Kit-Kats: The Odd

These are my favorite Kit Kats. Not necessarily because of their taste but because you have to wonder, "Who thought this was a good idea? Who came up with this flavor?" Seriously, imagine what an awesome job this would be, coming up with new flavors for Japanese Kit Kats.



You could do a lot with flowers. This is the rose (ロ－ス") Kit Kat. If this Kit Kat had been white chocolate, I'm sure it would have gone with the Bad flavors. But it was milk chocolate, and all was well. I liked this flavor - it was subtle, not too sweet, and strangely appealing. Flowery, yes, but no nasty aftertaste like the jasmine tea one. It was just not a flavor I associated with Kit Kats. But, oh, how that has been remedied.

How do I explain ramune (ラムネ)? The word originates from English's "lemonade" and it's a kind of cidery drink. But it comes in different flavors, not just lemon. I've never actually tried ramune (though, after this Kit Kat, I mean to), but I'm told it's a fizzy cider drink. If you look at the Kit Kat wrapper, you will see a green bottle with a blue ball near the top. Apparently, this is a specific type of bottle used only for ramune, and it's got a little marble inside it that floats on the liquid. Why? Just for the hell of it, as far as I can tell.

This was a very fun Kit Kat. First, it's blue. (It's also white chocolate, but milk chocolate would NOT have worked with this flavor, so it's okay.) Blue is easily the most awesome Kit Kat color I've seen thus far. Second, it was fizzy. Like, carbonated soda fizzy. How fun is that? It's a Kit Kat that fizzes in your mouth! Just when I thought Kit Kats couldn't get any better. Third, it tasted good. How's that for amazing?

Here's an interesting one. Most of my students and co-workers think this Kit Kat obsession of mine is charming or cute. I got in the habit of showing Takeda-san any new Kit Kats I found. When she moved back to Sapporo, her father drove down to help her, and she asked him to bring me Sapporo's signature Kit Kat. (Have I mentioned that my Japanese friends and co-workers are beyond awesome? Because they are.) This is a grilled corn (やきもろこし) Kit Kat. Weird, but tasty. In fall and winter, vendors all over Sapporo sell this delectable treat, so it's only right that this should be their flavor. It's much better than a squid flavor, which is the other thing that Sapporo is supposedly famous for (as far as food goes). I'm still waiting for miso flavor.

And this one is just fun: hot chili pepper flavor! This is the first dark chocolate Kit Kat I've had, but logic dictates that spicy chocolate must be dark. Milk chocolate just can't do it justice. I got this one in Nagano (along with the apple and the grape, which seem positively mundane compared to this), and I shared it with one of my more advanced classes. It was a hit, and now whenever I go somewhere, they ask me what kind of Kit Kats I found. One of them even occasionally brings me Kit Kats to see if I've had them before (the answer is usually yes, but I appreciate her curiousity).

Last, I present two Kit Kats that are appropriate for summer: lemon vinegar (レモンビネガー) and apple vinegar (アップルビネガー). Yes, vinegar. It's actually closer to a cider flavor (rather like what's pictured on the apple vinegar box), but it does have a slightly vinegary taste that goes well with the chocolate. It's a very cool flavor, which is why it's so good for summer. The lemon flavor was better than the apple flavor, maybe because it was less cidery. I actually really enjoyed the lemon flavor and bought a couple of bags to eat over the summer. It's been a while since I saw the lemon, but the apple is still available at a store in the Loc City mall.

And with that, I am now caught up with my Kit Kat discoveries. For now. Autumn is fast-approaching, and I have no doubt that more exciting (and/or odd) flavors will be appearing soon. In the meantime, I can get back to blogging about more important things, like travel and sightseeing and actual food!

Kit-Kats: The Bad

So, we saw the good. Unfortunately, some Kit Kats just don't have what it takes to be considered delicious. To be honest, some of them are downright yucky. It baffles the mind, doesn't it?

Surely combining strawberry cheesecake with Kit Kat marvelousness should create something truly fantastic! Right? Er, not according to my taste buds. Granted, it's white chocolate, and I'm not keen on it anyway, but this Kit Kat was particularly displeasing to me. It's not the worst flavor I've ever had (molasses Kit Kat, I'm looking at you, and YOU were milk chocolate, so don't EVEN try to make excuses), but it has its place in the bottom ten.

Yes, I rank the Kit Kats. So?

Now, part of it probably may be because I just don't like certain flavors. Take Mr. Espresso here. I did not have high hopes for this Kit Kat because I don't like espresso, and the last espresso-y Kit Kat I had was the tiramisu, which was just nasty (that one probably ranks #2 on the worst list). And I was right. Perhaps someone loving espresso would also love this Kit Kat, but for me, it was a one-time thing, baby.

Also, take a look at how unappetizing it is:

Could it be any blander? Beige Kit Kats are a crime against humanity. Note that it almost looks like it's not white chocolate. But it is! It is! Sneak.

But enough picking on white chocolate. Milk chocolate has its bad flavors too. Isn't this a pretty box? And it sounds nice, too: jasmine tea. Ah, jasmine tea is nice! It's refreshing, yeah? Good for a hot summer day. Okay, so the chocolate is melty, but still - jasmine tea! Nice!

And then you put it in your mouth. Bleh! Might as well just rename this one jasmine and be done with it. There's no tea flavor here, it's just jasmine, and jasmine hangs around for a while with a severe aftertaste. Granted, some flowers have a nice taste to them: lavender is good, violet is not so bad, and rose can be quite pleasant. Jasmine, however, should be left well enough alone. Stick to tea, jasmine. We'll appreciate you more that way. You and chocolate just don't get along all that well.

Speaking of tea . . .

Don't get me wrong, I like green tea. And I love matcha-flavored things. But when it comes to Kit Kats, I'll leave it rather than take it. It's the only Kit Kat I've eaten that tastes . . . chalky. Sometimes matcha has that chalky aftertaste to it, but this one was stronger than usual. And take note: it's white chocolate. It's a nifty electric green color, but it's still white chocolate.

This one was milk chocolate, but it still wasn't that great:

Well, it's a short list, but there you have the less-than-spectacular, the Kit Kats that missed the mark. It just proves that nothing is perfect, not even variously flavored chocolate treats.

Next up, we will examine the weird and the wonderful, the outlandish and fantastic. The Kit Kats that make you say, "Huh?"

Kit-Kats: The Good

I have been a bad poster lately, but my greatest blogging sin has been neglecting to post my Kit Kat updates. I have over a dozen Kit Kats to introduce to the world (or the small amount of people who read this blog, whichever is more realistic), and so I've broken them down in three posts.

Behold, Part Primus: The Good. AKA, the Worth Buying, Hoarding, and Consuming at a Slow, Langorous and Enjoyable Pace.

First up is the kinako Kit Kat, which comes in both mini and BIG sizes. Kinako (きなこ) is soybean flour, made after the soybeans have been roasted. It's a little nutty in taste, comparable to not-so-salty peanut butter. There's a popular sweet treat called warabimochi that uses kinako - I've been told that in the Kansai area, it's sold from trucks like ice cream in the States, but I'm not sure how willing I am to believe it. Although, warabimochi is definitely delicious.

Anyway, as to the Kit Kat variety of kinako, it is also yummy, and I enjoyed it. It has a bit of an old-fashioned feel to it, almost nostalgic in a way. I imagine that it could be considered a comfort food of sorts. Most Japanese I've talked to about it absolutely love it and have fond memories of eating kinako sweets as children. They were all very pleased when I mentioned this Kit Kat.

This Kit Kat appears to be involved in the promotion of a concert or a band or something of the kind. I'm not entirely sure what, partly because I can't read most of it and partly because I was more interested in the flavor: sakuranbo (さくらんぼ), or cherry. As you can see from the box, the Kit Kat itself was a pretty pastel pink; it would be the perfect treat for a Breast Cancer Awareness function. If the packaging was different, of course. The flavor wasn't too powerful, just a subtle hint of cherry. I only saw this flavor in one convenient store, and I'm sorry I didn't buy more when I had the chance.

This is one of the most recent discoveries I've made in the ever-exciting world of Kit Kat flavors: mango pudding (マンゴ　プリン). I'm not a great fan of Kit Kats of amazing colors because they're white chocolate and therefore inferior, but I am enamored of the mango pudding's brilliant orange color. My camera did a poor job of capturing this wonderful shade of mango (with flash, without flash - it didn't matter). The taste is not so astounding, but it's yummy enough.

This is the remarkable ume soda (うめ　ソダ) flavor, which I had my doubts about. Not that I don't like ume soda, but it's not exactly something that you connect with Kit Kats. It has a somewhat bubbly feel to it, not unlike the effect of carbonation. The fizziness really made it that much tastier. It offset the unpleasantness of the whole white chocolate thing. This was another cheerfully colored Kit Kat, comparable to the green parts of the ume (plums) on the box. I fully intended to take a picture of the Kit Kat itself, but I forgot, and I haven't gotten around to buying another box.

This is a souvenir box of apple (りんご) Kit Kats, which I bought in Nagano. Apparently, Nagano-prefecture is somewhat famous for apples and grapes (see below - also, why, then are there no peanut Kit Kats in Chiba? Can I make requests?), so this is one of their omiyage sets. I adore apple Kit Kats. They taste so crisp and refreshing - just like apples! Okay, just like apples with chocolate, but there's nothing wrong with that.

This was another omiyage set from Nagano, flavored of the big purple grapes (ぶど) - not to be confused with those sissy little green "muscats from Alexandria." (need a refresher? they were in my first Kit Kat post) The muscat grape Kit Kat was made of white chocolate and mediocrity. There was nothing special about it. These, however, were milk chocolate and heavily scented and just downright marvelous. When a piece of chocolate makes you feel like you've just bitten into a juicy fruit, you know you have something special. This flavor has a firm spot in the top ten.

And thus concludes this portion of my Kit Kat update. Stay tuned for more.

P.S. to Heather (I know you're reading this): if you and the girls aren't practicing your kana, I'll be very disappointed!

just making sure everything's in working order

Come summertime, a large number of Japanese companies require their employees to have annual medical check-ups. GEOS is one of these. This is a good thing (I guess) because if I wasn't forced to do this, there's no telling when I would do it on my own. Probably never. At least it's fairly simple, requiring only height/weight measurements, blood pressure check, sight/hearing check, x-ray, and urinalysis.

I'm not sure why x-rays are required, but I thought it was cool anyway because I don't ever remember have any part of my body x-rayed. Only teeth, and that's just downright dull. Also, my insides are neat. The doctor showed me my heart and lungs, though it was hard to tell they were my lungs because they were so clean and clear. There are no spots on my insides. The doctor was very pleased.

Interesting note: the doctor did everything. In the States, nurses do the brunt of the work (in my opinion) and the doctor just comes in to poke at you and sign the paper. This is my experience. Here (and, oddly enough, in Puerto Rico), the doctor did all of the tests and measurements. The nurse assisted, mainly by holding things and showing me to the bathroom. Also, the doctor spoke some English and was pleased to know I'm from Florida, because, of course, he'd been to Orlando in years past.

It was a very fast doctor's visit; it took all of maybe 40 minutes. I got a clean bill of health, except for "excess weight." Yeah, I know. I'm working on it. To show how far I've come since my heavy high school days, this did not fill me with overwhelming self-loathing. Rather, I was amused, because I was thinking, 'Yeah, you should have seen that number two years ago, pal.' Granted, my weight is not where I'd like it to be, but I AM working on it. Also, in my defense, the measurement was taken in the middle of the day, only two hours after a huge lunch, and during a particularly bloated period of my cycle. None of these are ideal for weighing. I was a full 3 kilograms heavier than when I weighed myself that morning.

I have gained a little weight since moving to Matsudo, and it's because of a number of things. I'm riding my bike less, so that's a loss of aerobic activity. I am walking and using the stairs everyday, but that's only developed muscles in my thighs and calves, which probably accounts for the gain. I'm doing weights in my apartment at night 2-3 nights a week, so my triceps and biceps are a little more defined too. I've lost inches around my waist and hips, and that means more to me than anything else. But I'll be much happier when I can go back to riding my bike 30-60 minutes a day.

My blood pressure is normal, so all in all, I can't complain. And I feel great. I haven't had any muscle aches or body pain in months, and going up all those stairs has done nice things for my endurance.

So, to reward myself, I went shopping. Not for food (yay, me!). I usually go to the Lala Port at Kashiwa-noha-campus, but Mio-sensei suggested I go to Nagareyama's Otakanomori instead. So, I did.

Otakanomori is much bigger that the Lala Port and also not so Americanized. Lala Ports tend to be (in my experience) very similar to American malls, big and airy and open and filled with children. Otakanomori seems to cater to a more sophisticated crowd. It's not cave-like, but it has lower ceilings and fewer windows. It oozes style. It's a mall that doesn't feel like a mall.

I made wonderful discoveries in Otakanomori. A Build-A-Bear (because "a bear hug is understood in ANY language!"), a Cold Stone Creamery, a New York-style bagel shop, a Baskin Robbins, and a gorgeous movie theater. Also, more expensive clothing stores than you can shake a stick at. Best of all is a Kinokuniya, without a doubt my favorite Japanese bookstore. This one had a terribly small English section, but it was still nice to peruse. I bought a kanji workbook to improve my reading skills. And then I went over to the cd/dvd section and bought myself a new pair of earbuds because my old pair is falling apart. These are easily the best things that happened to me all day. I had no idea that my old pair sucked so much until I put these on.

All in all, it was a pretty good day, even though it rained on my all the way home, and I've got a blister on my left foot because I wore my new sandals instead of my tennis shoes. The clinic I went to was in Minami-Moriya, and exploring that area has only endeared me to Moriya as a whole. I saw a lot of apartment buildings with "tenants wanted" signs, so I'm going to talk to Mio-sensei about inquiring after some of them. It would be nice to live there - the train station is so tiny and cute, and it's a short ride to Moriya that way. By foot or bike, it's maybe three miles, which would definitely make for a healthier lifestyle. I'm also thinking that the apartments may be cheaper than in Moriya proper because there's no Tsukuba Express to drive up prices. We'll see.

For now, enjoy some pictures of south Moriya.

the barely there platform

the tiny, tiny train station
proof that Moriya really is countryside

Non-Japanese Travel Journal: Florida

First, let it be said that I don't get homesick. In order to be homesick, one must have a permanent home, and it's been a long time since I had a home that I considered permanent. Home is where I am right now - I carry it with me, inside of me, because that won't change. My environment may change (and I prefer it to change), but I've got my memories, and that's enough. I don't waste a lot of time or energy on sentimentalism or nostalgia.

I didn't to back to Florida because I was homesick. I went because I had the chance to go, reasons to go, people to see, and things to do. Also, because I don't know when I'll be going back, and I have no desire to return any time soon. Returning to Florida is almost like taking a step backward, and I don't like backtracking. It's a waste.

Okay, waste is a bad word, and it doesn't quite have the meaning I want. It's more apropos to say that there are countless places in the world to see and limited time to do it in. If I'm going to use my free time to travel, I want it to be to someplace I've never been before, to experience something new. Florida is familiar and therefore comfortable, and it's too easy to fall into a nostalgic state of mind: "oh, remember how fun it was to . . . " or "how about all the good times we had at . . . " or "wasn't it funny when . . ." or "I sure miss . . . " Once you start visiting the past in your head, it makes it that much harder to appreciate the present and make something of the future. I'm too young for nostalgia, not when I've got so much more living to do.

Not that there's plenty of goodness in Florida to encourage visiting it. There is the following:

those beautiful natural settings

the never-a-dull-moment weather

the delicious (non-commercialized) food

silly friends

and, last but not least, family

Do I dislike Florida (or the United States)? No, of course not. There's still a lot of the States that I'd like to see. Will I live there again? The answer right now is probably not. It's not that I want to avoid comfortability and familiarity - I want to avoid complacency. It's too easy to start taking things for granted, to expect that this is the way things will always be. Familiarity is nice, but it doesn't make things wonderful. And I've found that I can be perfectly comfortable in a place that is foreign to me. That made me realize that I spent a long time in a place that no longer felt comfortable, even though I'd lived most of my life there.

So, for me, going back to Florida wasn't like going home. It was like going through a photo album and realizing how much has changed - both in yourself and in others - and appreciating the past while at the same time not wanting to relive it. And honestly, I prefer it this way.

how can you have a picnic without any sun?

Well, we managed it somehow.

Our school held a picnic on the 28th, and the sun never came out once. The forecast had called for a 60% chance of rain, but it didn't start until 4pm, at which point the picnic was coming to an end anyway. The clouds disappointed me a little, but everyone else seemed a little relieved by the weather.

They all thought I was kind of crazy to suggest a summer picnic anyway. Every day for the past three weeks, everyone has come in complaining about the heat. This has amused me a great deal. Because while it is somewhat hot and humid, it's nothing compared to a Florida summer. As I told some of my higher-level students, "Sure, it's hot. But it ain't *that* hot." As for the humidity, eh. There's not much wind unless it's raining, so everything's all hazy and a bit muggy. Until this week, the rainy season hasn't been all that impressive: it would rain maybe three days out of seven. Even this week, it's been more cloudy than rainy. The way people talked about it, I'd expected rain five days out of seven. But most people I've asked say this is normal. Well, everything's relative, isn't it?

For another thing, the sun isn't as strong here, but maybe that's just me too. Japanese women seem terrified of getting even a little sun - I've never seen so many cardigans and long-sleeved shirts worn in the summer (maybe *that's* why they're so hot!), and they wear these funky long and fingerless gloves and carry parasols. Also, lots of them wear not just pantyhose but leggings, which is downright crazy if you ask me.

But, I digress. Back to the picnic.

I wanted a picnic. 1: because I'd had little chance to hang out with most of my students, and I wanted to have a get-together to do that. 2: because I must find new ways of entertaining myself. 3: Izumiさん (our manager) is moving back to Sapporo. She refused to allow this to be a sayonara party, but I wanted something to let everyone chat with her once more before she left.

We had about 30 students show up, most of them mine. Several of our students live near a park near Shin-Moriya station, about a 15-minute bike ride to the school, and they suggested that we have the picnic there. We had everyone bring their own lunches, and Izumiさん and I brought some picnicky items like bubbles and frisbees and a couple of balls to toss around. One of my students brought a badminton set, and another student brought a larger ball so we could play soccer and dodgeball.

It really was a perfect set-up. We ate lunch first and then broke out the picnic toys. We had about ten kids there, and they had a blast with the bubbles and playing soccer with some of the adults. Some of my students had never played frisbee before, so I conducted a quick mini-lesson on the art of the frisbee. The previous English teacher also stopped by, which made a lot of the students happy because they don't often get a chance to see him even though he lives in Moriya. One of my extremely shy and quiet pre-teen girls kicked butt at dodgeball. And there were dogs - three dachshunds brought by a student who lives nearby. The adults fawned over the dogs more than the kids did.

The best thing for me was the park itself. In addition to a playground and tennis courts, it has a nice big lawn for groups such as our own. Also, it is grassy and not sandy (as it would be in Florida) and there were no ants in sight and it was all nice and soft. So the first thing I did upon arriving was take off my sandals and run around barefoot. The way my students reacted, you'd think they'd never seen a barefoot person before. I couldn't convince anybody else (except one of my kids students) to go barefoot with me, but they all thought it was "adorable." Some of them are still calling me the Barefoot Sensei. Even better was when I had to roll up the cuffs of my jeans because they were getting all dirty and I kept tripping on them. That sent Izumiさん into a fit of giggles. Of course I had to wash my feet when we got back to the school, but it was totally worth it. What's the point of summer if you can't go barefoot?

We got about three hours in before it started to rain. I had known it was going to rain eventually - I could smell it in the air - so this came as no surprise. Everybody (except me, apparently) was starting to wind down and needing a rest anyway, so it worked out. And nobody went away disappointed - everybody gave positive feedback and said they hoped we'd have another get-together in the future. I get the feeling an August picnic would not go over well, so I'm settling for September. This satisfied them.

Afterwards, Izumiさん, Mio先生, and I went out to karaoke to memorialize our last weekend as co-workers. That went beyond entertaining - both of them are good singers and they even sang English songs! (Usually, Benni先生 is the only one who does this with me.) We finished with a trio version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

[item of interest: Simon & Garfunkel are as popular as Queen and the Beatles here in Japan. S & G will are appearing in concert in Tokyo this weekend, and one of my students is actually skipping class to go to it. Some of my other students were disappointed that they couldn't go, either because of the cost of the tickets or the fact that they sold out almost immediately.]

And so, that was our Moriya summer picnic. I am now anxiously awaiting the main summer season, which will bring festivals and fireworks and other wonderful summery things. I'm especially hoping that I can make it up to Isesaki or Maebashi to hang out with my friends up there. Either way, summer is shaping up to be pretty awesome this year!

Rewind: Japanese Travel Journal: Hanami

[to note: date these pictures back to early April]

Sakura trees get a lot of praise and adulation in Japan, and it's easy to see why. Pictures can't capture the true majesty of a row of sakura trees heavy with blossoms, and it's near impossible to try to describe their intoxicating scent. For about two weeks in spring, Japanese social outings revolve around the life span of the cherry blossom, for good reason: walking down a sakura lane can't be much different from walking in paradise.

A very crowded paradise in some places, but a sweet-smelling and magical paradise nonetheless.

The act of viewing cherry blossoms is called hanami, which actually translates to "flower viewing" but seems to be reserved for sakura only. The basic purpose of hanami is to sit and look at blossoms. However, you don't just sit and look at blossoms - you also eat crazy festival foods, drink until your heart's content (or stomach's discontent, whichever hits you first), and hang out with your compadres. And should there be a karaoke machine just standing around and waiting for you to take the mike, then so much the better.

I saw a good amount of sakura this spring, and while I'm sorry that its season is so short-lived, I realize it's probably for the best. Society can only take so much sitting around and drinking before it starts to collapse. But the progression of the blossoms' lives is astounding. Sakura are only fully open for a very short time - they die quickly, sloughing down from the trees in pink and white waves. But they leave the sakura tree draped in a rich green canopy, the color of which is so vivid that it's a miracle in itself. I loved the blossoms, but the green leaves enamored me. Walking down sakura lanes became akin to walking through a hallway lined in velvet, so deep and lush that I lost track of the time as I stood and stared at the leaves. These leaves are what pushes the blossoms loose from the tree, breaking their tenuous hold on life, and I'm glad for it. They're not so pretty and cute, but they're stronger and more vibrant, lasting longer than the delicate flowers that let go of life just when it's beginning.

It's become a standard cliche - sakura blossoms trembling in the wind before separating from their branches, floating like airy boats before coming to a gentle rest on the ground - but it works because the experience is so moving. It's no wonder that sakura is a metaphor for life: so beautiful and brief, beginning with such great promise and ending with such swiftness, culminating in a bittersweet momento mori.

the magical 90-day mark

Well, I've been working in Moriya for 3 months now, and I've made a decision: I'm moving to Moriya.

I'm already tired of living in Matsudo. I spent most of June 28th in Moriya at a school picnic (which deserves its own post, which I will hopefully post soon), and I realized how much I disliked living in the city. Moriya is much more comfortable, and it's just a nicer place to be. The commute isn't so terrible, I just don't like the atmosphere. Also, I have no place to ride my bike, so I'm getting much less exercise now (even taking into account the 10 minute walk to the station and all those stairs I have to go up and down twice a day). I tried working out in my room, but the only time I have to do this is when I get home, when all I want to do is relax after a long day of work. Also, it bored me. I could never participate in a gym class because aerobics really do bore the hell out of me.

I will still be close to Tokyo. In fact, I will be exactly 32 minutes from Akihabara, which is faster than the 45 minute ride from Shin-Matsudo to Ueno. This pleases me, because though I wouldn't want to live in Tokyo, it's fun to go there for day trips. There is always something to see in Tokyo, but even if you can't find it, there's always Kinokuniya, which (for a bibliophile like me) is paradise.

The whole moving thing is going to be a pretty major undertaking because GEOS does not have any apartments in the area, and I will have to do everything on my own. I have fortunately been blessed with very nice Japanese co-workers, students, and friends to help me out with this. The packing I will have to do on my own, but having Japanese support is way more important.

This will all have to wait until after the 20th, which is when I will return from my trip to the States. July is turning out to be an exciting month for me, what with the Florida trip and the busy weekends and now the whole moving thing. Now I just need to start filling up my August calendar. My birthday is August 10th, and I have that day off, so I want to do something fun.

(and that's only about a month away. jeez, time is just slipping away from me now. whee! have I mentioned that I love living in Japan? I love living in Japan. I'm having way too much fun.)

Japanese Travel Journal: Utsunomiya (宇都宮)

I am struggling to get updated here. For this installment, I present you with my trip to Utsunomiya.

This is the first time I saw anyone from Isesaki after I had moved to Matsudo. This is not so impressive as it sounds, because we all met in Utsunomiya 12 days after I moved. The way Benni-先生 greeted us, you'd think it was closer to 12 years.

We went to Utsunomiya for gyoza. I'm pretty sure I've already posted about my love for gyoza, and the Isesaki ladies wanted to foster this as much as possible. In addition, they also love gyoza, so that helped. I cannot understand why anyone would not love gyoza, but that's beside the point. We wanted to eat as much gyoza as possible. This turned out to be quite a lot. Also, the girls helped me pick out a watch while we waited for Benni先生 to show up. Akikoさん and Yukariさん helped me program it, because the instructions were all in Japanese. This made all of us very happy (not that the instructions were Japanese but that the three of us were able to get it sorted out).

We ate at three different places, though the third place was a combination of 5 restaurants and we could order from any of the menus. At the first two restaurants, we ordered a plate or two of gyoza and shared it amongst ourselves before moving on. The first restaurant was a tiny place where you ordered the food at a ticket machine, after which you presented the ticket to the waitress. Because there were seven of us, we had to split up, so Akikoさん, Yukariさん, and myself shared an order each of boiled and fried gyoza (the fried was better). After that, we slipped out to the place next door and ordered GIANT gyoza. The rest of the girls showed up just as we were finishing, which is why we had time to wait to program my watch.

Together, we all headed out to the third location, which was an awesome conglomeration of gyoza restaurants (Utsunomiya is famous for gyoza - there are upwards of two dozen restaurants specializing in this most awesome of foods, probably more). I think we ordered about seven plates of gyoza at this place, from three different menus. There was chiso (a basil-type herb) gyoza, crunchy gyoza, not-so-crunchy gyoza, shrimpy gyoza, spicy gyoza, salty gyoza - holy cats, there was a LOT of gyoza. Boy, were we stuffed. And to everyone's astonishment, Benni先生 polished off a bowl and a half of rice along with it, the half being what I couldn't eat.

[This is nothing - I once witnessed her eat a huge bowl of ramen, an order of gyoza, and THREE bowls of rice in one sitting. Her stomach is bottomless.]

After gorging ourselves on gyoza, we went off in search of other exciting things to do. We began by buying gyoza omiyage. Half of the ladies bought frozen gyoza to take home - complete with styrofoam cooler to transport them in. Then they bought me a cellphone strap of a little plastic plate of gyoza, which I've become a collector of (the cellphone straps, not the little plastic plates of gyoza). These ladies are so totally the awesome.

While wandering around Utsunomiya, we discovered a shrine in the middle of the city and because I love shrines, we immediately explored it. I like going to shrines with the ladies because they will explain things to me the best they can. Benni先生 either has no answer to my questions or ignores me entirely (in her defense, she's just naturally oblivious sometimes). Even if the ladies don't know the answers to my questions, they will do their best to figure it out or explain it somehow, even if it means translating something.

The cherry blossoms were nearing the end of their blooming stage, but they were still very beautiful and stunning. The wind blew gently that day, but it still scattered blossoms all through the air. They kept falling and falling, a shower of pink and white petals. There seemed to be no end to them.

With the sun going down, we decided it was time to end our gyoza adventure. We set a date for our next gathering (Nagano - Matsumoto Castle in May), and then they dropped me off at the train station. And thus ended our trip to Utsunomiya. Quite satisfying, I must say.

Japanese Trainspotting

Timing is everything. With careful planning and precise timing, you can see amazing things, so long as you know when and where to be. Everything runs on its own clock, and if you can synchronize with it, you can witness marvelous things.

Or, if you're lucky, you can stumble upon them at just the right moment. There's something magical about arriving just as the natural order of things is unfolding.

Twice since moving to Matsudo, I've left my apartment to discover a group of people gathered at a nearby railroad crossing. I live close to the tracks - they lie just across the street, parallel to a skinny creek lined with sakura trees. I'm used to the trains, but the people are unusual.

They are almost all men, and they all have cameras. Not your everyday handheld digital cameras but serious photography cameras, replete with lens attachments and tripods and whatever else may be needed for serious train photography. These men - there are seven or eight of them at the crossing, with more of them posted haphazardly along the sakura path - are ardently preparing for the moment of the perfect shot: adjusting their tripods for maximum stability, curling around the fence railing to get the best vantage point, clustering around around the edge of the path to get the clearest view. They are quiet and serious, focused on their work.

The crossing signal comes to life, and the actions of the photographers becomes more frantic as they make last-second preparations. Rumblings announces the train's approach, and then the group goes still, poised and ready to capture the moment.

The first time I witnessed this activity, the train had a vinyl banner spread across its front, declaring in Japanese and English that this was its Last Run. The second occurence provided no such insight to the importance of the event. Two sets of cars - one yellow, one blue - had been coupled, and nobody rode them; they carried only a small squadron of jumpsuited railway workers. Its signifigance remains a mystery to me.

To me, but not to the photographers. A symphony of snapping shutters erupts as the train comes closer, and then follows a scramble as the group reassembles to catch hasty photos of the train's backside.

And then the moment has passed. The photographers smile at each other and consult their cameras and compare pictures. This lasts only briefly, and then they pack up their things and head off in different directions. Within five minutes, the crossing is abandoned, once again an unimportant fixture in the Matsudo cityscape. You would never know that anything special had just happened here.

another universal teaching truth

You can't make people want to learn. I don't care if they're children, teenagers, adults - whatever. Age doesn't matter, nationality doesn't matter, NOTHING matters. If there is no motivation, you can't make 'em learn.

Lately, head office has been coming down on our shisha (region) because of high cancellation rates and low renewal rates. Last week, I spent an hour in a v-chat where the primary message seemed to be "students are quitting/not renewing, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT. Quit blaming the economy, quit blaming job transfers, quit making excuses. Let's face it - you need to be better!"

(Talk about encouraging a lack of motivation . . .)

Sure, it's possible for teachers to increase motivation. I'll accept that. If a person is a really great teacher - I mean, really stupendous, totally has the whole thing down - then maybe they can get their students so pumped up about it that they'll keep coming back even when they don't really want to.

I am not a great teacher. I believe that 90% of motivation comes from within. I can't generate it for them. I can enjoy myself and take my job seriously, but I can't force people to want to study English. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't do the best I can. I love my job, and I want to do it well. That helps some - my students see how enthusiastic I am about English, and they think it's kind of cute. It makes them feel like I'm here because I want to be here and not because I need the money (which is true, wholly and completely - the money doesn't mean jack to me, not really). I can encourage my students and guide them and help them and amuse and educate them in class. But if they don't WANT to learn, there's not a whole lot I can do about that. Granted, this is my philosophy because it's the way I operate, but on the whole, I've found it to be mostly true. If they don't HAVE to do it, people won't do it unless they want to.

(Unless they're like me and they'll only do things they want to do, PERIOD.)

I will note that though Moriya's renewal rate is not great (it's over 50%, which is good enough for me), our successful interview rate is around 90%, and we pulled in 7 new students last month. As far as numbers are concerned, I still have about 75 students and 30 classes. Maybe we're not doing phenomenal work, but we're making ends meet, and that's enough to make me happy.

I want my internet!

I have another internet appointment next Monday, and I'm really REALLY hoping this can be resolved. I've got so much that I want to post about - it's amazing how much I've done in the past two months - but I don't even really have the time to post something I prepared at home. (That, and I keep forgetting my jump drive.) There's not much time for me to use the computer at work anyway. My manager get crazy busy sometimes; she's had hour long V-chats three days this week, and then there's a crapload of paperwork to do. Besides, my schedule's so full that I barely have time to check the incoming emails from head office.

All of this I could accept if only I had internet at my apartment.

I'd go to an internet cafe, but there is ONE in Moriya, and it's a LONG way from the station and it would take forever for me to get there. There are three around Shin-Matsudo station, but I don't know when I'd have time to actually go to them. My working days are long and busy - I leave home around 10am and get home around 11pm, and most of that time is actually spent at the school. My days off have also been active lately, what with going places with Benni-sensei and going off to meet with other friends. I don't mind that so much, because it's much more preferable than sitting around me apartment all day. Not having the internet has certainly made me a more active person.

But it'd be nice to have, all the same. If my problems persist next Monday, I guess I'll have to figure out something else. Most people tell me it will get solved - but I know at least two other people who have been trying to get internet for 3-5 months and they STILL don't have it. They don't live in the same apartment building (in fact, they live in completely different cities), but their problems sound a lot like mine. And so far as I can tell, I'm using the same procedure as the other people in my building.

[Speaking of this building, you'd think I'd get some help from GEOS because everyone who lives there is a GEOS employee. Not so. My trainer says, "Keep working at it, you'll get it fixed." And then she ignores me until she decides to chastise me about our school's money numbers. My manager has been left with the brunt of being the middle man between the internet company and me, and she's been incredibly helpful despite being so far separated from Shin-Matsudo. She had to contact another school's manager to find out how their NET got internet. I'd ask them myself, but my neighbors are kind of hermity. They don't seem to even interact with each other all that much. They sit in their apartments and play video games or watch movies with their girlfriends, all of whom laugh in annoying high-pitched squeals. I prefer my Japanese neighbors in Isesaki. Granted, I prefer everything in Isesaki over Shin-Matsudo, but that's just life, isn't it?]

Anyway, that's that. Other than the internet and the poor location of my apartment (if I want/need anything, I have to walk ten minutes to the station to get it, not to mention that 40-60 minutes commute), things are going well. I'm busy at work, but the classes are fine and the students are great. I've got a routine going, and that's helped a lot. Plus, I'm not sitting at home and doing nothing, and that's the most important thing to me. I hadn't realized how tired I was of just being a lump.

more internet disappointment

I do not understand the whys or hows of Japanese internet service; all I know is that it's causing me a major headache and inconvience, and I do not see the reason for this. Communication in general doesn't seem to be a problem, so I'm having a hard time figuring out why getting connected has been such a hassle for me.

I will say this - despite my obvious inability to speak Japanese, my proposed ISP has been really diligent about staying in contact with me and trying to keep me updated. Even the internet guy who came to evaluate my lines did his best to communicate to me the problem. (though, at one point, he just looked at me and basically said, "You don't understand any of this, do you?" Ironically, I did understand that. Otherwise, he was absolutely correct.) After Thursday's failed attempt, I thought I would have to contact NTT again myself, but they called me on Friday to set up another appointment. Fortunately, I was in Narita with Benni-sensei, so she talked to them for me. The next appointment they can make for a Monday is June 1st.

Seriously, June 1st. And I'm not even sure if that's an appointment to get internet connected or just to do more assessing/wiring. Benni-sensei (who is not internet savvy at all) didn't quite get the explanation.

I'm now mildly irritated, but the major problem is that I don't know who/what to be mildly irritated at. I've settled on GEOS, because this is their crummy apartment building and if I was still in a Leo Palace, I wouldn't be having this problem. I am extremely unhappy with these living arrangements, and I don't feel guilty about pinning it on GEOS. It's a stupid setup and the most assitance I've received from my boss was, "You could take some pictures of the apartment, and I'll try to help you as best I can. But honestly, I'm not sure there's anything I can do for you."

Fine, except that my main complaints about the apartment have little to do with the fact that it looks terrible and rundown. I really don't care what the place looks like - all I ask for is peace and quiet, internet convienence, and a sense of safety. I have yet to acheivement 100% satisfication on any of those items, though I don't feel that safety is much of an issue (still, the fact that I have a security system and a door with four locks on it keeps me on alert).

Mostly, though, I just wish I had internet capabilities. I'm not patient enough to wait another full month to be able to mindlessly surf the web again, so I'm wondering if looking into other internet option will be worthwhile.

Blargh, why can't things just be simple?

mild disappointment

I was supposed to get my internet hooked up today, but once again, the internet gods hate me and are making my life miserable. I'm not 100% what the internet guy was trying to tell me, but I'm certain that it was not good news. I think it can be done, but not before next week. He told me to call and set up another appointment for after May 5th.

While I miss talking to my parents and my SBFF, my greatest concern at the moment is that I'm going to miss the Kentucky Derby. For 17 years, the first Saturday of May has been a day of horse-racing devotion for me, the Derby being one of the few races that I still closely monitor. And, of course, Heather and I added new traditions to it, making it even more wonderful than it already is.

I'm not normally one to get all maudlin about skipping/missing/forgetting old traditions, but the Derby has always had a special place in my heart. I'm not even sure when I'm going to be able to find out the results or watch the race online. As yet, I haven't been able to think up a new Japanese-themed Derby Day tradition (having a Skype party with Heather was going to be about it, but that's out too). Eating basashi is the only horse-related thing I can come up with, and that just seems wrong.

Okay, not that I think eating basashi is wrong, because it is delicious and I would gladly eat it again. It just doesn't seem . . . appropriate for the Derby. Basashi being raw horse. Yes, I ate raw horse, and I enjoyed it. Don't be squeamish (you know who you are). The only thing I didn't like about it was the massive amount of garlic dumped on top of it, but that was easily removed and left just a hint of the garlicly flavor. But you see why I wouldn't want to add this to my Derby traditions. I'd be just as happy with a hot brown or a piece of grasshopper pie or even a super-sweet mint julep.

The only plus I see in this situation is that I won't have to get up at 5am to watch the race, and I was plenty willing to do that.

bring on the Golden goodness

Tomorrow begins Golden Week, which is a string of various holidays ranging from Consitution Day to Childrens' Day to a substitute holiday that some people (like GEOS employees) get because extra holidays are cool. I don't understand all of it, the important thing is that I get eight days in a row off, and that makes me happy.

It also makes me have to plan things to entertain myself. I have discovered that I can't sit around at home all day. I'm beginning to believe that this is why I wasn't so happy in the States - I spent a lot of time wanting to escape from my apartment and not being able to. Here, I don't have such worries. Venturing out of the apartment is always worthwhile and never too expensive (unless I choose for it to be expensive, but at least that's my decision). There is no reason for me to be bored, and for this, I am glad. Furthermore, I have eight days to find new ways to entertain myself.

Tomorrow, I absolutely must finish unpacking all of my crap and make some attempt to organize things. I'll probably do that in the evening; I want to go out and do something in the afternoon. Not sure what, probably going to Kashiwa and window-shopping. There's a shopping mall at one of the TX stops that has a Uniqlo, so I'll probably end up there. I can usually find something I want to buy there.

Thursday, I may be stuck in my apartment all day (or most of the day) as I wait for people to show up and get my internet set up. If I can actually get this done, a boring day at home will be worth it.

Friday, I'm going to Narita with Benni-sensei to visit the temple there, as well as a botanical garden. Should be entertaining, as traveling with Benni-sensei always is.

Saturday and Sunday have become a bit more complicated. Benni-sensei and I had planned on going up to Gunma on Saturday to hang out with Hitomi-san, but now Benni-sensei has family plans. Gunma may have to wait until Sunday. BUT one of my gaming buddies invited me to an English-language conference in Harajuku that I really want to go to, so I guess I need to decide what I want to do. If I go to Gunma, I'll probably have to stay in a motel, so I won't get home until Monday. This isn't a bad thing, it's just a little troublesome. I'd like to see Hitomi-san again, but that means spending more money and traveling a lot longer. Still thinking about that.

Also on Sunday is the Kentucky Derby, which I will get up incredibly early to watch if I have my internet running. That may affect my decision on going to the conference.

Monday through Wednesday, I'm still not sure of. I have some things in Tokyo that I want to do (such as go to Meiji Jingu, visit a botanical garden or two on Greenery Day), it's just a matter of figuring out what day I want to do them.

So, it looks like I've got no shortage of plans. I'm looking forward to having the time off to just relax and have some fun. And with any luck, after it's over, I'll have the ability to post my April pictures and adventures!

"there were vikings and boats and some plans for a furniture store"

To make a long and complicated story short, I adore IKEA. It is simply one of the greatest things that has ever existed.

So, I'm not much of a shopper. Unless it's a book store, I'm usually in-and-out when it comes to shopping. I don't linger. Spending two hours in a furniture store is not something I imagine myself doing, and yet, it happened today. I spent two hours in IKEA, and during most of that time, I was barely controlling rapture.

Yesterday, from the train, I noticed that there was an IKEA within easy walking distance of the Shim-Misato station, and I thought, 'I should totally go there sometime.' And then I thought, 'Hey, I need some stuff for my classroom - omg, I'm totally going there tomorrow.' And I did. And I bought some things for my room, but it was mostly stuff I needed: a clock, containers for my props, organizational stuff. I also bought a soft, soft pillow because I hate the two pillows I do have, and I'm hoping this one works better for me.

This does not fully describe how wonderful IKEA is. The showroom is amazing - I've been to furniture showrooms before, but there's something different about IKEA. It's more comfortable. You don't feel so bad throwing yourself into one of the chairs and wiggling around in it to get the feel of it. It's not invasive to go through drawers and cupboards and inspect everything. I've always felt that showrooms are too pristine to touch, to perfect to disturb. It's hard to imagine living in them. IKEA showrooms already feel lived in; it's easy to drift into the idea that this could be home.

It makes me wish my apartment was worth furnishing (it's not, by no means is it worth the time and effort, much less the money), because I would think nothing of going completely IKEA. I don't need anything else, but I'll probably go back every so often just to look around. And I so want to get one of those weird heart pillows with arms. It's so insane that it's awesome.

And thus I have had another super Japanese day. In a Swedish store. Go figure.

picture break!

Just posting quickly to add a new pic to the top of the page. This is Benni-sensei and me in Takasaki. I have many, MANY new pictures to post, but they will have to wait. Until now, I'll post this as a reminder of my favorite, crazy co-worker.