laying low this week, but I've been thinking a lot about what I'm thankful for and what my life has become. Those of who have known me the longest know that uprooting my life and moving to another country is kind of out of character for me. I've been a home body my entire life, but after my wonderful opportunity last October, something seemed to continue to draw my attention back here. My decision to move here has dramatically affected me and my relationships with people and I am so thankful for that. My life made a hard left/right (I'm not going to choose a direction in order to avoid any political conflict here) and everything seemed to change.

I'm not going to lie; Kate's blog really inspired me and got me thinking about everyone in my life that inspired, supported, encouraged, etc. this change. I want to honor you all and thank you for everything you've done for me during this past year and throughout my life.

My family, especially Nana, Mom and Julia. You all have been such a huge support system in my life in so many ways. You have always just wanted the best for me, and even though we may have disagreed on what that was from time to time, you were there for me. I know that this move to Japan and the potential future plans of bouncing around for awhile are the most difficult for you, so I love you and appreciate it so much that you've been supportive, even if it was extremely hard.

My friends, from both high school and college. I've known all of you for various different lengths of time, but you have all been a huge part of my life. Some of my best memories involve you all, and I can't even begin (nor do I think I should) to tell them all. Just like my family, you've only wanted the best for me, I love you all so much for that. I could always rely on you guys to bring me up when I was feeling down, even from 5,000 miles away. I would especially like to thank Kate, who I can't believe is here in this country with me and has been an amazing friend and pseudo-roommate. Even though we're 700 miles away, I'm beyond happy that you're in this country with me and only a keitai email away :)

My Takko family, especially Keiko, Makiko, Yasuyo and their families. You guys are beyond amazing! I do not think that I would have nearly the same experience in Japan if I wasn't in this town and with you all. You've all made this transition so easy and I can't believe that it's already been five months...I can't wait to enjoy the rest of my 7 months with you all!

My fellow foreigners in the Nanbu area: Kendal, Ululani and Ben. Just like my Takko family, this wouldn't nearly be the same without you guys! We say it all of the time, but we're such an awesome little group and I'm very happy that we are all placed near each other. Thank you for the great times that we've had already and thank you especially for always being willing to pick me up because I don't have any other means of transportation in the boondocks :)

And last (but not least), Patrick. Like everyone else in my life, you have been an amazing support and I love you for that. I feel lucky every day that you are in my life, and although this time in our lives is particularly difficult, I'm looking forward to what the future holds.

I would really like to thank each and every individual, but I'd be writing forever. I love each and every one of you so much and I'm thankful for the part you have played in my life.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Best of Both Worlds

This weekend was truly the best of both worlds for me. No, I'm not referencing the fallen Disney star Miley Cyrus...I'm talking about enjoying the wonders of partying it up Japanese-style one day and then making a trip to Little America the next.

Let's start of the beginning, since that is always a very good place to start.

With much sadness and disappointment, last week was the end of the season for volleyball. Our short-lived year ended with half of our games won (which I guess is pretty good for us?) and therefore, a well-deserved fiesta to celebrate our success on Saturday. The spread was plentiful and cho oishii everyone pretty much had a good time all around. I thought only a few of my teammates spoke English, but it turns out that a lot more of them can speak more than they let on! With a little bit of liquid courage, a few more English speakers came out of the woodwork and we tried our hand at having a conversation.

I've met most of the team over the season, but one of our members joined the team, never came to a game, but did come to the end of the season party. We have never met, of course, but after meeting me, he promptly gave me a *wink* and then offered to give me a Toyota car for Christmas. Um....what?

One replay of our last game, a group picture and too many beers later, we wrapped up the first party and headed to the second. Japan surely prides itself on its infamous "after parties". Usually this group would head to Wioli, the bar next to my apartment, but this evening, the bar was closed and we were forced to go to Irori: the one bar in town that Patrick told me to never go to without a group. I understand why now. Don't worry, I don't plan on returning by choice.

Volleyball Team!

Its one saving grace was that it had karaoke and after a few quick rounds, we wrapped up the evening entirely and closed the book on the season. There will be, however, another last tournament held next week, but I'll most likely be missing most of it due to a previous engagement (BON JOVI!...more on that later).

The next day, awake at 9am and shockingly refreshed considering the night before, I arose all jazzed up about our field trip to America that day. Ululani, an ALT from Sannohe, has family that teaches on the base and signed us in for the afternoon. I had several missions to complete while on base including, but not limited to, shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner this week, shopping for Garlic Center's holiday party in a couple of weeks, and mailing the bundle of letters I've been holding onto as I anxiously waited for Patrick's mailing address.

Before even beginning to complete our missions, we were immediately intercepted by our own selves when we made our way to the BX and ended up shopping for those "I don't really need it, but it makes life more comfortable" items all for the bargain military price. Yippee! I made out with American toothpaste, an all-in-one printer, perfume and a Christmas sweater (yes, Mom...I bought my own Christmas sweater this year). And then before we could finally get on task, we made a couple more stops at Cinnabon, the bookstore (where I picked up some Hallmark cards, a Yankee Candle scented Cinnamon Sugar, and Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol), and Taco Bell!

Note: None of these items would usually get me as excited had they been purchased at home...it's the thrill of Americana in the Far East.

In the end, all missions were accomplished. We successfully found suitably sized turkeys for both our dinner and the Garlic Center's party and Ulu's very kind aunt and uncle agreed to mail my bundle of letters for me...fingers crossed that my assumption that those letters would arrive more quickly because they're coming from a military base is correct.

While enjoying my day, I took a little peek into my future and discussed the possibility of working for the Department of Defense as an educator. Much more on this as the time to start applying for jobs comes closer, but it will be brewing in the back of my mind until then.

In other news... I've broken the cardinal rule of the holidays: no Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. Oh well. I'm in Japan; cut me some slack! I am, however, teaching (or rather, reteaching) Silent Night to the kiddos here in Takko, hopefully with a harmony. Wish me luck!

Coming up... Thanksgiving, of course! A group of us Americans in the area (along with some Japanese friends) will be coming over to my place for an all-American Thanksgiving meal complete with a turkey.  Neither Ulu nor I have ever made a turkey on our own before, so this should be interesting. Of course I'll be letting you know!

Letters Written: 16

Volleyball in Takko

So it has been brought to attention in previous entries that I am part of a intramural volleyball program here in Takko. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce to you the very talented men and women of Pi Young (a Japanese ramen brand)! For the past few years, this is the team that the CIR has played with every volleyball season. Some of my dedicated readers may recall an entry from the beginning of my time here that mentioned a farewell party for Patrick from his volleyball team...it's fair to say that this same party was like an initiation for me as well.

I was eager to begin volleyball season because as we all know, I'm not the most dedicated person to exercise unless it's some kind of organized class and/or team event. I simply can't find the motivation to go out and run around the block a few times (especially now that the temperatures are dropping below freezing...well, they feel like it). So when the season finally began, I was eager to jump right in. Incidentally, the season landed right in the middle of Garlic & Beef Festival and the Jr High trip to Gilroy. The month of October really took it out of me, and I barely made any practices and games. When I returned, however, I bounced right back, but was disappointed to find out that the season would be over in a couple of weeks.

Well, the couple of weeks have came and went, and tonight is our last game. The end of the season is when you go over stats of the players, right? Well, let's review stats, shall we?

I believe the last time I actually played a game of volleyball was in a PE class in high school. I wasn't good then, and I haven't gotten any better. The good thing is that my time isn't exactly ready to enter the Olympics or anything, so I know I'm not at the bottom...most of us are pretty evenly matched. I've played in maybe five games total, three of which I *think* we've won. We played last night, but I only played for the last ten minutes and had nothing to do with our success...in fact, I was part of the reason the other team almost caught up with us (in my defense, I didn't have time to warm up). Anyway, my serving record is pretty accurate; I usually screw up when I've psyched myself out, but I'm definitely still in "under-hand serve" territory.

The rest of my team is a hodge podge of people...like most of the teams in the league, ours is made up of family, friends and coworkers. Three of my teammates are coworkers of mine, and the rest are family and friends mostly from the Kamigo area, a small village right outside of Takko. Technically, Kamigo is part of Takko, but referred to with a different name. Think Almaden, all you Bay Area folk...

Our littlest teammate

So while none of us are really professional, there are a few who are pretty damn close. Mieko's husband, Tomo, has some skills and we also have a kid from the high school on the team whose mother works at the Garlic Center too...he's on the volleyball team at school and has a very scary spike. I'm thankful to be on his side of the net. Pretty much everyone has the ability to pass and set, but the ones with the upper body strength are able to follow through with an actual hit.

Anyway, my volleyball career was short lived in Takko, but the best part is yet to come...the end-of-the-season party on Saturday. We may not have been able to play for long, but I know that this group means business when it comes to parties. I'm looking forward to it!

In other news... Besides my participation on the volleyball team, I'm also taking Japanese dance classes (Nihon Buyo) and we are currently preparing for a show (happyokai, actually!) for early February. More on that soon!

Letters Written: 10

Happyokais, Birthdays, & a Phone Call...A Weekend for Celebrations :)

Traditional Japanese Dance

Those of you closest to me know that the past week hasn't been the easiest of weeks for me for one reason or another. Still adjusting to being back in very cold Japan, I was also preparing to deal with the impending absence of a certain someone and I wasn't handling it very well. But with the awesome support of you all and a little pep talk from myself, I slowly came out of the funk that lasted for most of last week.

Wednesday (also known as DD...hehe okay, a bit dramatic...) was not only the day Patrick finally made it to his final destination in MO and therefore was officially unavailable via cell phone, but also the day of the Yochien's happyokai, a school pageant of sorts that features of variety of singing, dancing and acting. Any other age group doing it would be borderline bearable...not because it would be bad, but because I wouldn't understand most of it (ex: Shimizu). However, the level of talking involved with the kindergartens and nursery schools is minimal, making it much more enjoyable for the non-Japanese speaking audience member (usually only me). I believe the goal of the happyokai is to impress, amaze and dazzle. I was certainly impressed by Yochien's finished product, even though I had seen the entire production twice by the time the day of the show rolled around.

Hawaiian inspiration: Aloha

Animal Farm-esque play

The show included the standard Japanese style dances (which are always adorable but sort of lose their novelty after the third or fourth go around), cute Japanese songs that were obviously popular among kids, and then this play involving the entire school. While in rehearsal, I could NOT for the life of me figure out what this play was about and because no one speaks English there, I didn't even try to ask questions. At first glance, I thought it was some kind of watered-down children's version of Animal Farm...the animals were complaining about being over-worked (I got that from their tone and gestures) and the people were kind of snotty (again...tone and gestures). In the end, it seemed like the animals demanded something and complained about it SO much that they finally got their way (see....that method does work). It turns out that I was almost right; the name of the play was called Bureemen no ongaku tai or The Bremen Town Musicians, which turns out to be a classic Grimm's Fairy Tale popular in Japan (I don't know about the rest of the English speaking world, but this wasn't a fairy tale I was aware of). For the complete story, click here.

The rest of the show was adorable, of course, and we finished it out with the much anticipated Japanese rendition of Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca. Yes. I've posted the video for your enjoyment.

Latte art...impressive ne

On Friday, also known as Day 2 with no communication, the other local gaijin and I celebrated the birthdays of Sannohe ALTs Kendal and Ululani. The girls had heard of this cute cafe down the highway called Keko Cafe, or Slow Flow Cafe, that featured latte art and from what I understood, had relatively normal food. I wasn't in the mood for crazy sashimi eel or something like that. We gathered together with a few of the other ALTs in the area including Nanbu Ben, and had a great time. I hadn't laughed that much all week and it felt really nice to just be funny and smile (again, this all sounds so melo-dramatic now, but it really did make me feel better). After a delicious dinner and lots of fun dinner games (if you had to work at a chain restaurant...if you were a super hero...etc), Nanbu Ben and one of the birthday girls, Kendal, headed over to my apartment in Takko and we just spent the evening drinking, chatting and watching ridiculous YouTube videos (Drunk History...it's a must-see).

My biggest mistake Friday night was not drinking enough water and I paid for it the next morning when we all rose early and I headed to the town auditorium to watch the second happyokai of the week. Takko Hoikuen is a much bigger school than the Yochien because it's a nursery school and therefore has far more kids. The production was way more intense; there were scenery changes, extravagant costumes and even coordinating lighting to each song. I was thoroughly impressed, but was getting antsy at the end of the three hours. Yes...three hours.

I had watched a few of them during rehearsal, but not nearly as much as the Yochien, so most of the numbers in this show were new to me, which made the viewing experience that much more enjoyable. Like the Yochien, there were Japanese dance numbers, but this also included some dances featuring contemporary Japanese pop music, in particular, AKB48 (slowly becoming a new favorite of mine...they aren't as moody as Utada Hikaru). The big finale number, however, was what really caught my attention. Featuring a classic Disney song with a twist, Some Day My Prince Will Come, the kids of Sakura san, the ones I teach at the school, put on quite a production. Check out the video below.

After a very entertaining morning and mildly relaxing early afternoon, I made my way over to the house of Chiba for some okonomiyaki and tako yaki. I spent most of the evening just talking with Mieko, Tomo and Chiba sensei, hung out in their deluxe massage chair, and watched some Takko TV (entertaining because Mieko's sister was on it). Mieko is due in a couple of weeks, so we discussed plans for me to spend the weekends at their house for two very important reasons: 1) to play with the blessed child and learn how to change a diaper; 2) my house lacks insulation, and staying at the Chiba's will be to my benefit.

And finally, the moment I had been waiting for finally arrived on Sunday at 6am (my time) when Patrick was able to make his first real phone call. I immediately knew it was him...my gut just told me so. I spent the next five minutes and fifty-two seconds in utter bliss and enjoyed every single second. When he said he had to go, I wasn't thrilled, but I knew that longer phone calls would come in the future and I'd just have to be patient.

In other news... I experienced my first snow in Takko on Monday. It didn't stick, but it sure was freezing and made for a very beautiful scene outside the school window. I first noticed it while at the yakuba. I looked outside and noticed it was "raining", but I couldn't hear it. Odd...since I ALWAYS hear the rain here. I realized what it really was when I went outside and said aloud "It's snowing" to no one in particular. Excellent observation, Jeshka san. Incidentally, I was teaching weather that day to my classes, which led to lengthy discussions about whether or not it snows in Gilroy. They were SHOCKED to find out that it doesn't.

Coming up... The end of the volleyball season is here. Yes, I'm on a volleyball team and we haven't even been playing long enough for me to write a blog entry about it. I'll get on that soon. Anyway, our last games are tonight and tomorrow night and our end-of-the-season party is Saturday. Excellent. Also, I'll be paying a visit to little America on Sunday with a special pass onto the base courtesy of Ulu's family friend. Hurray!

Letters Written: 9

Return to the Golden Coast (Take 2)

As a big finish to the end of the busiest month since my arrival, the Takko Jr High group finally embarked on their trip to Gilroy. This trip marked the end of straight three months away from home - the longest period of time I have ever been away. Yes, I'm 23 years old, but I have never lived anywhere besides the Bay Area and Japan was my first big move away from home. For 88 days, I watched my countdown clock slowly tick away the days until it finally read less than 24 hours to go. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my time here...it's just that some things are pulling my interest back home from time to time.

Just like the last trip, my time at home was being governed by a strict schedule. It was a reminder that even though I was home, my main focus was work. But unlike last trip, the group I was in charge of included ten 13-14 year old minors, eight of which were boys and crazy ones at that. The goal was to get them from Takko down to Tokyo, over to LA, then up to Gilroy, and then finally back to Japan all in one piece. I should have been more apprehensive at the beginning of the trip, but my excitement to return home was overwhelming and I didn't think twice.

Reunited <3

We got through Japan just fine, but ran into our first bump in the road when one of the students got severely sick on the airplane. It's always been difficult for me to relate to people who have travel sickness, since I'm that person who can read and sit backwards in a moving vehicle. Anyway, despite the glass of wine and one sleeping pill I took, I only got a few hours of sleep to LA, which was okay considering my excitement to get there. Once our plane landed, our group hit the ground running. After immigration, baggage claim and customs, we found our way to our tour guide bus and made the first necessary stop of the trip: In 'N Out (can you tell that I made the schedule?). The kids, of course, thought it was "cho oishii"...but what gets me with Japanese people and American food is that they always think that it's so much food! Okay people, news flash...have you SEEN what they serve at school lunch in Japan? I struggle to finish every time and yet, they can't get a cheeseburger and order of fries down in one sitting. One of the great mysteries of Japan...

We found Mickey!

A trip to LA isn't complete without a visit to the happiest place on earth. Well, we compromised with California Adventures, but it was still great. Japanese rides tend to be on the more mild side, so I knew that even though Disney rides are pretty tame by American standards, these kids would still get a kick out of them. I dragged them onto Tower of Tower, the giant ferris wheel and California Screamin'...twice. And not to sound sexist or anything, but it would have been a completely different experience had the majority of the group been girls. I'm going to pinpoint this moment as the only time it was beneficial to have more boys than girls.

Too good to me :)

We ended our first day in America (and second day of the trip...oh international date line) at the mexican restaurant in the park. Again, is it obvious that I made the schedule? And yet again, while I nearly finished my entire meal of tacos, rice and beans, most of my Japanese companions had trouble cleaning up their plates. After heading back to the hotel (which was located in Little Tokyo of downtown LA), we held our end-of-the-day meeting and everyone was sent off to bed. I, however, was lucky enough to have been greeted by the amazingly wonderful Patrick Foley. How did we spend our evening? Sleeping and then visiting the hotel bar, which turned out to be a very realistic Japanese hostess bar complete with karaoke and the standard wasted Japanese guy.

Yay Santa Monica!

Jessica Brewka:
Future Governator of California

After a brief tour of Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica and Dodger Stadium (which I promptly BEEP BEEP'd as we walked in), we were back on another plane headed to San Jose. Now, keep in mind that the only flights I've been doing lately are international, so I'm used to a good sized plane with at least 5-6 seats per row. You can imagine my lack of enthusiasm when we boarded the tiny island hopper-looking thing and became visibly shaken by the prospect of being propelled through the sky in it. I could tell than even Yasuyo was a bit nervous when she said "Oh shit" as we took our seats.

The freaking island hopper

Thanksgiving nom noms

Of course, we made it to San Jose, and eventually to Gilroy, safely. We met up with the host families at the local fire station and after making sure that everyone was comfortable, I made my getaway for my family's pseudo Thanksgiving.

Family :)

Since I had never truly moved away in my life, I have never missed a major holiday ever. I've always been with family and when I realized that Thanksgiving would be the first holiday I would be away from home, I decided that I couldn't miss out on the food. Because Patrick would be away as well, my family put together an early Thanksgiving meal for both of us. Thank you family!!!

Catch-up dinner

The rest of the time spent with the group was pretty standard. Our days were filled with school visits and tours and "sightseeing" around Gilroy. Of course, a trip to the Outlets is always in order and they all did some damage while we were there. When the official business of touring schools and giving presentations were over, we all took a day trip to San Francisco on Saturday and then enjoyed an entire free day on Sunday.

Sharks Game :)

My duties ended approximately at 6pm everyday. Besides Thanksgiving with my family, I also got to spend some time with my friends, watched some World Series games, met Patrick's grandfather and went on a real-life date with Patrick for the first time since...well, Tokyo! The entire evening remained a surprise up until the last few minutes before. I was instructed to follow the GPS navigation system directions as it lead me to downtown San Jose to the Crowne Plaza hotel. From there, I was told to bring a jacket as we would be out for a few hours. When I overheard him call for a taxi to take us to the HP Pavilion, I knew exactly what we were up to that evening. That night I enjoyed my first Sharks game on the lower level. Patrick said it was the only way to truly enjoy the game and he is so right. The lower concourse has way better food, nicer bartenders and shorter bathroom lines. Not only did we spend the game in style, we also beat the Ducks (but not without 7-8 fights throughout the game...it was a lively one!). The next morning I woke up to another surprise, but this one being far more beautiful...an ending to a very lovely date.

Thithtur stopped by Pier 39

And like all endings to great trips like this, we had a tearful good bye as the group loaded into the bus and headed to SFO. Eighteen hours of travel later, I finally arrived back in Takko in my very cold apartment. Apparently it had snowed in the mountains while we were gone and it sure felt like it when we returned. I had unwillingly traded in the 75 degree Californian weather for near freezing temperatures in northern Japan. I believe that I have been quoted as saying that it would never be cold in Takko. I knew I would be wrong and I'm living the proof right now.

So in order to be as predictable as possible, I've started the new countdown: 37 days until my return to America for the holidays. As Miranda of SATC says, I need an end point. It helps me to have limits. (Yes, I need new TV on DVD...please feel free to send them)

In Other News... Patrick leaves for BCT on November 8th, so Operation Daily Letter Writing commences next week. I'll be keeping a total count on this blog to help keep me focused. Japan Post and I are going to become great friends.

Coming Up... My daily Takko routine has slowly come back to order. Japanese dance classes, volleyball games and weekend invitations are back in the game, including two invites to "happyokai", or kindergarten school festivals. I've had the extreme pleasure of watching both of them practice (including a jump rope/hula hoop routine to a Japanese rendition of Livin' La Vida Loca...videos to come).


Fun Fact... While at a California Adventure gift shop looking at Nightmare Before Christmas souvenirs, I learned the Japanese word for back scratcher: まごのて, which literally translates to "grandchild's hands". Pretty cute, huh?

Happy Halloweenieeee!

Yasuyo as "me"

Allow me to give you the low down of a typical "holiday" party at the GC: The party begins with food. Everyone eats. Come hungry...always. The rest of the night is spent playing organized games. I envisioned a night of random carnival-like games but it was apparent that that idea just wasn't going to fly. Once the night arrived, I saw why: 30 kids (majority of them under the age of 12) running around, hyped up on sugar wasn't the best audience to keep under control. So this is how our party worked out: food (duh), followed by a walk through of the haunted house (I'll get to that in a second), games such as bobbing for apples and finding the candy in a bowl of whipped cream, and finally, a round of trick-or-treating.

Mummy Tempura

When it comes to food, Garlic Center never ceases to amaze me. Taka chan, the head-chef figure in the restaurant, is the son of a sushi chef and is pretty amazing in the kitchen. I look forward to the food at every GC party because it's recognizable and amazing on the taste buds. He had all the goodies out including an Japanese-revised American recipe that featured some kind of noodle and white sauce and was served in a Japanese pumpkin. The Japanese eat pumpkin like it's their job. I've had it more times than I can count at this point...some good, some bad. Anyway, the various pumpkin dishes along with a variety of oldies, but goodies, such as garlic fries and yaki soba, were awesomely filling and gave the kids enough energy to endure the rest of the evening.

Japanese Pumpkin

Find the candy!

Mama got him...

I'm not sure how long Halloween parties have been thrown at the Garlic Center or how many of them have included haunted houses, but Patrick told me that his haunted house was a hit last year and I was determined to make mine just as successful. True, I had never built a haunted house before and am personally very afraid of them, but I wanted one that would be as true to American custom as possible. I had quite the imagination in dreaming up a frightfully wonderful haunted house, but in Japan...options were limited. We were able to scrounge up supplies from the 100 yen store and from last year's batch, but I was apprehensive as to how well everything would work out. The morning of the party, I arrived at about 10am to begin haunted house construction. With the help of Yasuyo and Keiko, we put together a pretty spooOOooOOOooky haunted house. Unfortunately, no one had the chance to snap a picture of it before it became totally demolished, so I'll provide as much detail as possible. The entire back room of the GC was covered in black garbage bags (I believe we ended up using over 100 bags) and we tacked on as much fake spider web as we could to the walls of the room, making it stretch across so it would be stuck in the kids' hair. We hung up torn netting, lots of spiders, a skeleton and toilet paper was strewn about everywhere. To top it all off, I had downloaded haunted house music and sound effects to play in the background. As we were building it, I kept mentioning how I hoped that the kids would truly be scared (I'm not a horrible person) and Keiko continued to come up with ideas to terrify the kids as they walked through. So this is how it played out: the kids walked through the entrance (which was outside) to scary music playing and a long dark hallway. We had an overturned table behind which I hid, with a surprisingly frightening wig and mask on. As they came closer, I dropped the string that was holding the skeleton up and then jumped out, yelling and screaming so that they would run down the hallway. Yasuyo was behind some of the black plastic and started banging on it as the kids ran past her and finally, Keiko was at the end of the hallway with a giant ghost poster to chase them back in the other direction. Some of the kids were so scared, they didn't know what to do with themselves and there were definitely some tears at the end of it. Again, I'm not a horrible person...although I am holding back laughter as I recall the memories...it leads me to believe that I am going to really enjoy the Oni Matsuri with the hoikuens :)

The games to follow were much more laid back and not as drama-filled. There was some intense head-dunking during the bobbing for apples game and most of the kids spit out the salt water taffy candy that they had searched for in the whipped cream. Everyone, however, enjoyed their trick-or-treating adventure at the end of the party. Candy was only rewarded to those who asked for it correctly: give me the candy or else I'll play a dirty trick on you. Candy was given to all, eventually, and the night finally came to a close.

Although the party went over very well (I'm measuring its success by the amount of tears), it was planned at a rather inopportune time. We leave for Gilroy on Tuesday and I have to pack still!

Fun Fact... The enkai with Shimizu on Friday was awesome. A couple of them speak English, but we all got a kick out of my mobile dictionary on the keitai. Because of our adventures in translation, I learned a new word: たんしんふにん, which literally translates to "leave for one's new post without one's family". The phrase is used to describe someone (usually a male) who has left his family behind to take a job somewhere far away. This is very typical of Japan, especially with teaching positions. The higher level schools are governed by the prefecture and it's not uncommon for teachers and administrators to be moved around every few years. Teachers are often relocated and can only see their families during the weekends, and sometimes not even that much.

The Month of October

So much to my mother's dismay, I've been falling behind on updates. So sorry. While life here may seem like all fun and games, it really isn't. Okay, so a lot of it is, but I do have a job and this past month was a smack-on-the-head reminder that I am employed.

Takko 2009...oohh good times :)

As many of you know, the first weekend of this month was the Takko Garlic & Beef Festival and was the mark of the one year anniversary of my first Takko visit. This particular trip was the exact trip that I took one year ago as queen, but this year was going to be quite different. Minus a couple very important people and changing my perspective from queen to CIR, the trip was nearly the exact same schedule with the same activities, but felt very different.

Takko Garlic Ladies '09 & '10
with Garlic Queens '09 & '10

After being here for four months, the novelty of me transitioning from queen status to CIR has pretty much worn off, especially since the excitement of having this year's queen and crew come to the G&B Festival was rising on the regular. However, repeat attendees of the festival who are not native to Takko were not aware of the change of position. While the confusion of "oh wait, you were here last year...but now you're CIR?" only happened a few times, me being pulled into pictures with people happened more than once (and yes, Patrick, you won that bet).

Teppan yaki nom noms

The entire Takko portion of the trip was very surreal. I totally related to what the Gilroy group was feeling during the parties, the festival and saying good bye on the final day. What was even more strange was remembering how much I had wished that I could stay in Takko longer last year and now...here I am!

Tokyo Tower

The Tokyo leg of the trip was going to be the real challenge for me. It would be my first time playing "real" tour guide in the city and I could hardly count myself as an expert of the sites and the railway systems. True, we all remember my and Kate's adventure in Tokyo (and how well that ended!...), but this would be totally different. We had a loose schedule that we *should* try to stick to, but being flexible was inevitable given that I had never been to one of the places we visited. After tackling Tokyo Station with everyone's luggage (add one more bag to that mix), we checked in to the hotel, had lunch and began our sightseeing tour.

Asakusa...ridiculous
tourist shopping

For dinner, we attempted to return to my favorite restaurant in Shibuya (that's right...I have favorite restaurants in Japan now. Classy)...it was closed. But in true Japanese fashion, the restaurant called over to a nearby place and had one of the waiters walk us over (we figured out later that they must be owned by the same people). When we got there, a table was all set for us and ready to go. Excellent.

The next day was more sightseeing (and extremely warm weather!) and then we headed to the airport and the group was on a plane back to America. Yasuyo and I enjoyed an おつかれさまです dinner from Dean & Deluca's on the Shinkansen ride home and before we knew it, we were back in Takko after a whirlwind of a week.

Who wouldn't want us?

Ran into one of my students
Look! They're matching!

I had two more days to rest before my next guest arrived. Yes, my friends. Keito chan of Chiba made the trek to Takko! AAAAHHHHH! Everyone must have been thinking that I was crazy to have a guest for the third weekend in a row, but such was not the case! We had some big plans ahead of us: two school festivals and a dinner at Ikeda Farms. For those of you who have never been to Takko before, spending the day window shopping or sightseeing (at least without a car) is near impossible. Lucky for me and my sanity, dear ol' Keito chan was down to hang out at the apartment, catch up and watch American TV online (oh the wonders of the internet). But when we weren't vegging out on my tatami floor, Kate got to see what it's like to live in a small town in Japan. Yes, being an American in Japan is definitely a novelty no matter where you are (maybe except Tokyo...maybe), but it is a completely new experience in a smaller town. I had been invited to three events over the weekend: Takko High School's "parade", for lack of a better word, through town; Shimizugashira Elementary's school festival (in America we could best describe it as a school pageant); Takko HS's school festival (more literally a festival held in the school). I guess I've been to a few of these events at this point so I don't think twice about it, but Kate mentioned that it was like being a diplomat everywhere we went. We made an appearance, walked around, and did the small talk with administrators and such. It seemed like Keito had a great time and I KNOW that the people of Takko got a kick out of her. Everyone was thrilled to have finally met my friend from Chiba that I kept talking about. When having dinner on her last night with my coworkers, one of them walked in and said "Keito chan! You are real person!"...yes, yes she is.

Happy Halloweenieeee!

Since then, I've been working what seems like nonstop. Soon after the Gilroy group left, I was all over planning for the next trip to Gilroy: Takko Jr High trip. Although the last trip home was a bit stressful being that it was my first official duty as CIR, this one has seemed to cause me a bit more anxiety. Hence, the reason I've been so MIA lately. Between that and teaching the children and adults of Takko about Halloween, things have been a bit crazy. And now...I have 4 days left until I fly back to California after being gone for three months. It marks the longest time I have ever been away from home. I will がんばれ！

This weekend is my last to prepare/pack for the trip but I'll also be decorating for the big Halloween party at the Garlic Center. What am I going to be? Sshhh...it's a secret! I promise...pictures will be included in the next entry :)

Can I be more Japanese?

A "You know you're in Japan when..." Moment: Shimizugashira, the school I rarely go to but I absolutely loving being at, invited me to help in harvesting their rice. Yes, harvesting rice. The school had planted a rice paddy earlier in the year with Patrick and now I was going to help them harvest it (adorable, I know). Commercially, rice is harvested in a much more efficient manner using large machinery, but we were going to do it the old-fashioned way...with sickles. So I marched over to the fields with the 30 students that attend the school (yes, 30 total) and we all grabbed a sickle and went to it. Shockingly, even with 30 kids running around with very sharp objects that looked like they belonged in the Children of the Corn movie, no one was sent to the hospital or even injured. Well done, Shimizu!

We did the entire field
in about 2 hours

Coming Up...: The teachers of Shimizu (again!) have invited me to an enkai this Friday night. I'm foregoing all responsibilities that evening and I'm going to hang out with those fabulous people. An enkai is an excuse for people to get wasted-face with their coworkers and completely let go of any inhibitions that they may have at work. Will let you know how that goes.

Mata ne!