When it comes to lunch, I`ve had 2 distinct "routines." One is when about 5 or 6 teachers all head out together and invite me along. The other is when I`m facebooking, turn around, and the room is empty except for people who brought lunch. On those days where I`m running solo, I end up trying the random restaurants around town. There`s actually quite a few in some areas, but like any city, quality is going to vary.
I stopped by Dosanko (there`s 2 dosanko on the same street, but they use different characters to spell their names...go figure) the other day, furthering my quest to try all the ramen spots in the city in the first few months. It`s a tiny joint, seating maybe 20 tops, with a sole woman running the place. I sat at the counter in the mostly empty restaurant (never a good sign at 12:15) and ordered a ramen gyoza "teishoku" (set lunch). Considering it was only 800 yen, I hoped I`d get a great deal. How wrong I was.
It started with a mostly mayo salad, with bits of cabbage, cold clear noodles, and what looked like a slice of nectarine. Ugh. I was then served a bowl of rice, 5 overcooked gyoza that had burst sometime between fry pan and plate, deep fried veggies (these were actually good), pickles and kimchi, and a bowl of uninspired miso ramen. It`s got to be pretty mediocre for me not to finish a bowl of ramen, and that`s what happened here. Didn`t finish the salad or rice either. It was definitely a quantity over quality place, and while I commend the proprietress for pushing out 6 separate dishes in about 6 minutes, I actually only enjoyed 2 of them (rice, deep fried veggies).
August 29, 2008
I feel like a champ
Why? I just handled my business in one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
With legs tired from my first consecutive hard cardio workouts (stairclimber/treadmill + basketball), in slippers designed for someone with size 8.5 feet (mine are 11), without any clothes touching the floor. I`ve done it before, but I don`t know if I was sober enough to really enjoy conquering another aspect of the culture. Props to me, and sorry mom for the crude post, but you know how I am.
2 of my schools ONLY HAVE THESE. It`s been a concern of mine since I started going to work, but up until today I was able to avoid them. They also tend to be the only option in places like train stations, bars, and some restaurants. The plus side of the availability of places like McDonald`s is that they almost always have western toilets, and no one seems to care if you come in, use it, and leave. It seems apathy exists in fast food workers the world over, no matter how polite they might sound.
August 25, 2008
Internet Woes
Despite my best hopes that I would be able to, at this point in my time here, surf the internet in my underwear, covered in bits of forgotten rice, lips stained with soy sauce and hair unkempt, alas, twas not to be. My home internet situation has not improved since day 1, though I do have a different user name and password that don`t work.
All those promises of pictures must wait, as there`s no way I can get them online from school (despite attempts at using proxy servers). My predecessor had to wait 4 MONTHS to get internet at home, so all I can do is hope and pray that it doesn`t reach that point.
On the positive side, I`m now reachable by phone or email via my cell. Feel free to shoot me an email at japan.droo@ezweb.ne.jp. I`ll probably be busy playing with the GPS navigation or downloading songs onto my micro SD card...I love Japanese cell phones.
All those promises of pictures must wait, as there`s no way I can get them online from school (despite attempts at using proxy servers). My predecessor had to wait 4 MONTHS to get internet at home, so all I can do is hope and pray that it doesn`t reach that point.
On the positive side, I`m now reachable by phone or email via my cell. Feel free to shoot me an email at japan.droo@ezweb.ne.jp. I`ll probably be busy playing with the GPS navigation or downloading songs onto my micro SD card...I love Japanese cell phones.
August 18, 2008
Short update
I`ve been holding off posting because I`m supposed to be getting broadband at home, allowing me to post pictures in these far too wordy posts...I`m a visual guy, I get it. Sometimes folks want to SEE the ramen instead of hear about how good I thought it was.
I`m also still without a foreigner registration card (necessary for ALL non-Japanese citizens...for those who are unfamiliar, we`ll later get into what makes you a Japanese citizen), and thus, without cell phone (though many have gotten around this). Both of these situations are scheduled to be remedied this week, and I`ll be getting my first paycheck as well.
What I`ve been up to: not much. Hit Himeji Castle on Friday, found a cool bar, got really drunk for the first time this trip in Toyooka, got the splint off my finger, and have been meeting cool folks. On the sched for this week: Kobe orientation Wednesday, fireworks festival tonight, prefectural beer garden Saturday, Clint visiting Fri-Sun. Should be good, hope to have pics up by Thursday.
I`m also still without a foreigner registration card (necessary for ALL non-Japanese citizens...for those who are unfamiliar, we`ll later get into what makes you a Japanese citizen), and thus, without cell phone (though many have gotten around this). Both of these situations are scheduled to be remedied this week, and I`ll be getting my first paycheck as well.
What I`ve been up to: not much. Hit Himeji Castle on Friday, found a cool bar, got really drunk for the first time this trip in Toyooka, got the splint off my finger, and have been meeting cool folks. On the sched for this week: Kobe orientation Wednesday, fireworks festival tonight, prefectural beer garden Saturday, Clint visiting Fri-Sun. Should be good, hope to have pics up by Thursday.
August 12, 2008
Kossetsu
Is the Japanese word for fracture. Which is what is currently plauging the first joint on my left hand`s middle finger. It`s taped to an aluminum splint, which was wrapped in an Ace bandage like gauze-ish material and taped again. It`s not particularly painful now, but when it happened...woo...
Some of you may remember when I broke the knuckle-joint of my right index finger by opening a door wrong and my finger getting caught in the handle...yes, not a sexy or even interesting story. I had a cast halfway down my forearm and with that being my strong arm, certain things were difficult. Imagine the helplessness I felt the first time I went to the bathroom or tried to open a jar. That being my first real bone break (other than a jaw injury when I was a wee lad) it really made me look at folks with disabilities differently. Hell, taking a shower was annoying as all get out.
Well, this time it`s on my left hand, and the splint only comes down to the knuckle. It`s significantly easier to do things like type or cook or shower, and I even managed to play a little taiko. Basketball practice on Thursday will be interesting, but I`m going to try to gut it out.
Ah yes, how it happened. Basically I was cherry-picking on a play (not getting back on defense and more or less waiting at half court for the other team to score so I could get an easy layup), and had a high, fast pass coming to me. I reached my hand up in a manner to allow me to bring the ball down quickly, with my wrist at a 90 degree angle and my hand set to cup the top of the ball. A defender tipped the ball, causing it to rise slightly, and it struck my middle finger at a good speed when the joints were locked in position. I immediately grabbed my finger and called for a sub. I figured it wasn`t that bad, and played the next game. I iced it that night, and though it hurt, I didn`t think much of it. The next day it was dark red at the joint, and started turning blue in mid-morning.
The hospital part can wait for later...
Some of you may remember when I broke the knuckle-joint of my right index finger by opening a door wrong and my finger getting caught in the handle...yes, not a sexy or even interesting story. I had a cast halfway down my forearm and with that being my strong arm, certain things were difficult. Imagine the helplessness I felt the first time I went to the bathroom or tried to open a jar. That being my first real bone break (other than a jaw injury when I was a wee lad) it really made me look at folks with disabilities differently. Hell, taking a shower was annoying as all get out.
Well, this time it`s on my left hand, and the splint only comes down to the knuckle. It`s significantly easier to do things like type or cook or shower, and I even managed to play a little taiko. Basketball practice on Thursday will be interesting, but I`m going to try to gut it out.
Ah yes, how it happened. Basically I was cherry-picking on a play (not getting back on defense and more or less waiting at half court for the other team to score so I could get an easy layup), and had a high, fast pass coming to me. I reached my hand up in a manner to allow me to bring the ball down quickly, with my wrist at a 90 degree angle and my hand set to cup the top of the ball. A defender tipped the ball, causing it to rise slightly, and it struck my middle finger at a good speed when the joints were locked in position. I immediately grabbed my finger and called for a sub. I figured it wasn`t that bad, and played the next game. I iced it that night, and though it hurt, I didn`t think much of it. The next day it was dark red at the joint, and started turning blue in mid-morning.
The hospital part can wait for later...
August 11, 2008
Tokyo Orientation
After about 3 hours at the airport, 12 hours on a plane on which I wasted my time watching Big Bang Theory (terrible), the Office (great), Be Kind Rewind (also great) and Hitch (better than expected....maybe it`s just Eva Mendes) and playing backgammon, I landed in Tokyo. As soon as I hit the airplane dor, the humidity hit me like a ton of wet, sticky bricks. In all my wisdom, I was wearing black pants and a grey button down, ensuring that not only would I be sweaty, but that people would likely be able to see it from miles away.
Customs, immigration, and all that jazz were pretty easy, with almost no questions of any kind. Taking the advice of previous JET friends, I basically spent the whole time talking to anyone and everyone in hopes of not only making friends but ensuring a spot to crash if I end up traveling the length of Japan eating ramen...which if you know me, is obviously my main goal. Some cool folks, some anime freaks, some japan-o-philes, but mostly just people also looking to meet as many people as possible.
Orientation itself was kind of a drag. Lengthy lectures held in overpacked rooms with insufficient A/C and amazingly uncomfortable chairs led to a whole lot of bitching and ditching. The speakers were mostly entertaining, however, and at times the meetings would fly by. Among the more useless workshops I attended were about saving money (common sense tactics), food (I eat it all the time, and there wasnt much cooking advice), and independent Japanese study (for beginners). Since I`ll be driving here, though, that workshop was helpful, as was the one on travel. The threw us in rooms with 3 beds basically side by side in an otherwise fairly swanky hotel and provided us with vegetarian lunches consisting of bread, rice, and a soy meat substitute.
Nighttime is the right time...to party, as they say. Lots of drinking with folks that I just met led to some fairly entertaining moments, like me passing out on the ground or folks being surprised by the button used to summon a waitress. Beer, chu-hai, and lots of food.
At different points in the 3 days, we ended up eating Tenkaippin (a ramen chain) at 2 am, hitting Tokyo Tower, getting caught in crazy rain, drinking at a bar in Roppongi, wandering around Shinjuku with 40 people, looking for a bar to accomodate us, and drinking on the sidewalk, talking to every person who walked by. Good times, and a great way to jump off what promises to be an interesting year.
Customs, immigration, and all that jazz were pretty easy, with almost no questions of any kind. Taking the advice of previous JET friends, I basically spent the whole time talking to anyone and everyone in hopes of not only making friends but ensuring a spot to crash if I end up traveling the length of Japan eating ramen...which if you know me, is obviously my main goal. Some cool folks, some anime freaks, some japan-o-philes, but mostly just people also looking to meet as many people as possible.
Orientation itself was kind of a drag. Lengthy lectures held in overpacked rooms with insufficient A/C and amazingly uncomfortable chairs led to a whole lot of bitching and ditching. The speakers were mostly entertaining, however, and at times the meetings would fly by. Among the more useless workshops I attended were about saving money (common sense tactics), food (I eat it all the time, and there wasnt much cooking advice), and independent Japanese study (for beginners). Since I`ll be driving here, though, that workshop was helpful, as was the one on travel. The threw us in rooms with 3 beds basically side by side in an otherwise fairly swanky hotel and provided us with vegetarian lunches consisting of bread, rice, and a soy meat substitute.
Nighttime is the right time...to party, as they say. Lots of drinking with folks that I just met led to some fairly entertaining moments, like me passing out on the ground or folks being surprised by the button used to summon a waitress. Beer, chu-hai, and lots of food.
At different points in the 3 days, we ended up eating Tenkaippin (a ramen chain) at 2 am, hitting Tokyo Tower, getting caught in crazy rain, drinking at a bar in Roppongi, wandering around Shinjuku with 40 people, looking for a bar to accomodate us, and drinking on the sidewalk, talking to every person who walked by. Good times, and a great way to jump off what promises to be an interesting year.
August 8, 2008
Food Report: Hana Udon (Asago)
Thursday almost none of the teachers were at Ookura, so I ended up going to lunch with the two male PE teachers. One of them has been described to me as a person that I have to be careful around, jokingly of course. He stands out because of his speaking style. If you aren`t familiar with Japanese, there are variations on the language and the pronunciation used based on your personality, the situation, who, what, where, etc. One of the hardest styles to understand is the rough male style, especially when mixed with a local dialect that differs from standard Japanese.
For example, I might say (in my college-conditioned standard Japanese) "shiranai," he might say shitorahen, with an extreme emphasis on the r, rolling it to sound like a motorcycle...it would sound like shtrrrhn. Carrying on a conversation with him is certainly interesting, and a nice test of my listening abilities, but is also kind of tiring.
Anyway, we ended up at an udon joint. Like a lot of casual udon spots, you order a style of udon at the front, then you take a tray and add various other items to it (think cafeteria in Animal House). Items like onigiri, tempura, korokke, and salad are available at prices around $1 apiece. I went with a large niku udon (shredded beef), a potato korokke, and a piece of squid tempura. If that seems like a lot, I had been doing some stuff with the kids in the gym, and my breakfast of a piece of bread and a small banana just wasn`t holding me.
The udon was good, if a tad bland. I like flavors that punch you in the face, so udon is often the forgotten noodle dish, behind stuff like ramen, pho, and chinese noodle soups. Korokke was standard, but a bit on the mushy side without any of the nice crispiness on the outer batter. This was probably due to it being one of the last 2 on the tray. Same goes for the ika tempura; a lack of seasoning in the batter combined with sogginess kind of sunk this meal.
For example, I might say (in my college-conditioned standard Japanese) "shiranai," he might say shitorahen, with an extreme emphasis on the r, rolling it to sound like a motorcycle...it would sound like shtrrrhn. Carrying on a conversation with him is certainly interesting, and a nice test of my listening abilities, but is also kind of tiring.
Anyway, we ended up at an udon joint. Like a lot of casual udon spots, you order a style of udon at the front, then you take a tray and add various other items to it (think cafeteria in Animal House). Items like onigiri, tempura, korokke, and salad are available at prices around $1 apiece. I went with a large niku udon (shredded beef), a potato korokke, and a piece of squid tempura. If that seems like a lot, I had been doing some stuff with the kids in the gym, and my breakfast of a piece of bread and a small banana just wasn`t holding me.
The udon was good, if a tad bland. I like flavors that punch you in the face, so udon is often the forgotten noodle dish, behind stuff like ramen, pho, and chinese noodle soups. Korokke was standard, but a bit on the mushy side without any of the nice crispiness on the outer batter. This was probably due to it being one of the last 2 on the tray. Same goes for the ika tempura; a lack of seasoning in the batter combined with sogginess kind of sunk this meal.
Break yo`self!
I broke the middle finger on my left hand in my first basketball practice...taiko practice tonight will be nowhere near as fun. More on this when I`m not as annoyed.
August 7, 2008
Hittin' switches in my 6-4! Or not...
I went up to Toyo-oka last week (maybe a 30 minute drive) to rent my car from a place that gives full insurance instead of the partial insurance (collision only) that`s usually included in the lease prices around here. In a place like this, gas mileage and size are the primary concerns, mainly because gas is hovering just over $6 a gallon (about 175 yen/liter) and parking spots/roads are at least 2 feet thinner than those in America. In the car I`m driving now, I can almost touch the passenger window from the driver`s seat without much effort.
This is the car I`m getting: the Daihatsu Mira Custom, in a royal blue color (like 90% of the cars around here are white, or cream, or off-white, or silver...easy to spot blue). Including insurance and rental, it`s running me something like $300/month. Gas is probably going to be another $120 or so a month, at least until it cools down and I don`t have to use the A/C all the time. I`m also now a member of JAF, Japan`s version of AAA.
The car I`ve been using the first few weeks is an 8 year old Daihatsu Move, in an odd murky magenta color. It runs, though, and that`s all that really matters I suppose.
Anyway, if and when anyone comes to visit, I`ll be ready to cart them and possibly 2 other people around in relative comfort!
This is the car I`m getting: the Daihatsu Mira Custom, in a royal blue color (like 90% of the cars around here are white, or cream, or off-white, or silver...easy to spot blue). Including insurance and rental, it`s running me something like $300/month. Gas is probably going to be another $120 or so a month, at least until it cools down and I don`t have to use the A/C all the time. I`m also now a member of JAF, Japan`s version of AAA.
The car I`ve been using the first few weeks is an 8 year old Daihatsu Move, in an odd murky magenta color. It runs, though, and that`s all that really matters I suppose.
Anyway, if and when anyone comes to visit, I`ll be ready to cart them and possibly 2 other people around in relative comfort!
Ramentary: Ton Chin Kan Ramen (Wadayama)
I figured if the spot had a picture of a pig on the sign, they must have confidence in their tonkostu (pork bone) broth. I always like seeing manual laborers, truckers, and other blue collar guys in a ramen joint, because that usually means it's hearty, tasty, and reasonably priced. Ton Chin Kan sounds like a Chinese place, but they specialize in the version of ramen broth that I seem to favor: fatty, thick, and addictive.
In a nice air-conditioned, all wood restaurant (seems to be a lot of those here), a simple menu with typical ramen choices: shio, miso, shoyu, along with the signature tonkotsu, and side items like gyoza and fried rice. They also were advertising what looked like squid fries, long thin strips of squid lightly fried and served alongside your ramen for about 3 bucks. I didn't get them this time, but wouldn't be surprised if I tried them on the next trip.
The school nurse and I both ordered the tonkotsu ramen with a side dish with a name I can't remember. It's basically rice with a raw egg, leeks, tiny strips of nori (dried seaweed) and chunks of pork, with a bit of a special gyoza shoyu for good measure. It reminded me a lot of a meal I used to have as a kid. My dad would take some day old rice, plop a sunny side egg on top and drizzle shoyu on it; a hearty meal for a growing boy.
My English team teacher ordered the shoyu with small fried rice and chicken karaage. Karaage is basically a large chicken nugget, boneless chunks covered in a thin layer of batter and fried. Very similar to the Hawaiian fried chicken you find at places like the Loft in SoCal, but without any of the sweetness. They seem to like dipping them in ketchup over here, but I find the flavor fine on its own.
Anyway TonChinKan is about 3 blocks from my 2nd school, Ookura Elementary (more on the school later), and I plan on being back fairly often...obviously after I've scoped out the rest of the food. Pics to come after my next visit!
In a nice air-conditioned, all wood restaurant (seems to be a lot of those here), a simple menu with typical ramen choices: shio, miso, shoyu, along with the signature tonkotsu, and side items like gyoza and fried rice. They also were advertising what looked like squid fries, long thin strips of squid lightly fried and served alongside your ramen for about 3 bucks. I didn't get them this time, but wouldn't be surprised if I tried them on the next trip.
The school nurse and I both ordered the tonkotsu ramen with a side dish with a name I can't remember. It's basically rice with a raw egg, leeks, tiny strips of nori (dried seaweed) and chunks of pork, with a bit of a special gyoza shoyu for good measure. It reminded me a lot of a meal I used to have as a kid. My dad would take some day old rice, plop a sunny side egg on top and drizzle shoyu on it; a hearty meal for a growing boy.
My English team teacher ordered the shoyu with small fried rice and chicken karaage. Karaage is basically a large chicken nugget, boneless chunks covered in a thin layer of batter and fried. Very similar to the Hawaiian fried chicken you find at places like the Loft in SoCal, but without any of the sweetness. They seem to like dipping them in ketchup over here, but I find the flavor fine on its own.
Anyway TonChinKan is about 3 blocks from my 2nd school, Ookura Elementary (more on the school later), and I plan on being back fairly often...obviously after I've scoped out the rest of the food. Pics to come after my next visit!
August 6, 2008
Ramentary: Jaaran Ramen (Asago)
The proprietors of this joint obviously have a soft spot for Bob Marley, as his face decorates their walls and their menu. Reggae regularly comes out of the speakers, and the sign is red, green and yellow. It`s a small place, seating maybe 15, but there always seems to be a line. I`ve eaten here twice already in the first week, which isn`t a surprise to those friends of mine who know about my affection for ramen.
The first time I went with the plain ramen, an oil-rich tonkotsu broth with just a few pieces of fatty and delicious chashu (Japanese spelling) and green onions as toppings. The noodles are a bit chewy and plentiful and the soup is rich and flavorful. With it being summer and all, I also have a tendency to consume about a pitcher and a half of water with each bowl. My first time was my predecessor`s last day, and the first meal I had with the other new ALT, Matt from Canada.
The second time I went with some teachers from Yanase, and ordered the tomato ramen. While it might not sound particularly appetizing, it was actually really good. Bok choy, small pieces of chicken, and of course tomato chunks were spread through a bowl of even richer broth, a combination of the pork-bone and tomato-infused bases. Even though I was told it was thinner than normal, it certainly didn`t taste that way. I threw in some of the spicy veggies on the table and basically knocked out the entire bowl in about 7 minutes, including conversation. Again, a pitcher and a half of water. Must be all the salt and msg.
This is apparently the most popular ramen joint in the area, and I can see why. Friendly owners (Ryuhei seems like a good guy), a nice small setting, relaxing music, and some good eats.
The first time I went with the plain ramen, an oil-rich tonkotsu broth with just a few pieces of fatty and delicious chashu (Japanese spelling) and green onions as toppings. The noodles are a bit chewy and plentiful and the soup is rich and flavorful. With it being summer and all, I also have a tendency to consume about a pitcher and a half of water with each bowl. My first time was my predecessor`s last day, and the first meal I had with the other new ALT, Matt from Canada.
The second time I went with some teachers from Yanase, and ordered the tomato ramen. While it might not sound particularly appetizing, it was actually really good. Bok choy, small pieces of chicken, and of course tomato chunks were spread through a bowl of even richer broth, a combination of the pork-bone and tomato-infused bases. Even though I was told it was thinner than normal, it certainly didn`t taste that way. I threw in some of the spicy veggies on the table and basically knocked out the entire bowl in about 7 minutes, including conversation. Again, a pitcher and a half of water. Must be all the salt and msg.
This is apparently the most popular ramen joint in the area, and I can see why. Friendly owners (Ryuhei seems like a good guy), a nice small setting, relaxing music, and some good eats.
August 5, 2008
First impressions of Asago-shi
Asago-shi (the suffix -shi indicates a city) is apparently famous for leeks. I can`t tell the difference between one leek to the next, especially since they`re usually mixed in with something else. That just happened to be the first thing they mentioned when I asked what was special about Asago. Like I mentioned in my last post, it`s made up of 4 towns that got together, presumably for tax purposes: Wadayama, Santo, Asago, and Ikuno.
It`s in the northern middle area of Hyogo-ken (the suffix -ken indicates a prefecture, though other special prefectures have their own...like Tokyo-to, or Kyoto-fu), the prefecture which contains Kobe and is just west of more famous cities like Kyoto and Osaka. It`s located in the Kansai region, an area famous for a blunter, somewhat more aggressive sounding dialect. People in my area speak a variation of Kansai-ben known as Tajima-ben, with slight alterations to verb conjugations as well as altered pronunciations of nouns and different conversational particles.
Sorry for the sudden Japanese nerd outburst.
Apparently the area is pretty good for onsen, skiing/snowboarding, and so far that`s it. It`s a relatively poor area (everyone is poor compared to those in Tokyo), with a fair number of single mothers and farmers. There`s a big store called Jusco in the middle of town which has everything from bathtubs to TVs to a travel agency to strawberries.
The area also has the ruins of Takeda-jo, a castle up on a mountain which has a spectacular view of the valley. There`s also Awaga-yama, the highest mountain in the area...more on that in a later post. In any case, it`s a rather non-descript town in the middle of a prefecture that I had never heard of. There`s rice fields/paddies, lots of small individual vegetable gardens, tons of old people, and an odd odor.
It`s also full of lovely people, all too willing to smile and bow their head in greeting. The attitude of people in Tokyo wore on me for those 6 months, and I have a feeling that won`t be a problem here. Come visit sometime! We`ll probably spend most of our time at least 2 hours from my apartment, but the area is good for a couple of hours of sightseeing.
It`s in the northern middle area of Hyogo-ken (the suffix -ken indicates a prefecture, though other special prefectures have their own...like Tokyo-to, or Kyoto-fu), the prefecture which contains Kobe and is just west of more famous cities like Kyoto and Osaka. It`s located in the Kansai region, an area famous for a blunter, somewhat more aggressive sounding dialect. People in my area speak a variation of Kansai-ben known as Tajima-ben, with slight alterations to verb conjugations as well as altered pronunciations of nouns and different conversational particles.
Sorry for the sudden Japanese nerd outburst.
Apparently the area is pretty good for onsen, skiing/snowboarding, and so far that`s it. It`s a relatively poor area (everyone is poor compared to those in Tokyo), with a fair number of single mothers and farmers. There`s a big store called Jusco in the middle of town which has everything from bathtubs to TVs to a travel agency to strawberries.
The area also has the ruins of Takeda-jo, a castle up on a mountain which has a spectacular view of the valley. There`s also Awaga-yama, the highest mountain in the area...more on that in a later post. In any case, it`s a rather non-descript town in the middle of a prefecture that I had never heard of. There`s rice fields/paddies, lots of small individual vegetable gardens, tons of old people, and an odd odor.
It`s also full of lovely people, all too willing to smile and bow their head in greeting. The attitude of people in Tokyo wore on me for those 6 months, and I have a feeling that won`t be a problem here. Come visit sometime! We`ll probably spend most of our time at least 2 hours from my apartment, but the area is good for a couple of hours of sightseeing.
Maiden Post
FINALLY got access to some internet around here, and am getting this thing up and running. The blog name is a combination of Japan and Androo, as I`m sure you figured out already. I have a thing for combining words...must be the Japanese in me. This is a country a term like gaikokujin touroku shomeisho can become gaijin torokusho though the powers of combination and abbreviation.
As this blog progresses, I hope to be putting up some pictures from my spanking new Nikon D40 with the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens (still giddy about this) as well as less pretty ones from my point n shoot Fuji F20. I also plan to have a little Youtube channel with random videos from my time here, but it looks like I left the USB cord for the F20 at home, so those may not appear for a while.
I`m also going to be talking a lot about food. From what I`ve heard, day to day life can get a bit repetitive in this area, and food can be a great way to change it up. I have some decent access to restaurants and food, but if you`re comparing it to LA or Tokyo or wherever else you know me from, I doubt you`d find everything you want.
That`s it for now. I hope you enjoy reading about life here from the perspective of a chubby, 3rd generation half Chinese/half Japanese, southern California raised, food obsessed, below average Japanese-speaking elementary school English teacher living in a prefecture of Japan known for its beef (Kobe beef actually comes from a region known as Tajima, but Kobe is a bigger city and thus, a bigger name). My town Asago-shi is actually 4 different towns that were incorporated earlier this decade, and now boasts a whopping 35,000 inhabitants.
As this blog progresses, I hope to be putting up some pictures from my spanking new Nikon D40 with the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens (still giddy about this) as well as less pretty ones from my point n shoot Fuji F20. I also plan to have a little Youtube channel with random videos from my time here, but it looks like I left the USB cord for the F20 at home, so those may not appear for a while.
I`m also going to be talking a lot about food. From what I`ve heard, day to day life can get a bit repetitive in this area, and food can be a great way to change it up. I have some decent access to restaurants and food, but if you`re comparing it to LA or Tokyo or wherever else you know me from, I doubt you`d find everything you want.
That`s it for now. I hope you enjoy reading about life here from the perspective of a chubby, 3rd generation half Chinese/half Japanese, southern California raised, food obsessed, below average Japanese-speaking elementary school English teacher living in a prefecture of Japan known for its beef (Kobe beef actually comes from a region known as Tajima, but Kobe is a bigger city and thus, a bigger name). My town Asago-shi is actually 4 different towns that were incorporated earlier this decade, and now boasts a whopping 35,000 inhabitants.
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