My current schedule reads like this:
Monday - 4 classes, open after work...hoping to insert Japanese classes here.
Tuesday - 4 classes, 30 minute private English lessons, 90 minute taiko practice
Wednesday - 4 classes, 1 hour group English lessons
Thursday - 4 classes, 2 hour basketball practice
Friday - 3 classes, 90 minute taiko practice
I'm also fitting in shooting around at a gym (usually Monday, Tuesday), lifting/running (usually Wednesday, Friday, sometimes Thursday) and have gone to my first 2 ultimate frisbee practices. I'm writing ramen reviews for the prefectural foreigner newsletter, am sort of involved in the prefectural charity group, and make it a point to hit a local bar and play darts 3 times a month. I've been clubbing a bit lately, though I'm going to be easing off that because a) it costs a lot of money, b) I basically waste the whole weekend, and c) my body hates me. That doesn't mean I'm stopping, by any means, but I'm going to be a bit pickier about it.
This is aside from lesson planning, which I actually have to do since there's VERY little involvement on the side of the Japanese teachers other than the sentiment that they want me to follow a curriculum that they've admitted is outdated (it's changing next year). Do 3rd graders really need to learn words like "stag beetle" or "bell-ringing cricket?" What the hell is a bell ringing cricket?
Either way, I'm actually not that bogged down, and it keeps my week moving. I've lost a good 10 lbs since I've been here, despite not eating as well as I planned, because I'm active and the food is healthier. Hopefully the gut will continue shrinking in time for beach season :)
October 23, 2008
October 14, 2008
Larger pictures
I'm in the process of putting all my pictures onto my Webshots page (since Flickr wants to limit me to 3 folders...ugh). They're also going onto my facebook page. For those of you who have requested larger versions, or simply more pictures, I'll let you know when everything is up.
Edit: Link fixed...I'm retarded.
Edit: Link fixed...I'm retarded.
October 13, 2008
Kobe Ramen - Kobe - Motomachi Station
I had visited this spot back at my orientation in September, but didn't take pictures. I was also running around in 85 degree heat in a shirt and tie, so I wasn't really relaxed and able to take in the food the way I wanted.
It's a fairly large restaurant, seating probably close to 35 people in all. Their menu is prominently displayed out front, with Ramens A, B and C only differing by the amount of pork included...A comes with no meat, B with 5 or 6 pieces, and C with about 10 pieces. They mean it when they say oomori.
The default soup base in shoyu, thinner and lighter than my typical choice, but it wasn't bad. It lacked the depth and punch of a fattier broth, but still provided a nice backdrop for the rest of the bowl. The noodles were nice and hard, just the way I ordered them, and bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions topped with a nice dusting of pepper rounded out a bowl of above average, but not great ramen.
The meat, despite a large amount of fat, wasn't as tender as I had hoped. Seeing the centimeter wide strip of fat that lined each piece had me salivating at the thought of soft, juicy pork, but alas I was mistaken. It was somewhat tough, and I resorted to pulling the fat off the pieces of meat before I ate them since they were serving no purpose. The veggie toppings were nice and crisp, and the pepper gave the bowl a nice kick. I'm not usually one to add pepper, but I was glad for it here.
I also ordered a half sized fried rice, which came with shreds of pork amongst the veggies. This had to be one of the oiliest plates of fried rice I've ever had. There was visible grease moving about on the plate as I finished my serving. It was fairly decent, but the slipperiness of the dish was astounding even for a dish that relies on oil. I finished it, of course, but I felt like I should have been rubbing it down with napkins first.
One of the more interesting things I saw was a takeout menu that included the ramen. I've seen meat, fried rice, gyoza, and other side dishes available for takeout, but can't recall ever seeing the ramen included.
Kobe Ramen is pretty good, but I'd do a few things differently next time. I'd skip the meat toppings in my ramen, and probably opt for something other than fried rice as a side. The gyoza looked decent, and the ramen can stand on its own without chashu.
It's a fairly large restaurant, seating probably close to 35 people in all. Their menu is prominently displayed out front, with Ramens A, B and C only differing by the amount of pork included...A comes with no meat, B with 5 or 6 pieces, and C with about 10 pieces. They mean it when they say oomori.
The default soup base in shoyu, thinner and lighter than my typical choice, but it wasn't bad. It lacked the depth and punch of a fattier broth, but still provided a nice backdrop for the rest of the bowl. The noodles were nice and hard, just the way I ordered them, and bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions topped with a nice dusting of pepper rounded out a bowl of above average, but not great ramen.
The meat, despite a large amount of fat, wasn't as tender as I had hoped. Seeing the centimeter wide strip of fat that lined each piece had me salivating at the thought of soft, juicy pork, but alas I was mistaken. It was somewhat tough, and I resorted to pulling the fat off the pieces of meat before I ate them since they were serving no purpose. The veggie toppings were nice and crisp, and the pepper gave the bowl a nice kick. I'm not usually one to add pepper, but I was glad for it here.
I also ordered a half sized fried rice, which came with shreds of pork amongst the veggies. This had to be one of the oiliest plates of fried rice I've ever had. There was visible grease moving about on the plate as I finished my serving. It was fairly decent, but the slipperiness of the dish was astounding even for a dish that relies on oil. I finished it, of course, but I felt like I should have been rubbing it down with napkins first.
One of the more interesting things I saw was a takeout menu that included the ramen. I've seen meat, fried rice, gyoza, and other side dishes available for takeout, but can't recall ever seeing the ramen included.
Kobe Ramen is pretty good, but I'd do a few things differently next time. I'd skip the meat toppings in my ramen, and probably opt for something other than fried rice as a side. The gyoza looked decent, and the ramen can stand on its own without chashu.
October 9, 2008
The Internet Age is Here!!
FINALLY!! It's done! The guys from the BOE had to order a new modem from NTT ADSL and they set it up today. Now I can finally show off the 2500 or so pictures I've taken so far!
Here's the apartment:
It takes a full 10 steps for me to get from my bed, the innermost place in the apartment, to my front door. These pictures were taken from basically the same spot, just me turning around, on the first day I was here. I've got a headache from today, but am still pretty stoked about being able to upload pics!Hyperactivity, Laziness, Apathy, Stupidity?
Sometimes I wonder what the deal with some of these kids is. I've got 2nd grade classes that can do multiple sentence introductions, telling me their hobbies, their birthday, what kinds of foods they like, etc., and 6th graders that don't know how to say the word "eleven." Like any subject, you're going to have a bell curve of ability, interest, and dedication to its study, but I can't help but wonder if there's something else involved.
Then a story popped up on Japantoday about a woman who couldn't handle her child's hyperactivity, among other problems, and ended up killing him. The Japanese Ministry of Education estimates there's "1-3 moderately hyperactive children in an average elementary school classroom." That seem high to anyone?
I've seen some unusual behavior from the kids. One kid absolutely refuses to participate in any activity, climbing on desks and chairs while the homeroom teacher tries to get him to participate as I teach English games. He'll walk up behind other kids and hit them in the back of the head, grab all the cards from the table and throw them in the air, and just generally be a pain in the ass. Then one day I let him play with my computer and he was like a mouse, drawing in MS paint for 45 minutes.
Another pair will make all kinds of noise during the lesson, interferring with a lesson that at least some of the kids seem interested in. They'll play the game, but when it's their turn, they just say, "what the hell are we doing? What are you talking about?" I don't really care if they don't want to study, but if you don't pay attention to the instructions I gave 4 times, why bother playing?
It also reflects on the homeroom teacher when a kid is crazy. Some of them are in total control of the room, batting aside inane questions about genitals and generally ruling with an iron fist. Others are more laissez faire, perhaps hoping the natural order of class harmony will magically return. Either way, I have NO power to discipline a child, nor would I really want to. I don't know what's acceptable here, and in the US, it seems like all you can do to a kid who doesn't want to be in class is take away priveleges like sports, then kick them out of school. Not good options for a kid who really appears to need structure of some kind to avoid becoming a hobo.
Are they hyperactive? Lazy? Do they not see the point of English? Maybe they want to be baseball players or construction workers or something where English really doesn't come into play. I'm not going to force anyone to study the stuff, since it's a really young age and kids are apt to wanting to play all the time. I just wish my Japanese was better so I could figure out WHY they not only don't want to study, but feel the need to obstruct the learning of the other kids.
Then a story popped up on Japantoday about a woman who couldn't handle her child's hyperactivity, among other problems, and ended up killing him. The Japanese Ministry of Education estimates there's "1-3 moderately hyperactive children in an average elementary school classroom." That seem high to anyone?
I've seen some unusual behavior from the kids. One kid absolutely refuses to participate in any activity, climbing on desks and chairs while the homeroom teacher tries to get him to participate as I teach English games. He'll walk up behind other kids and hit them in the back of the head, grab all the cards from the table and throw them in the air, and just generally be a pain in the ass. Then one day I let him play with my computer and he was like a mouse, drawing in MS paint for 45 minutes.
Another pair will make all kinds of noise during the lesson, interferring with a lesson that at least some of the kids seem interested in. They'll play the game, but when it's their turn, they just say, "what the hell are we doing? What are you talking about?" I don't really care if they don't want to study, but if you don't pay attention to the instructions I gave 4 times, why bother playing?
It also reflects on the homeroom teacher when a kid is crazy. Some of them are in total control of the room, batting aside inane questions about genitals and generally ruling with an iron fist. Others are more laissez faire, perhaps hoping the natural order of class harmony will magically return. Either way, I have NO power to discipline a child, nor would I really want to. I don't know what's acceptable here, and in the US, it seems like all you can do to a kid who doesn't want to be in class is take away priveleges like sports, then kick them out of school. Not good options for a kid who really appears to need structure of some kind to avoid becoming a hobo.
Are they hyperactive? Lazy? Do they not see the point of English? Maybe they want to be baseball players or construction workers or something where English really doesn't come into play. I'm not going to force anyone to study the stuff, since it's a really young age and kids are apt to wanting to play all the time. I just wish my Japanese was better so I could figure out WHY they not only don't want to study, but feel the need to obstruct the learning of the other kids.
October 6, 2008
Movies
I'm not sure how big it is in the States, but anyone who's been living here for the past few months has been bombarded with Ponyo ads, and that catchy catchy song in particular. "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" is Hayao Miyazaki's take on the Little Mermaid story (and if you've ever done karaoke with me, you know how much I like that movie) and was so sweet it made my teeth hurt. I tagged along with a buddy and his friends and wasn't surprised when the theatre was full of little kids. I WAS surprised that at least some movie theatres in Japan are assigned seating, which is why we bought our tickets a full 3 hours before the show. Either way, it was a cute movie, with catchy music and some typically beautiful Studio Ghibli artwork. If you're like me, you've seen a fair number of Ghibli films, and I probably wouldn't recommend this over titles like Laputa or Grave of the Fireflies, but it's good nonetheless.
Last night I stayed up past my planned bedtime to watch Nada Sousou (translated as Tears for You in the US, apparently), a story about parentless step-siblings living in Okinawa. The title translates to "never-ending tears" in the Okinawan dialect, but I couldn't figure out if this was supposed to apply to the audience as well. There's a ton of drama and some really sad parts, but the abruptness of certain events, a couple of fairly pointless scenes, and a rather unfulfilling ending left me wondering what just happened as opposed to getting anywhere near to crying. I suppose my occasional inability to understand what was happening may have helped my eyes stay dry, but I'm not particularly prone to crying from movies anyway. What normally happens is I internalize it and just kind of feel crappy for a bit, but this film fell short on that as well.
That said, I still liked it. I thought it was an interesting story, with some decent acting and a very cute lead female in Masami Nagasawa (plus she's a fine actress, and amazing compared to the acting on TV). The title song has been on my mp3 player since I studied abroad here in 2003, a remake by Rimi Natsukawa. Apparently this movie is partially inspired by the song, but I don't necessarily associate the two. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up renting it to see if I missed something from watching it on TV, but I doubt I'd buy it.
Last night I stayed up past my planned bedtime to watch Nada Sousou (translated as Tears for You in the US, apparently), a story about parentless step-siblings living in Okinawa. The title translates to "never-ending tears" in the Okinawan dialect, but I couldn't figure out if this was supposed to apply to the audience as well. There's a ton of drama and some really sad parts, but the abruptness of certain events, a couple of fairly pointless scenes, and a rather unfulfilling ending left me wondering what just happened as opposed to getting anywhere near to crying. I suppose my occasional inability to understand what was happening may have helped my eyes stay dry, but I'm not particularly prone to crying from movies anyway. What normally happens is I internalize it and just kind of feel crappy for a bit, but this film fell short on that as well.
That said, I still liked it. I thought it was an interesting story, with some decent acting and a very cute lead female in Masami Nagasawa (plus she's a fine actress, and amazing compared to the acting on TV). The title song has been on my mp3 player since I studied abroad here in 2003, a remake by Rimi Natsukawa. Apparently this movie is partially inspired by the song, but I don't necessarily associate the two. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up renting it to see if I missed something from watching it on TV, but I doubt I'd buy it.
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