Coffee Mugs?

Welcome to another look into what makes the missionary tick!

My friend is always finding wonderful opportunities to share tidbits of information on her blog, and sometimes, I then also share them on my blog. I don't always, but since this one was about coffee mugs, and because my first love, even before sumo, was coffee -- this seemed very appropriate. The theme is to talk about seven coffee mugs in my cupboard.


As a coffee fanatic, I probably have a mug for every mood, but most of them are packed in a box somewhere in Middle America. And in Japan, I only have seven mugs. However, if you read until the end, you will be quite humored by the collection.

1. A large, wonderful and fantastic mug from Ireland, omiyage from my friend who visited ... well, Ireland. (omiyage is Japanese for souvenir, but as I always spell the English word wrong, the Japanese word has become part of my English vocabulary!). Alas, though, the handle broke on this wonderful, fantastic, and large mug (Did I mention this awesome mug holds a lot of coffee at one time?).

I am on the hunt for superglue.

2. A simple white mug with blue designs, from the 100 yen shop, Japan's equivalent of a dollar store. My roommates and I each bought one when we moved to Japan and discovered there weren't enough mugs in our house for each of us.

3. A “Parody Mug.” This orange mug with a funny face on it and lots of Japanese took me a long time to decipher. It was one of the mugs in my house when I moved in. (I mean, it was the only mug in the house when I moved in). After a year and a half of watching Japanese television, I finally figured out it is making fun of one of the popular comedians on Japanese television. I still can't read all of it, but I feel victorious at having gotten that much.

Mugs 4, 5, and 6 are travel mugs from Starbucks. Yes, I know. But, two of them were gifts.
4 When I first moved to Japan, I did not have a travel mug and this is an essential household item. So, I bought the cheapest one I could find, which, believe it or not, turned out to be from Starbucks. It says Tokyo on it, but it isn't very pretty. That was Fall of 2005.
5 Then, in the Fall of 2006, my aunt and uncle were in Tokyo for a visit. And as a thank you for showing us around Tokyo present, they gave me a mug I had looked at when we went for coffee one time. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of Starbucks in Tokyo. And is quite cute.
6 Then, only a few months after that, I received a birthday present of a beautiful mug showing a Japanese style painting. It was one of the New Year Mugs, and says Japan 2007. Considering I haven't even been to Starbucks at all in the last several months, this is quite the collection! One mug for every year I've been here so far. Think someone will buy me yet another one before I leave next year?

And finally – number 7. Yet another travel mug. This is the one I use the most, since I don't go to Starbucks, but to a locally-owned coffee shop. The coffee there is from a certification program ensuring fair prices and responsible farming, etc. Finally, after going to this store (regularly) for a year and a half, the owner now sells travel mugs. Yea! Now I can get a coffee on my way to work, and it's both cheaper than Starbucks, and good for the farmers (hmm, not that I ever went to Starbucks on my way to work – maybe it's not cheaper!). And the mug is bigger. Oh, and the picture? It's a Vespa scooter and a bee: “Bees,” being the name of the shop, and a Vespa being the shop owner's mode of transportation.

Holiday Travels

November 23 is a holiday in Japan, Labor Thanksgiving Day. Historically a cross between Labor Day and a harvest festival, this holiday isn't as celebrated as some others in Japan. I however, was invited by a wonderful church member to visit Gifu prefecture in central Japan. The weather was surprisingly warm, and we were able to go autumn leaf-viewing in comfort.

The area is very popular with tourists.




Also that weekend, we visited Shirokawa-go, a valley filled with these beautiful houses. Many of the houses still use thick thatch roofs, as the snow is quite heavy in the winter. The area has become a popular winter tourist destination, but in November, it wasn't very crowded.

Here is a close-up of one of the roofs.




That evening we stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel, called a ryokan. The dinner was quite elaborate, and laid out on the table in our room.


And, finally, here is a picture of the most beloved sight in Japan. Fuji san, Mount Fuji. As it was taken from the bus window, it isn't very clear, but it is otherwise a nice close-up.

J3 Retreat, this year in Nagasaki

Nagasaki, Japan is a beautiful city on the island of Kyushu.

Nagasaki was an important port historically, as it was open to the West (actually, only the Dutch) when the rest of Japan was closed to foreigners.

The ciy is also famous for its Christian history. Today there are many Catholic Churches, due in part to a history of Portguese missions in the area. However, for about 250-300 years (roughly 1580s-1870s, give or take a decade), Christianity was persecuted, outlawed, or tolerated for foreigners only.

In February, 1597, 26 people were matryred in Nagasaki. Today there is a museum on the hill where they were crucified, and is dedicated not only to them, but to all martyrs.


The commemoration day for the 26 Martyrs of Japan is February 5 in the Lutheran calendar as well as the Roman Catholic calendar.


This is Oura Catholic Church, which also honors the 26 martyrs.


Also in Nagasaki is the Glover house, the first western-style house built in Japan. Thomas Glover was from Scotland but moved to Nagasaki.



Either Tomas Glover or his brother are interwoven into various legends about the the inspiration for the opera Madam Butterfly. Cho-cho San, (butterfly in Japanese) has been compared to Glovers's wife (!), his mistress, his brother's mistress, or various other women living in Nagasaki at the time. There is no historical proof that Madam Butterfly was ever a real person, but rather is a story insprired by the West's curiosity of all things Japanese.


This , however, has not stopped the Glover Gardens from using Madam Butterfly to promote tourism to the garden.

The Concert Mascot

Last Saturday was the annual concert at Katerina, the dormitory where I teach. Many of our students attend the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, known as Geidai for short.

With the incredible amount of talented students living in the dormitory, the students are able to perform a wonderful show every year.

This year we were able to experience a concert ranging from operatic vocal to a Bach quartet, solos from Debussy and a saxophone solo by a composer whose name I didn't know.

There was even a sing-a-long of Japanese pop songs (of which I knew 2 of the 3! I was quite proud). It seems a luxury to be able to attend a concert as rich and varied as this.

As a staff member, I expected to be assigned a job at the concert like all the other staff members, but I was disappointed to discover I was left off the list. This was more than likely because no one could tell me what to do in English, and I may or may not have understood any Japapnese instructions!

The night of the concert, though, I approached one of the leaders and said the only sentence I could remember in Japanese at that moment: "I want to help."

Not exactly the polite form, but it got the point across.

They all laughed at the foreigner trying so hard to be a part of the group. And they named me the mascot. Not exactly the job title I was aiming for, but they did let me hand out programs.

In idle conversation, I asked what a program is called in Japanese. Three people gave me three different answers.

And people wonder why I am struggling with this language.

So call me the Concert Mascot, the English Teacher and Persistent Foreigner. At least they know I am, and am happy to be, part of the staff.

Tropical Getaway

A late sumer vacation included a trip Okinawa Prefecture, although I spent my time not on the main island of Okinawa, but on two islands a 14-hour ferry ride away from there. Ishigaki and Taketomi Islands are a part of a group of islands known as Yaeyama.

"Japan's last frontier" Yaeyama been called.

This is Kabira Bay, Ishihgaki,

a place famous for its pearl cultivation. I wish I had pictures of the many different colors of pearls they conjur up in the beautiful bay.

This is the ocean as seen from Taketomi Island, where the sand is shaped like stars (I thought that was a gimmick, until I went to the beach and saw it really is shaped like stars!)

Even if the sand was not unusual, have you ever seen such a beautiful blue as in that ocean?

I listened to traditional music while in Ishigaki. I also had a crash course lesson on how to play a small wooden percussion instrument called a sanba. The woman in brown is playing it in this picture; I am sorry it is too small to see. These three people were very friendly. We had a good conversation, and they even tried to teach me Japanese history. It was a fun afternoon!

These are shisa, a pair of protective dragons that guard almost every house in the Yaeyama/Okinawa islands. Each set has a male and female. The male has his mouth open, and scares evil away. The female has her mouth closed and keeps good in. They are sometimes portrayed as very fierce, and sometimes as cute cartoon animals.

And, lastly, the ferry ride back to Okinawa to catch my plane back to Tokyo. This was a a wonderful journey, although I think any longer than 14 hours, and I would have wondered what to do with myself! But. the ocean was beautiful, and I met new friends on the boat.

A summertime trip to Iwate Prefecture

A Kappa is a mischevious creature from Japanese folk tales. They live in rivers and resemble frogs.

A river in Iwate Prefecture where Kappa are said to live.

A magariya is a type of old Japanese house.This one is at a cultural park, but in times past, the left side of this house was the horse stable, and the right side where the people lived.

Magariya roof

A fishing boat along the Pacific coast.

Where is Iwate Prefecture?

See map at: ttp://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanmaps/l/blprefecturemap.htm

(Tokyo is number 13. Iwate is number 4)

Want more information about Iwate? See:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtp/Northern_Tohoku/outline.html

Things I've learned in Japan

How to stay cool in the summertime:

1. Eat spicy foods. It has to be spicy enough to make you sweat, so that after you finish, the temperature around you then feels cool.

2. Tell scary stories. This will cause you to have goosebumps and shiver, thereby making you feel cool.

3. Go to an onsen (which is bascically an outdoor hot tub). Stay in just long enough to make you warmer than the outside air temperature. Then, when you come out you will feel cool.

4. Eat shaved ice.

5. Leave the area. Travel north where the temperature is cooler.

These are the preferred methods for staying cool in Tokyo (or not in Tokyo, as is the case in number 5). Hope you're staying cool where you are!

Now, please excuse me, it's time for me to go find some curry.

Eight Random Facts

My seminary friend has “tagged” me with a post called 8 random facts about myself. Enjoy the break from Japanese culture, and take a glimpse into the missionary...

1. As my friend Lisa would say, “I don’t have the sense of direction God gave a toaster.” I have been known to say things like, “Turn left at the curvy road.” Anyone who has ever been in Dubuque (or any of the other river towns I have lived in) knows how utterly ridiculous this sentence is.

2. Much to my family’s amusement, I have trouble identifying even the most famous actors and actresses.

3. I stink at Trivial Pursuit. Sure, I can parse Hebrew and Latin verbs (and should still be able to fake my way through Greek), but, the longest-running television show? I have no idea (see number two again).

4. I love sumo wrestling.

5. I have used a squat toilet on a moving train.

6. For someone who grew up with computers in the classroom, even from elementary school, I am unnaturally technologically-confused.

7. My all-time favorite movie is The Princess Bride.

8. I have not yet eaten blowfish in Japan, but I have tried the horse sashimi.

What's the difference between a small earthquake and a medium one?

Well, besides, a freaked out missionary?

Not much, really. I didn't actually break the bowl I dropped when the medium earthquake scared me.

Tokyo averages one earthquake every two months. We were due for one in March; it didn't happen, and then: surprise! There were two last week.

When a small earthquake happens, the house shudders. That's all. It shudders, like me when I'm cold. It shudders, then stops. I am still frozen in place for a good couple minutes afterward, making sure it's over. But it always is. The small one happened late last week as I was getting out of bed. Like I said, it was small, and getting up was only delayed an extra "Earthquake Minute."

The very next day, however, as I was minding my own business, eating my ice cream, the house shuddered again. Again! And this time, it kept shuddering. That's when I dropped the bowl (don't worry, I had just finished eating when the quake started, so no ice cream was harmed in this fiasco) . Usually the quaking/shuddering is finished by the time I get nervous, but this one lasted an extra ... well, an extra minute.

Yes, I know. But earthquakes really bother me!

So, the answer is: the difference between a small earthquake and a medium earthquake is a dropped ice cream bowl.

May Fun

May has been a fun month, as I got to go to sumo not once, but twice! Thank you to C. for winning tickets and not being able to attend. (C. is a fellow missionary in the city, and no -- I did not wish that on her! Don't worry, she and I went together a different day). This a picture of the sumo stadium, called the Kokugikan.


C. and I alsp went to a festival in Ochanomizu. (Yes, I know – where??) Ochanomizu is about a half hour train ride from my house, or a nice hour-long walk.


On this beautiful Saturday morning, C. and I explored the Kanda Matsuri (Kanda festival). We ate delicious food (festival food is like fair food in the U.S. – delicious and not necessarily healthy, but not so common as to worry overmuch about the latter!).

There was dancing and music. Japanese drumming, called taiko, is amazing. Unfortunately, I was not in a good place to get a picture. Just take my word for it. It is exciting to watch, and thrilling to listen to. At left is the drum, though the man here is just practicing; it isn't a performance.

This a "portable shrine" that several men will carry through the streets when it is ready -- here they are getting it ready. During this festival, we saw many such shrines -- rather like floats in a parade, except these are carried on the shoulders of a group of people.



There was even a small one that a group of children were pulling with long ropes -- that was very cute!

Here are more musicians. Although not as exciting as Taiko, this was interesting. I don't know what it is called, but it is very traditional.

Random pictures from March 2007

Tokyo skyline as seen from a ferry on the Sumida River


Priests at a temple in Nara.

Kim and I pose in

front of Osaka Castle.

Prayer cards showing the boar

(this year's animal in the Chinese

zodiac calendar, also used in Japan).

Sumo in Osaka, March 2007

Osaka hosts the Grand Sumo Tournament every year in March.

This March, I was able to convince Kim that sumo is a good thing.

I have a convert!

Top picture: banners before a bout means there is extra prize money for the winner.

Bottom picture: Kotooshu (my favorite wrestler) prepares to wrestle Ama (the smallest wrestler in the top ranks, and another one of my favorite wrestlers).

Nara Pictures

These photos are from a temple in Nara. Nara is famous for its deer, and the temple is famous for its stone lanterns. In March, a friend and I visited the city, In case you ever needed to know, it takes 8-hours on an overnight bus to get to Nara from Tokyo! Yikes!

More pictures later!

The Winter Blues -It's Not What You Think

In Tokyo, spring has come with a vengeance. The wind blows through the city so ferociously it knocks over bicycles and a couple times has stopped me in my tracks. I am nervous about hanging my laundry outside, for fear I'll have to run clear to the next prefecture to retrieve it! I hereby strip Chicago of its nickname. Never until Tokyo have I been in a house where I couldn't tell if it was the wind or an earthquake rattling the walls. It is definitely spring here!

But, while many parts of the U.S. are still are buried under snow, Tokyo is still waiting for our snow. The season of spring officially began this week, and the national meteorological society declared this the first winter on record without a snowfall I don't mean a "not recordable" snowfall. I mean that I did not see a single flake this year. There was a rumor going around that a few snowflakes were spotted in the northern part of the city in early February. However, that has yet to be proven!

Not that I’m complaining or anything. Spring is coming early this year. The flowers are blooming, and that is the most beautiful thing of all in Japan. The temperature is slowly warming, and while March is windy (to put it mildly) and unpredictable, the worst of the winter looks to be over.

But it would have been nice to see a little snow.

If only I had paid attention

Sembe is a snack that is nice.
It’s crisp like a chip and made out of rice.

Seasoned with garlic is my favorite,
but really I love all colors and flavors.

No, not all, I must confess;
there is one that causes distress.

Prawn or shrimp or ebi in Japanese –
however you call it, the smell makes me sneeze

Fried or scampi or chilled shrimp on my plate,
I would devour them all and not hesitate.

But, oh, what a surprise for me to discover
That ebi sembe is not like those others.

The next time I shop I will read the label,
to make sure ebi sembe stays far from my table.

Retreat

The ELCA missionaries had our retreat last weekend in Kyoto. It was good to see everyone, but also a sad time, as well, because the February retreat is when we say good-bye to the missionaries who are finishing their service in Japan. I mentioned in my email I would be meeting up with my former housemates while there. We shared a room, so that first night there was little sleeping and a lot of catching up!

Saturday was spent mostly mired in annual reports. Necessary, I know, but I really don't like to give them. We went in alphabetical order, and it's funny, but I was the last one (a surprise to me -- we'll have to recruit from the end of the alphabet next year!). Actually, it was not so bad, because no one was listening anymore by the time I was up. That takes the pressure off!

For a couple hours on Saturday we were loosed from the bonds of annual reports and business meetings. A couple friends and I sampled the wares at the "Salon du Chocolat," a chocolate show from France, but currently touring the world. We did not get to see the fashion show, so I am still a little baffled as to how the models realized to wear their clothes, not eat them! However, if you have the chance, check out last year's fashion show pictures; they are very interesting! http://www.salonduchocolat.fr/uk/index2.php

After eating all those free samples at the chocolate show, we took a walk. Mmmm, but it was good chocolate!

Admiration

Many of my students are taking exams these days. They are preparing for final exams of the year, because the school year ends in February. One of my students is also preparing for entrance exams, as she is preparing for medical school (God and test results willing!). One of my students is a dance major, and is preparing for her final dance recital (it is technically next school year, but in reality only a few months away). Next year's seniors have also started interviewing for jobs.

English class, at least the one I teach, is a low priority. There are no exams and no grades given. It helps their confidence, and could possibly be used as resume filler. But what are the consequences if they do not come to class? That they do not study English for that hour. It seems such a little thing.

But, for them, that seems to be enough. Week after week, they come. In spite of tests, school activities and part-time jobs and the hunt for a full-time job; in spite of experiments and laboratory projects (a physics major and a pharmacy student also attend my classes. Yesterday the physics student was recounting the day's experiment: how to make a superconductor!)... in spite of all this, they come.

I think of my own "extra-curricular" activities: my Korean lessons or my calligraphy lessons. (I won't count Japanese, which is my full-time class; in essence testing my knowledge every time I leave the house!) How much effort have I put into things I am not tested on; things I learn for the sake of learning. How much do I study? Would I continue to go if I had other interviews, exams, etc.?

To be fair, English class at the dormitory is a lower priority. When job interviews are scheduled over top of my English classes, there is no question of whether to attend class or the job interview. But if the interview is finished with enough time to get back to the dorm, there is also no question ... they come in, loaded with coat and bags and sometimes out of breath from trying to make it on time.

There is no question: I admire these students.