Ramblings and shamblings

I have, once again, been a terrible  blogger, or rather a multi focused one. The ceramics blog I started has been getting its biweekly attention, and the reviews have been nothing but stellar thus far. However, with the ceramics in full swing I all too often forget about the happenings of my life that the few readers of this web space might be interested in.

The long and short of it is that for the past two or three weeks I have been a bit of a home body. Trying to focus intensly on health for several weeks, and then last week came along and hit the reset button. Last week was Graduation and exams to close out the Japanese school year. This meant longer hours at school, less time in the pottery studio, big work dinner parties, drinking with my principal (that guy is crazy!), and generally not having time to fit work outs into my day to day life. This has resulted in me feeling rather akin to a hippo on this slightly gloomy monday mid morning.

I'm not sure I have ever really talked about it much on this blog, but I have been battling with health and fitness since my days at Hamilton Jr. High. Things came to a head my junior year of college when I weighed in at a massive 295 pounds. With a bit of motivation, more attention to portion and food choice, and daily hard work outs I dropped down to about 250 by the end of my senior year. Then for about a year I played the up and down game between 240 and 260 while applying to the JET Program, but once I hit Japan the appearant lack of as many frankenfoods (seriously I buy almost ZERO preprepared things here. All fresh ingredients when I can) helped kick the fittness game into a new high. I currently float at about 220 or 215. This is great, and I have held there for my year and six months in Japan, but I am at the stage in my fittness goals where little week long vacations into indulgence set me back a months worth of working and being "on the plan". As a very goal oriented person those little back slides cause me considderable frustration, and last week was sure one of them. So it's back to the gym this week (I hope).

Yesterday was a rainy day as well, and I took some time to prep some new recycled beer can seed starters, and filled them with nastershum seeds, my spinach has beyond sprouted and seems healthy thus far, and even better is the continual flourishing of my 5 mini kale plants. I never get enough for a full meal, but I can harvest of good handfull and mix it in with spinach or other greens from the farmer's market any time. Let me tell you, the farmer's market and I are fasts friends now. All local, all in season, and all CHEAP! Look at all that fruit and veg for only about $25.

Get them veggies in ya!

More to come

The Real, Good Guy

It's my pappa's birthday! I have been sitting and writing and rewriting ways to say that in a more eligant fassion, but they all fall short. After many MANY years of writing cards to my father, cards meant to induce pleasant memories or conjure up all the admiration I have for him, I have given up on words. . . well . . . that's a lie. I wouldn't be writting this for you if that statement were true.

Dad,

It seems all too fitting that your birthday falls on a day dedicated to expressing love. I think you're an overflowing well of love. You and Mom are the best example of that I can imagine. You give and give, and in all of this giving you've taught me so much. I strive to craft myself in your image, and model myself on your creativity, rationality, and heart. I can't tell you how excited I am that you are comming to see my world here in Japan in April.

In two very simple, and slightly juvinile, words: YOU ROCK!

I hope you have absolutely the happiest of happy birthdays. We'll celebrate in earnest when you fly into Nara in April.

Another BLOG?!

That's right fans! I've just launched a new blog, and this one is all ceramics all the time. This interweb sight is simply named A. Sartorius Ceramics , and you should go check it out! I have been hiding most of my photographed work since i came to Japan but no more.

In other, non-self promotive, news - it was COLD, COLD, FEAK'n COLD today. Susaki even got a a constant flurry of tiny flakes. The combination of cold and strong winds really makes bike rides substantially less than pleasant.

 I came home today and baked. I baked lemon short cakes for a friends birthday party tomorrow (to be topped with whipped cream and strawberries, transforming them into strawberry short cakes), but even more scrumptious is the make shift lox I concocted tonight. Make a quick and simple rye bread dough, top it with cracked black pepper, and bake it at 180C for about 20 min. Then spread black pepper cream cheese, layer on some sushi grade salmon, and top with tomatoes, red onion, and parsley in a lemon pepper dressing. DEVOUR in bliss. It has been a long time since I was so satisfied by my own cooking (not to toot my own horn or anything). In fact it has been a bit of a culinary dry spell. Guess I have been feeling a bit uninspired. NO more! God that was such a surprise good thing. GO MAKE TASTY THINGS!

More to come. 

\

Quiet times

Susaki Wednesday, and the sun took her sweet time peeking out from behind the greying cloud cover. I had little to do today at work. The third year students are all finished for the year (4 of my ussual classes gone until April), and the second years are off on their school trip to Korea or Nagoya (another 3 of my weekly classes). This leaves me with 4 classes in 5 days, and a month and a half of less than busy teaching. Ceramics anyone? Despite the pain of cold hands and unheated studios I think it is well past time that I attempt to get my artist side back in action. I have been invited to two open air two day craft markets by a friend who frequently sets up a booth at them. One is in the beginning of March and one the beginning of May. I had orriginaly intended on not selling any of my work until I had some type of show or exhibition with it, but I am finding it more than a little difficult to get Japanese galleries on my side of the "Hey! let's help the new artist attempt to break into the feild, " equasion.   I am in the process of making a blog esspeicially for my ceramics. Just a space where I can post photos of my work, get feedback, and do a little shameless self promotion.

Two weekends ago I went to Osaka with 5 of the most wonderful folks to see my favorite band, Beirut. The show bordered on religious experience. I would see them again, again, and again x 1000! The openning act was a fantastic Japanese band called Shogu Tokamaru, and then Beirut blew the roof off. Two, four song encores, every song I was hoping they would play, and really close to the stage made it the best concert I've ever been to.

On the day to day front, I am REALLY enjoying practicing my banjo. I try to play about an hour a day if I can. That hour goes by very quickly. I made a modified version (have yet to find dill seeds in my super markets) of these pickled carrot sticks last night, and just finished scarfing down a delicious home grown kale, mushroom, and onion pizza (on rye crust!). Also (speaking of kale), check out my winter greens!

It's growning like a champ in my tiny green house. I am considdering buying another one in the hopes of starting more seeds this winter, but the reality of that has yet to be seen. I am not even 100% sure I need to keep the kale in that green house. I really miss having a garden. . . like you know, one you can stand in and don't have to buy the earth in plastic bags from the home and gardening store and carry it up like 8 flights of steps. Some day Andrew, some day.

Well, I would say this post has gone about as far as it will go for a time filler on my snailish day. Be happy, be well, and stay warm. More to come. . .

I forgot to hit "publish" last Thursday.

(As the tittle suggests this post is several days old, and has been sitting unintentionaly in the drafts folder. A more up to date one on the happenings of this most recent weekend will follow shortly)

It's chilly and wet here. Most days I feel like I live in a place where winter doesn't exist, or rather it exisits in the chill that sinks into you before you recognize the need for another layer (because no buildings have insulation). It settles in the tips extremities, and lingers far longer than it should. A place, where if the sun shines in mid January you only need a sweater, but the nights and little hours of the morning leave your breath suspended momentarily before you as though it wished to share some secret from somewhere within your chest.

I still think winter without snow is a damn wrong feeling winter.

Last week saw several things happen: my best and brightest 3rd year students fell victim to the trials of Japan's national standardized tests (more on this in a bit), I went to Nakamura to visit Mr. Colin for is big birthday (30 years the old man), and also had myself a wee birthday party. Yep I'm 25 and feeling about the same as I felt at 24. Though I will admit that post holiday tavels I am feeling more purposful and a little clearer in thought process.

A quick note on the test taking thing : Depending on your chosen course of study as a high school student in Japan, you may have to take up to 6 (I have been told) different 80 minute standardized tests. Think SAT and ACT combined into one giant test, and (here's the kicker) you only get one shot at it. There are no retakes. You either make the cut, or you don't. For me, this seems cruel. I have watched many of my favorite students crumble slowly under the pressure this week. One student in particular so much so that she broke down in class. Water works, quiet sobs, and a bumbling giant hairy foreigner telling her that she is very smart and shouldn't worry, but the language barrier is always there. My new years travels showed me how much my Japanese has improved since I came, but it is still . . . childish and broken at best. Perhaps the most appropreate word is functional. In instances like this though, where I wish to god I could comand all the grace and comforting powers of any language, I am left again scrambling to conveigh that I am at the least understanding and interested in listening.


I should mention that this student was more embarassed by her own break down, than eager to talk about why she was crying. So counseling, and offering the old teacher's shoulder are not always welcome. What can you do though?

Thats all for now

a quick picture of the birthday party crew.

ALICEEEEEEE

Sorry for the several weeks of silence. I've been busy showing my sister all the reasons I love Japan. For those who many not know - I have a sister (from other parents), her name is Alice. Our paths crossed in college, we worked together at Kingsley Pines (the happiest place on Earth), and have kept in touch speaking at least once a week for two years of mutual international work experience (me in Japan and her in Zambia for a year and now in South Africa). Sometimes she writes about her adventures and work at this blog.

At any rate she came to Japan on Dec. 22 after something like 38 hours of traveling. I kept a bare bones diary of what we did day to day because for 12 days we were running full throttle to make the most of our time together. So much happened while Alice was here I am actually unsure what the best way to approach writing about and sharing it all. I think I will start with just the bare bones of the trip for today and follow that up with a more reflective post after I have some time to really workout everything that was taken in. So without further hesitation here's the nuts and bolts of what happened: 

Dec 22: Alice arrived in Susaki on a bus at 7:08 in the morning after a ten hour bus ride, two 8 or 9 hour flights, and an 18 hour layover in Doha, Qatar. She championed through a little drowsiness and spent the day meeting my students and coworkers. That night was also the bon enkai for my school so she cleaned all up and came out for the big end of the year party. 

Dec 23: Alice slept till 1:30 (just over 13 hours). We cooked together, and adventured down to the large local market to look for what we wanted to eat later in the week. We ate at one of my favorite noodle shops, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing and remembering those we both miss from Wooster. 

Dec 24: Went to Aki city to meet up with the usual crowd of Kochi's best and brightest for a huge Christmas party. There was feasting, drinking, festivities, a gift exchange, and even a bicycling santa appeared. 

Dec 25: Aki is right on a stunning stone beach. Christmas morning was spent throwing stones into the ocean, sun bathing, and cooking yet again. Came home to Susaki to make eggnog, skype with family and friends, and watch It's a Wonderful Life (it just isn't Christmas without George Bailey). 

Dec 26: Alice and another friend of mine went for a day hike along a beautiful mountainous stretch of the 88 temple trek that runs near Susaki, and returned to Susaki for another bon enkai (this time with the Susaki Broken English Club). Way too much good food, they dressed Alice up in kimono, and took us to karaoke after. 

Dec 27: Spent the day in Kochi City. Took Alice to Kochi castle, and then met up with the lovely Mia who helped us adventure around for the rest of the day. She spirited us up to Godaisan (a mountain overlook of the city that has a beautiful example of what the 88 temple temples typically look like). The three of us then went to Hirome for beers, more great food, and even better conversations. 

Dec 28th: This was a long day of travel. Susaki to Osaka and Osaka to Koyasan. Took all day, but Koyasan, even in the dark, was beautiful. We checked into our temple (yep we stayed in a temple), and prepared to wake up the next day super early for morning prayers with the monks. 

Dec 29th: Up at 5:45 for morning ceremonies and meditation. Delicious vegan (monk's standard diet) breakfast, and out early into the snow and cold. Walked through the huge and beautiful Buddhist graveyard. Spent most of the day going from temple to temple and reading about why Koyasan is so important to Buddhism and the 88 temple trek I am doing. In mid afternoon we returned to Osaka where we spent the rest of the day vigorously hopping from bar to bar sampling the many different classic snacks and treats the Japanese frequently dine on while enjoying a beer or three. Temples one night to neon uber city the next. 

Dec 30th: Spent the night in a capsule hotel and woke up to find out most of the museums we had planned on going to were closed for the new year. Spent the day in an Onsen (Japanese hot springs spa) instead, and worked our way to Nara (Japan's first capital). 

Dec 31st: Nara is infested with tiny deer! They are thought to be the messengers of the gods . . . spent the day going to temples and museums. Saw the largest wooden structure in the world, and one of the biggest Buddha statues I have ever seen. Issued in the new year in a huge crowd of people waiting to pray at the temple of this huge Buddha, and sipped on a bottle of bubbly while walking through the street fair that mysteriously popped up all over the temple grounds. 

Jan 1st: Coffee and doughnuts to start the new year, and a day spent hitting  the last few temples we missed in Nara. Enjoying a big final feast together and reflecting on the trip we had. 

Jan 2nd: Alice leaves Japan. . . . 

WELLLL there you have it. After Alice left I spent a few days in Osaka with some Japanese friends of mine. You can see all the photos of Alice's grand adventure on my lovely Flickr page, but for now I think this post has gone on long enough. It is safe to say I have had an incredible past few weeks, and I can't thank Alice enough for coming all the way here to spend sometime with her Brother Bear. I hope all my family and friends back home had equally wonderful holidays, and may your Year of the Dragon (yep that's right) be everything you want it to be! 

More to come. 

Season of endings

December in Japan is the month of official ends. New Years is arguably the biggest holiday here, and with it comes two responcibilities: officially close the year propperly, and open the year in the best possible way. Being that I can't speak of what my new year will be like I`m going to focus on the closing ceremonies here.

Every club, work place, group of friends, or group of willing participants has what's called a Bon Enkai (Year end party). These are a chance to reflect on the year, eat a huge course of food, drink with your coworkers (my other high school teachers love this part), and generally bond with those you spend the most time with outside of family. The food is always better at a Bon Enkai, and when your supervisor comes to you and hands you a beer it is one of the only times in Japan where I have been able to geleam any honest constructive critisism on my teaching. This year Susaki High School will have a very speical guest at it's bon enkai. My dear friend (sister via unofficial adoption) Alice is bound for Japan from Cape Town as we SPEAK, and I am all a quiver with anticipation. Alice and I will be traveling extensivly (expinsively . . . ew, traveling within Japan is REALLY pricey) through out the kansai area of Japan. More to come on that after it's done. She'll also spend about 6 days puttering about Kochi getting to know my day to day, and spending Christmas with all the cool kids you hear about so frequently who are not off traveling for their holidays. This reunion and vacation are much needed because I am one tired guy. Between school, PA, free English lessons, taiko, and attempting to maintain a social life and presence I really came dangerously close to burning out. After a week of returning to daily workouts and health minded diet (get them greens in) I am feeling almost back to myself.

In other news. I am back on the baking wagon as chocolate chip cookies are now officially in season. My Christmas tree is up (major life goal of having a live tree achieved thanks to a local hardwear store sellign small potted evergreens) and the den is looking quite festive, if I do say so.

Two weekends ago I went into the city to see Mia's band, Wind Beat, play a big show on the night of the lunar eclipse. Fantastic! They are a really tight group, and the crowd was bursting with bunches of friends. It was a fun night of great tunes and good banter.

With my new found unbusy days (these will not last I assure you, so I am cherishing them) my mind has been wandering about to thoughts of future plans and reasessed goals. . . but they are neither fully formed nor coherent at this moment, so you'll have to wait to hear about those thoughts. In other news I BOUGHT A BANJO! I have always loved the sound of clawhammer banjo, and after the ever musical influence of some loved ones here (and realizing taiko doesn't really push me musically) I said what the heck. Internets meet Mary Margret.

MORE TO COME!

Grind On

10:03 and it feels like 1:00 in the morning. The past three weeks can be defined by half warm cups of coffee, stiff necks, semi fevers, taiko performances to small crowds, and generally running about like a chicken whose head has been cut off. I have been helping with a Jr. High School speech contest every day after school. Many hours of repeating phrases such as "foreign languages" and words like "tricked" (pronounced tu RU i ka D by the offending student for days and days). The contest is over now, and, thankfully, three students took home golds and four silvers. I've also been volunteering with a group of about 12 senior citizens once a week for about two hours teaching them conversational English. They are a big blast, and have surprisingly high levels of English. So lots of extra work, and also preparations for a very large JET Program meeting next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday make for the boy almost getting sick (wellness has wonderfully returned!).

Since I last posted I went to Hiroshima to play frisbee:

I also attended a wonderful birthday party, followed by a Susaki High School soft ball game, and finally a hug Thanksgiving feast with many loved ones that I don't see anywhere near enough of. \

And may you all have wonderful days! More to come.

Mondays

Most people complain about Monday. It is the devious kick start to the week, and the death of all fun that was had on weekends. Monday doesn't care if you got home late from all your wild hullabaloo adventures. It just cares that you be ready for the hurt it plans to bring down on you before Tuesday and the settling routine come in to ease your weekly pattern. I, however, rather enjoy my Mondays. You see, we have an agreement, Monday and I. I agree to be very productive in the morning: teach my one class, plan my other lessons, organize my week, and be generally (though not indefinately) productive, and Monday agrees to let me relax for the bulk of the afternoon and not step all over my lingering endorphine rush from a weekend of fun.

"So what do you do while relaxing at work Andrew?"

Well dear reader, due to over active self motivation I rarely have quiet moments at school, but Monday is almost always a guarantee, and on that promised quiet day I typically catch up on my internet readings. So, in the interest of trying something new, here are three of my very favorite blogs. I check them almost daily for up dates, and enjoy the heck out of them.

1. The Field Lab is the ever evolving story of the Chicago born former New York City fasion photographer, John Wells. In December 2007 Wells took a complete life shift and went from big city to middle of the desert. On his home page he stays:

Rather than spend the rest of my life busting my ass so I can afford all the modern, pre-packaged conveniences that our "advanced" society provides - I am putting that energy into providing for all my own needs. To quote some new friends of mine who have also chosen this lifestyle,

" Every day, we get up, have coffee with the early morning, do chores, then get on with whatever project we have going… there’s often a choice. We go to bed tired, but very happy and peaceful."

Sparcely worded and beuatifuly photographed, I found this blog in a magazine sent to me by the parents, and was hooked after I went back and read the first few posts from oh so long ago. Despite my dislike of deserts and hot climates this blog has all the right elements of the back to the land/ sustainable living/ counter culture dream without the summer of love tinted glasses. I find it really impressive.


2. The Tiny House Blog is a jem I stumbled upon after watching a youtube tour of one of Jay Shaffer's Tumbweed Tiny homes.  The tiny house movement (if you choose to call it that) is all about cutting down on materialism. Many of the stories that come with the various tiny houses out there are linked to sustainability, the desire to pay less but still own a hom, being more active, and also there is a fairly consistant (though by no means required) do it your self train of thought going. This blog offers stories, pictures, resources, and listings for small dwellings all over the world. It is a facinating culture, and I find the designs and interiors of many of these homes to be absolutely beautiful.

One of the first interiors of a tiny home I ever saw from the fantastic book Rolling Homes

3. Lastly there is my go to cooking blog, Smitten Kitchen. If you know me at all you know I love cooking. It's how I destress, and is a skill I think everyone should know, preferably well. I found this lovely resourse through another blog written by my former baby sitter. At Smitten Kitchen you get consistently delicious recipies, cleanly and easily presented, and really, I MEAN REALLY, mouth watering photos (a.k.a. food porn). It's well writen creative food talk without pretension.


And that is all there is time for. Check them out! Read! Enjoy.

The wedding post follows suit shortly.

Knot Tied

My taiko instructor's youngest daughter, Aika, got married two weekends ago. I have spent a lot of time with these lovable taiko folks, and have watched the family plan this wedding for months.

The planning was worth it, because the wedding felt more like a Las Vegas show then a wedding. The most interesting thing was the mock chapel ceremony. I asked a friend who understood the Japanese being spoken what type of ceremony it was. The asnwer - a white wedding / unity candle celebration, held in the quaint chapel atop the swankiest hotel in Kochi City. A violin and cello duet played less dancey versions of such wedding classics as "Beauty and the Beast". There was even a "Minister", though I was told he didn't mention God, Jesus, the bible, or any of the other trappings of what might be said at a wedding. We never bowed our heads in prayer, and yet the bride walking down the red carpeted isle and the image of a classic small chappel wedding was preserved and cultivated. Just after the white wedding ceremony the bride and groom were whisked away for their first of three costume changes, this one from white dress and tux to traditional Japanese kimono. After the reception started and the families had their grand enterences, the bride and groom disapeared again to change into the relaxed dress part of the night (think prom night but with more spacklies). There were home movies set to high tension anime theme songs, and flaming swords used to light candles on every guest's table. It was quite the night:

Theatrics aside, it was beautiful. Weddings are such a process in the States as well, but the ones I have always felt most comfortable at were the ones that were not grandiose, and focused more on the joy of two people admiting their love for one another. Cheers, well wishes, drinks, good food, tears of happines, and the hope that the passion of their promiss will last through the trials life attempts to throw at them. The hope that they`ll always wear the smiles spawned from the laughter shared the night of their union. I can`t imagine anyone felt any other way at Aika's ceremony. Filtered through my cave man Japanese I only caught simple ideas within the various speaches read: "Mom, Dad, thank you for loving me. I love you."  or "I'll do my best for her." (that one is a rough translation), but the point is waylayed by the semantics of translation and linguistics. There is a definate universal language to be shared in joyous smiles. . . and a few too many celebratory sips.

More to come.

Hustling Culture

A is for active, B is for busy, C is for Culture [festival], and that's where I'm at, or rather was last week. In the Japanese education system there are two standard events the students spend years looking forward to and simultaniously dreading: Taikusai (sports festival) and Bunkasai (culture festival). Both of these celebrations take up months of the student's and teacher's lives. They meet every day after school and exams, club activities, or home lives all get pushed by the way side for the glory and perfection that must be these events. Now, you may be imagining, much as I was, that culture festival would be based on paying tribute to the richness of Japanese culture (or at least pay tribute to it!). It isn't. Not even close in fact. What it is, is a break from the monotony of lecture and test preparation the students shuffle through, and much, much more.

Last Tuesday afternoon my classes were cancelled to help prep the school for this monster that had been lurking in the flickering flourecence of Susaki's High School's storage rooms and long locked coradoors. The school is rarely as bustling as when all the students are clearing class rooms, decorating towers of stacked desks, and transforming the plane everyday walls of virtually ever part of the school with color, and hand made signs, and balloons! It felt like we were preparing for a huge party. I was conscripted by various favorite students to come help them with the more vertical problems that popped up. . . hanging curtains, wrapping colored plastic over florecent light covers (to set the mood?), and killing hornet infested upper corners of previously mentioned long locked or neglected classrooms (horrifying yes?). After all of this making ready the whole school went home quite late, a bit tired, and ready for the day one of the culture festival.

*Enter RAIN [center stage].

The next day came, and with it the constant drip drizzle of a not so cool, humidity inducing, rain that only just let up yesterday. The first day of the festival can be summed up by my students responces to my question of "How are you today?"

Answer 1: I`m so, so.

Answer 2: I'm tired, and hungry.

Answer 3 (most poppular of the day) : I am bad. No funs. Not fun!

This is quite the reply to hear, and as it turns out Wednesday was't meant to be fun. The first day of Bunkasai is a practice day. You see, Bunkasai roughly translates to culture festival, but it is really more like a giant team building excersize for each home room class and club. They plan, decorate, create, and manage a means to make money in a festival setting held at the high school. Wednesday was like the trial run without anyone there to practice on. A dry run to iron out all the wrinkles, and, let me tell you, it is a good thing they did this (despite overly bored responces from students) because the actual event went off flawlessly. Delicious festival foods were eaten, fun carnival games were played, classrooms turned haunted mazes were staggered through, and three of my mountain dwelling taiko friends managed to come meet some of my students too. The photos say more than my words will, but it was really a very well thought out and suprising event that, for me, highlighted the importance of solidarity and group effort. This event worked so well becaue the students work together and don't want to let their fellow effort oozing friends down. I am talking 100% participation. The smiles say it all if you ask me.

As always,
More to come



(up next: the wedding)

Fright Night (should have been posted over a week ago)

Holy ghosts, ghouls, and goblins Batman! Halloween has come and gone in a flash yet again, and it rained cats and dogs here in Kochi for the costumed festivities (meaning my camera did not make it out). I did manage to capture the making of quite possibly the scariest last minute costume ever!

 

Halloween in Japan (for me) can be broken down to three happenings repeated teaching of Halloween lessons, Susaki high school after school trick or treat (because they can`t wear costumes or have candy at school), and the Hirome Halloween party. Hirome is a large covered market where people come to drink and partake of delicious eats of all kinds. It typically is open all day and a bit into the night. However, on Halloween they close early and reopen from 11 to 3 for a costumed night of dancing, drinks, and witch craft and wizardry. It was a fun, all be it a bit fuzzy around the edges (staying up till 4 in the a.m. is a rare occurence these days).

In other breaking news, I am beyond excited to announce that one of my adopted family members (closest friends from home), Alice Bauman, will be coming to Japan for Christams this year! This is of course the best present EVER.

Not a lot of meat to this post, but in the next seven days I have a full plate of new cultural experiences in the form of my school`s culture festival (bunkasai) and my first ever Japanese wedding. Hopefully, there will be pictures and stories to tell.

more to come!

Sometimes I'm a Teacher

One wouldn’t know it from my bog, but I still teach here in Japan. I typically only write about the friends, food, and travel, but last Friday one of my classes went so well I simply must share it.

Four days ago I taught my international education class a lesson on music. These five kids are the best of the best when it comes to English students. They do their homework, are constantly trying to start up conversations with me in the hallways, and they work to retain the English I teach in my classes with them (so many kids see me once a week for class and just forget everything we do). So, on Friday class started with genre and playing samples of different styles of music from all over: folk, jazz, blues (they got really into Muddy Waters), heavy metal, prog-rock, hip-hop, country, and punk to name a few. After a clear sampling and sharing of the various other musical stylings beyond the ever present, and horribly ear rotting, J-Pop, we began a new activity I had thought up. Back in the summer camp seasons teaching art I used to do a painting and dry pastel activity where I played a song and the students had to fill their page with color and lines based on how the song made them feel. They had till the end of the song to fill up as much of the page as they could. I wanted an activity that would encourage communication and quick thinking without focusing on grammar or sentence structure. So I made a list of six questions for them to answer while listening to various songs.

1. What would this music taste like?

2. How does this music make you feel?

3. Where would you like to listen to this music?

4. What picture does this music make you think of?

5. What color is this music?

6. What instrument in this song would you like to be?


We listened to three songs, and the students and Japanese Teacher of English got so into it. We listened to: Beirut , Weezer , and Old Crow Medicine Show. Each song produced well though out images and fascinating responses from my students. As we listened to more music it was great to see the mood of the students shift from tired Friday morning blues to alert and focused on English expression. After a lot of talking about their various color and taste (these were their favorite questions to answer) till the bell rang my JTE thanked me for a lesson like she’d never had.
Perhaps it’s a bit of patting myself on the back to post about a teacher complimenting me, but having a lesson go exactly as you desired it to is quite rare.

The first band linked above, Beirut, is probably my most listened to band of the past year, and I am so freakishly excited to have scored tickets for this January in Osaka! The gangs all going, and we're going to have probably the best time ever! So I leave you with my favorite song of theirs. Enjoy!

More to come.

Total RECALL

25 Person Potluck Party in the Bear Den (two months ago)

The lingering gray of the summer's typhoon season decided to work its way out of mother nature's system on Friday. The morning started with that kind of mist that wasn't quite enough to make you put up your umbrella, but would undoubtedly swell as the day wore on into a constant and dreary drip. It's been a busier than busy, but I have reached a little lull allowing me to reflect on all the stories that I have accumulated and their relative importance.

What truly makes the cut for being worth reporting?

The truth is that much of my life isn't so different than any one else's life. Many, many weekends are spent having meals, drinks, or coffees with friends. Sharing on this blog has become a bit of a strange thing for me. I think I fell behind on posting partially because I was really busy, but more so because I have truly settled in after well over a year of being in Susaki. I think when I returned from home, after noticing so many differences and feeling really quite alien in my own country, I wanted to bask in the amazing familiarity of Japan. I take such comfort in the fact that I can contact friends to either side of my town and within an hour I can be certain I will be having a fantastic conversation that could (and always does) evolve into a grand night of fun. It is really easy to become so immersed in that immediate gratification that I tend to forget that I have ties just as strong (all be they flung far and wide) all over America.

Best beach find of my life. 

It's a bit like juggling two lives, but for some (those back in America) our life together is in a kind of suspended animation. We maintain all the vital signs and begin the auto defrost cycles on our cryogenic stasis pods to keep from developing freezer burn, but everything is slowed due to distance and the lack of shared experience. So, I guess it's my job to share more vigorously to prevent stasis lock.





In my past months I have:

• Oriented a group of 36 new JETs from all over the world to life in Kochi. That was a huge production and took a lot of planning with my fellow PA's. It went better than I could have hoped. 
• I floated down the Shimanto River numerous times with those friends I hold most dear whilst sipping on beers. 
• I hiked about 20 miles in seven hours for my first solo Henro excursion, which was beautiful, peaceful, and so dramatically different and vastly more gratifying than I expected solo hiking to be. 
• I sustained my first sorts related injury, due to the above mentioned solo hike, in the form of horribly shin splints on my right leg. (I am better now.)
• I returned to Tokyo, just two weeks ago on Wednesday, for another PA training session. 

Mike's surprise, Italian Mafia themed, dinner party. 

Amid all of this there were many dinner parties, cooking adventures (if you have never gone to this inter-web interest YOU MUST! She never leads me wrong in the recipe department), and other new and fantastic times with Colin, Marie, Mia, Jamie H, Jamie E, and the whole cast of favorite characters you may or may not know by name from the past year of posts.

Granted this isn't much, but it should at least paint a blurry picture of the past months for me. I will be making a bigger and better effort at keeping up with this whole writing thing. I like the idea of having a blog to look back on whenever I decided to return States side, and, after all, you've gotta keep those stasis pods at the right levels . . .


otherwise your friendships might go cold.
(too cheesy? That joke was made with my father in mind.)



As always
MORE TO COME.

Colin and Miss Mia (two of my very favorite people). 

A Bear in the Big City. April 6, 2011.

(DEAR SWEET LORD THIS IS LONG, LONG OVER DUE! I must, MUST DO BETTER) So first a not on the passing of time:

" It is already well into May. . . wait, WHAT! My time here is flying by at warp eleven. My weekends are typically supercharged with friends, food, sights, hiking swimming (well not yet but oh so soon!), cooking, and planning for the week that will inevitably follow the joyous ruckus that was miraculously crammed into two days. In summation, over a month has passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. I have many, many stories worthy of telling, but this post isalready written from oh so long ago and will be an adequate sacrifice to the mildly ignored interweb gods that be. I will try to catch up in the next two weeks with my chronicling of my time here. One of my new goals is to write more, so perhaps that will be the fire that gets me off my ass, and back to typing and thinking on writing. (One can only hope ne?"

The ceilings are low, and in an all too typical way I have to duck my head as I walk about (else risk a lump). Every table, booth, or bench is full to the brim with young Japanese people eating, drinking, and laughing. Two huge grill stations send out plumes of sweet smelling wood smoke, as the grill masters use dramatically long tongs to snatch various glistening fresh cuts of sea life from baskets lined with ice just in front of the fire pits. Glasses clink and you hear the words oishi and umai (both forms of delicious, or wonderful) coming from mouths full of flakey white fish. I work my way to the back corner table, behind the kegs, with its tiny un-backed chairs. We, the only two foreigners in here, were lucky to have Corey’s friend Ryo with us to get us the reservation. He orders a sampling of sea creatures and when asked what he ordered he doesn’t really reply – he just smiles knowingly. The small plates of food begin to roll in: grilled whole squid in ginger and shoyu (perfectly cooked). Corey, “That is so damn good! We gotta get another of those.” And we do. Everything: the squid, scallops, flat fish, three different types of small river fish, octopus, even the pregnant fish filled with their own babies then grilled in onions and garlic – it’s all just delicious. When asked what something is, Ryo responds in the way I now would expect most younger Osakan’s to reply. “Fuck the what is it man! Just eat it! It’s delicious.” Over the course of the meal we did squeeze in one plate of grill asparagus, and to round out the missing starches of the night we each had a few beers to wash down our banter and sea born feast. It was the best meal I’ve had in Japan; the presence of excellent company (which it seems I am never lacking these days) added to the night, but oh the food. I could not find the place again if I had to. I can tell you it is in Umeda (the centerish of Osaka, business skyscrapers and neon lights). It was a part of my weekend of being directed through a maze. Guided by friends and strangers I’d like to count as friends now through a noisy clustered mass of cars and streets, city like subways, and the biggest public transportation station I have ever had the pleasure of getting lost in. I am still recovering from my weekend in earnest, but man was it worth it.

So on to the rest of the story I suppose, or rather the filling in of the gaps. I went on a little mini spring vacation to the second biggest city in Japan, Osaka. Now, traditionally Osaka was the merchant city, and it’s always had this little rivalry with Tokyo. Osakan people think people who speak Tokyo influenced Japanese sound stiff and overly mannered, while to a Tokyo native Osakans come off as gruff and crude. Osaka is also the self-proclaimed food capital of Japan. I took a high way bus up on Friday, and spent my first two hours wandering Umeda Station (which in my defense is connected two subways, the JR Railways, JR commuter lines, the Airport Shuttles, and the Bus Station not to mention the snaking network of shops that course through that busy mini city) attempting to find the bathroom. I will also excuse my utter lack of direction with the fact that I awoke Thursday with a slight fever, a cough that set lightning a crackling through my lungs, and virtually no voice. I found my way to the Osaka Aquarium (BUT ANDREW YOU”VE BEEN THERE BEFORE! I love aquariums, and being that I had my fancy lovely new camera it seemed the perfect way to waist time in a relaxed space). After two hours and 153 pictures of jelly fish I headed to Shinsaibashi (famous restaurant district to meet up with my roommate from Tokyo Orientation, Carter (you may also remember him from such exciting posts as Naked Man).

Carter and I met up, and immediately went for grub. He is in Osaka almost every weekend, and being a fellow foody knows some damn fine eateries. Classically trained Mexican was on the menu for tonight. The place had charm and enough character to go around for years. Friendly staff, really really good food (the highlights for me were the slow cooked pork tongue tacos), and the margarita on the rocks made it quite the lovely dining experience. The lime and tequila helped my throat feel that false kind of better that you hope will last all night because you know when it goes away it’ll probably hurt worse. Then we met up with Carter’s friends and hand a long night of meeting new people. We slept in a capsule hotel (If you don’t know what this is, it is a rented bed and that is it. You rent a bed that is enclosed in a pod that you crawl into to sleep. Just enough space to sit up. No extra. Very cheap accommodations for frequent city commuters.)

The next day we went to an onsen (Japanese bath house) to wash away the smell of cigarettes and tortillas from the night before. Carter went off to meet a friend, and I met up with Corey (insert story about best food in Japan yet here). After I returned to a bar from the night before where there had been a fairly healthy crowd of English speakers. Carter and I wound up spending time with these Japanese chefs who spoke English very well, and seemed to think our food fascinations were endearing to say the least. They were fun beyond reckoning and kept us out till 8 in the A.M. talking and listening to live Brazilian music. After a night of no sleep, Carter departed for Wakayama and I was graciously entertained and fed well by my new Japanese friends who stayed with me until my bus left for Kochi at 1:30 that afternoon. The bus ride home was. . . well. . . filled with soar throats, uncontrollable coughing, and lots of napping. Traveling while sick, it seems makes, you sicker. Spent the rest of the week getting the green gunk outtalk my lungs, and terrorizing my office. My JTE’s all went a scattering at the mere sound of my raspy cough, and to this day they have not been seen near me (joking). I'm all well and fine now. More, more, more updates long over due to come. But now . . . . bed! but first Jelly fish and a turtle! for more go to my flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearsartorius/sets/72157626574318548/

One to Catch you up.

Well over two months ago I returned home on the anniversary of my first year in Japan. Fourteen hours on a plane, 5 full length feature films, two episodes of airplane TV, 1.5 warmed over cardboard tasting meals, and the seemingly mandatory unpleasantly rude and crowded two hour stagger through US immigration put me finally in the familiar embrace of my two very best friends.

(Now, you’ll notice, if you are an especially aware reader, that I went home way back in the beginning of August. Since we’re now to the late middle of October, I obviously have been a miserably undedicated narrator these past months. I hope to write another post with great haste to bring back the great and grand times of my past months, but let’s get back on track with the story at hand.)

My parents are simply put the best, and somehow my excitement to see them and the rest of my family destroyed the ever talked about trials of jetlag. I adjusted quickly to the time, and spent two weeks in Parkersburg (hence forth referred to as “The Burg”). I ate like a king for days on end. All the trappings of flavors long desired and seldom seen in Japan: salamis, cured meats, blue cheeses, cheap watermelon (this was fantastic), Mexican foods, Grandma’s angle food cake, and GOOD BEER (oh how I have missed good beers).

While the food was fantastic, the company was the real treat of being home. The time spent with my grandparents was especially wonderful. I finally got a chance to photograph my grandfather’s old cars and barns (I have been waiting for the right camera for this job for years it seems, and my Nikon really came through).

It was so great to spend those two weeks soaking in my family, but for all the greatness of my visit there was the undeniable strangeness of returning “home” to America. This can perhaps be best outlined by a shopping excursion to Sam’s Club. I never realized how different the shopping layouts and personal mannerisms of the crowds that surround you can affect you. Everything and everyone in Sam’s seemed huge and ridiculous to me. From the giagantor sized cuts of beef, pork, and chicken to the cheapness of the produce. From the towering ceilings to the super sized waist lines I saw, EVERYTHING WAS HUGE! It took my breath away, and blew my mind. My world was rocked. There were 100 times these realizations as I drove, walked, and looked upon my home town through the eyes of the me that has been living in Japan. This is something we’re told at every orientation meeting, and that I experienced personally when I returned from living in Nagasaki for a semester. Reverse culture shock is such a challenge for some, and for me I think it was made stronger by how much I adore my life here in Japan. NOT THAT I DIDN`T, OR DON`T, love my life back home, but my life here in Japan is so vastly different in so many ways that were I to return to living in The Burg it would seem like a great loss of many things I find comforting now. I won’t list those things, and know that many of them are the fantastic friends I’ve turned into my family away from family here, but it is safe to say that whenever I return to the States in a permanent way I predict it will take time to readjust to all the Americanisms.

I must be clear that I am not saying Japan is better than America, or that one place has it right – rather, I am saying that I clearly love my memories of home, and the bonds of friendship I have with my family are the foundation of all that I am, but flying back to Kochi felt a whole lot like coming home. This is the longest I have lived in one place since High school (without substantial breaks like there are in college). Nothing more, perhaps, then thoughts on a cloudy fall day. Home was indisputably wonderful, but I really can’t wait to share my new home with my parents and see their reactions to the world that has become so familiar to me over this past year.

More to come

Let’s Catching Up: Summer’s Come

Taste is such a potent sensation. Today my world tasted of bitter plums and overripe oranges, sweet tea and mango, and whiskey sours, homemade spinach mushroom pizzas, and farmer’s market tomatoes. All of these tastes are influenced by the brilliance of a cloud mottled sky set over a clear blue backdrop, a dramatic change from the darkness of yesterdays class 2 typhoon. Of course, it could just be the fact that I’m coming home for a visit in 8 days, a visit to clear my head and charge up those long depleted family circuits, that has me all bright and sunny. At any rate, much has happened since I attempted to blog in earnest. So, let’s see if I can make up a bit for lost time.

I sit in my Kitchen, deep cleaned for the looming trip home, with two fans oscillating. My shirt is off, and (unusually) it is pleasantly cool for summer in Kochi. the 48 plus hours of rain from the past several days, 1000 mm or 3.4 feet of water, must have wrung all the humidity out of the air. It feels like late winter felt here. Granted, late winter was T-shirt weather for me., but still, the cool is a welcome change of pace.

I’m finished with classes for the summer, and spending my days at school preparing for the incoming crowd of 31 fresh JETs from all over the English speaking world. I will fly to Tokyo in two days to welcome 14 of these fine young ones (some of which will doubtless be much older that I am) to the wonders of Japan. It is so strange to think that my full year in Japan anniversary hangs just a few days away. It feels like weeks, a testament to the truth behind that old saying, “ time flies, when you’re having fun”. In all seriousness though, My life here is like a dream 99% of the time. I spent last weekend floating down the last undamned river in Japan in a giant green inflatable pool (intended for children between that ages of 6 and 13) with a man who I consider my brother. For 1.5 hours we talked of the brilliance of our decision to come to Japan, and how we couldn’t imagine what life would have been had we chosen another path. Sure, we talked of many other things, we sipped beers, but the takeaway message is that we both feel (like many of my other dear friends here) that we are exactly where we need to be right now.

Nakamura, one of my many home away from homes in Kochi Prefecture, is full of faces I love, and we had a grand time of cooking, eating, and lounging in the Kochi, pre typhoon, sun. Then, post long weekend of great fun, came a Monday and Tuesday where the cloud cover did not break, the rain did not stop, and the wind bent trees in two. Typhoon MA was the equivalent of a class 2 hurricane. Other than the trains being shut down and school being called off for two days, it just seemed like a big storm. HOWEVER, it destroyed my garden. I watched in surprise and horror as my cucumbers went from strong and resilient behind their cement barrier to a giant double potted kite sailing on the rainy winds into the fortified tomatoes I had placed on the ground for protection. The cucumbers, rest well my fallen friends, only produced one fruit, and managed to almost take out my tomato and basil plants with them, but today was repot day and things are looking good.

I am excited to go home and see my long lost family in person, and I am excited for a break in the madness of what has become my overly (in a pleasant way) busy life. As I said before, I can’t imagine being anywhere else in life right now.

As always, more to come.