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!