The squid saga continues

I'm starting to think that maybe I could be a contestant on Fear Factor! (You know -- the reality T.V. show that requires brave contestants to eat bizarre things.)

But according to my Japanese friend Kenji, I definitely qualify to join "The Japanese People Society." :) This is because I ate raw squid dipped in squid guts (eeps!), just like Japanese people do.

And the crazy thing is, I really liked it!

I know, I know, you'd think I'd be done with squid since I had a bad experience with the one I boiled in my apartment. But I thought it deserved another chance, especially since it was prepared differently this time.

This squid was lying on a bed of ice, situated next to other sea creatures that had their eyes still intact. Yipes! They'll be staring at me during the whole meal as I sit at this counter right in front of them, eating one of their "friends." Ummm...I did not know this would be the case when I agreed to come to this seafood restaurant!

First, Kenji dared me just to touch the slimy creature. After he put his finger on the squid's eyeball, I decided that it was safe for me to do that, too...

Ok, so far so good. Challenge number two is to actually put it in my mouth and swallow! Kenji agrees to eat the squid if I don't like it, so why not give it a try? I have nothing to lose -- other than maybe the snack I had a couple of hours earlier!

Step 1: The cook picks out my soon-to-be dinner. Keep in mind, this is all happening right in front of me!

Step 2: Off with its head! (This will be smashed and made into a dipping sauce...yum.)

Step 3: Peel off the skin and then slice the meat.

And finally, the finished product! It looks a lot more appetizing than it did at first, huh? I find it easier to eat things that don't have eyes!

To my surprise, I've learned that I'm a fan of this Japanese delicacy. Now that I've "conquered" the squid, I must secure my place in "The Japanese People Society" -- so it's time for challenge number three -- to face my fear and eat an entire little fish, head and all! And yes, that includes the eyes. *Gulp.*

Ok, here it goes...(head first)...

Well, who woulda thought? I like this, too!

It turned out to be a fun dining experience, although I wasn't so sure about the place at first. I found some new foods that I like; I made a new friend (the woman below, who owns the restaurant and kept laughing about my squeamishness!); and I became a member of a "society." Kenji also said that I am the only ALT in Kuji history with the guts (hehe) to try raw squid with the special dip. Fear Factor, here I come!

A weekend of walking and discovering

Recently, you accompanied me while I drove 'round the mountains to three different schools. But this time (since it's the weekend, and there's no school), I thought we could get some exercise and go on a stroll around Kuji together. Sound good?

You might want to grab a jacket since the breeze makes it a little cool. It's feeling like fall now, after all. Let's turn right out of my apartment and walk that way, with no particular destination in mind. You never know what we could discover.

As we get closer to Amber Hall, there seems to be a lot more cars and people around than usual. What in the world is going on around here? We see several tents, and oh look! There's a firetruck for some reason, and we can't help but notice this guy....

It's not every day that you see a giant inflated bear outside of Amber Hall. We learn that we've just entered the "Industrial Festival," where several different organizations and companies are represented. Interesting. I had no idea this was going on this weekend. Those mountain-climbing ALT's don't know what they're missing!

Since I have a nose for food, I've already noticed the tents to the left, where all kinds of different "goodies" are being sold. Let's go over there and see if they're giving out samples. :)

"Konnichiwa!!" It's my friend who sells fish right outside my apartment! *Smile for the camera.*

Looks like she's brought her business to the industrial festival. I really need to practice my Japanese so I can talk to her more. She's such a sweet lady.

And just a few booths down from my friend the fish lady is...mushroom juice!?!

They're giving samples, so I'm going to try it (even though I'm not a big fungi fan). Hmmm...not wonderful, but not horrible, either. My dad would like this!

Now that we've been moseying around all the booths for over an hour, let's head out and explore some new territory in the countryside.

Whoa, it's an American-looking house! And right next door to it is this house...

...which looks like a typical Japanese home, complete with a garden and bicycle.

How are your legs? We've walked for quite a while. The good news is that it's all been flat ground! Isn't it nice walking out in the country, by the rice fields? Now that it's harvest season, sights like these are very common...

Now we're very close to my apartment, but I'm not done exploring yet. I wonder where this staircase leads...

Well what do you know, there's a park up here! What a neat discovery! And there's this cool playground with a funky airplane jungle gym. I also see a couple of my students from Okawame Jr. High School, so I'll go over and attempt to talk with them. :)

Thanks for joining me on my walk; we made some fun discoveries! When I go on walks by myself, I like to listen to my iPod. Just for fun, I'm going to share some of my new favorite songs that I enjoy listening to while I'm strolling. (You can click on the song title to see the music video if you want.)

Must Have Done Something Right by Relient K -- I appreciate the clever lyrics, and I really like the tune. This song makes me smile.

Would You Go With Me? by Josh Turner -- YES, Mr. Good-Looking Amazing Voice Turner, I will gladly go with you! I wouldn't normally consider myself a big fan of country music, but you, sir, are an exception. :)

Proud by Heather Small -- It starts out slow, but it really gets going! "I can feel my sprit rising!" What an uplifting song! Gives me something to think about, too: "What have I done today to make me feel proud?"

Answer = Made some discoveries and got some good exercise by walking!

I'm no mountainwoman

I'm writing from the comfort of my lovely loveseat right now instead of huffing and puffing up Mt. Iwate with a group of 30 other assistant language teachers.

At this very moment, they are climbing--with their heavy backpacks on--toward the summit of the highest mountain in Iwate prefecture. They are spending the night in a cabin near the top, then waking up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to go the rest of the way, in order to see the sunrise. I'm sure it's absolutely gorgeous, but I'm content to see the pictures they take.

From what I've been told, the four-hour ascent (which would probably take at least six hours for me!) is treacherous and steep, there is snow at the top of the mountain, and the dangerous descent is especially hard on the knees. Not to mention hiking in the freezing darkness at 4 a.m.!

So thanks for the invitation, friends, but I'll have to pass on this one.

I love a good adventure, but I also know my physical limitations. I enjoy my life and don't want to die this weekend. :) If I had spent months training for this mountain climb, that would be a different story. But not only am I out of shape, I don't have the right equipment. No backpack. No sleeping bag. No hiking boots. So it's a no go. (this year, anyway)

Besides, I can already say that I've climbed a mountain in Japan! Mt. Hakkohdaoahdake, to be exact. (Not that it's easy to say!)

According to Mayla, last weekend's mountain climb was ten times easier than climbing Mt. Iwate! So hearing that reconfirmed my decision to say "No way!" to Mt. Iwate. I thought last weekend's trek was grueling enough! I went up slow and steady with the help of my new best friend for life, Yasu, who was so good about encouraging me and let me borrow his extra pair of gloves. Here's us high-fiving our successful journey to the peak...

I don't think Yasu has ever seen someone so thrilled to be at the top of a mountain! :)

Here are a few more pictures from last weekend...

Group photo at the summit!

Mayla and I pose in front of the scenic background.

So beautiful! The picture didn't capture the sunrays as well as I hoped it would, though. It looked like God was reaching down from heaven. *sigh* Absolutely breath-taking.

I really do love being out in nature. Last weekend's hike was extremely scenic, and although there were some rough spots during the climb, I enjoyed the natural high (literally!) that I got when I stood at the summit. Overall, it was a nice time.

So far, I'm having a good time this weekend. (By the way, it's Saturday evening as I write this, and not Friday like it shows for some odd reason.) I went on a nice, FLAT, mountain-less walk around Kuji today, and it was great. :)

Holding it back

I've lived in Japan for exactly two months.

From the beginning, the adjustment to my Japanese life has been smooth. Now I'm completely used to hearing and seeing Japanese everywhere. I've grown accustomed to driving on the left side of the road. And I don't have problems with the food (for the most part, anyway).

But there's one thing I just can NOT get used to.

The toilets.

I don't think they can even be called toilets, really. "Hole in the floor" is a more appropriate name. When you think about the word "toilet," I imagine that the image of a porcelain chair comes to mind. This is what I've always thought a toilet to be.

But now I know that not all toilets are created equal. The image that you have is actually a Western-style toilet. Now let me show you an actual image of a Japanese-style toilet:

I despise this hole that I must squat over. As a female, I feel that it's downright unnatural for me to aim when I'm doing my business.

Unfortunately, there are no Western-style toilets at the office, and three of the four middle schools where I teach don't have one either. So unless I absolutely, desperately have to use the bathroom, I will hold it until I get to my apartment for lunch break.

If I've been holding it back, it's such a beautiful sight to see my Western-style toilet when I run through my front door, I almost burst. (and not just with joy!)

Believe it or not, my apartment toilet even has a seat heater! So it's a special kind of special. I will probably be using that a lot in the winter. Who knows, I might just live in the bathroom and write blog posts from the nice warm seat of my toilet. Ha!

There it is. The toilet in my apartment. What a beauty!

So living in Kuji has made me realize that I've taken Western-style toilets for granted my whole life. I have a new appreciation for flushable toilets with seats. So much of a new appreciation that I decided to do a little research on the subject, to see who I owe my graditute for coming up with the idea of a chair-like toilet.

I discovered that John Harrington is the inventor of the first flushable toilet. I know because I just looked this up in the office, careful not to let anyone see the pictures of toilets that came up on my computer! After all, that might make me flush...err, I mean blush!

To be fair, there are actually several other men involved in the history of the toilet who must share the credit for what a Western-style toilet is today. As an article from Plumbing and Mechanical (my favorite magazine, haha) says, "By the turn of the century, water closet innovations were occurring on a nearly daily basis." Fascinating.

You know, since I've occasionally had no other option but to stoop to the hole toilets (literally) for the past two months, I've been meaning to write about this subject for a while now.

But I've been holding it back. Only appropriate, huh?

Elaborate, Elegant, Exquisite....Excessive.

I wrote about the wonders of wandering the Universe in my last blog post, and now I'm going to portray what it's like to shop at a 15-story department store in Tokyo -- a universe of it's own!

Let me first make it clear that I dislike materialism, I really do. And I've never been one to love shopping. (or "follow the leader" as I called it when I was younger since I tagged along behind Mom.) Shopping gets exhausting quickly, and I don't like spending money.

However...

I admit that it's easy to get caught up in wanting to buy stuff in Tokyo. There are shops all over the place with cutesy and classy merchandise displayed -- the kind of stuff that when you see it, you want it. And many of the women you see shopping look so darn trendy and chic, accessorized to the max and stylin' with their smart hats, high heel fashion boots and big, brand name bags.

But oh, to look like that you have to pay for it. Big time.

Some of the prices I saw in Tokyo blew me away. Check out the gorgeous material above. It looks like the price is $525,000, but since that's in yen and not U.S. dollars, it's really only $5,250. Only. Outrageous, huh?! Maybe it includes real gold thread or something; I don't know. Hmm, I wonder how many struggling families could be helped by that much money? That's just how my mind works, which is why I have problems spending much money on myself.

I thought I wanted to buy a kimono in Tokyo, but not with the price of fabric being so expensive! Honestly, Dana, when would you ever wear one anyway? But gosh, the thought of buying a kimono in Tokyo just sounds cool! And the kimonos on the mannequins (womanequins?) do look lovely. I ended up buying a cheap--but nice-looking--shirt instead. And who knows, maybe I'll find a good deal on a less expensive summer kimono at some point?

These dresses immediately caught my eye. (Why wouldn't they!?) They're princess dresses! So as I usually do when I see aparel I like, I browsed through the rack. Then I noticed the price of the one I had my hands on. $2,000!?! Ohmygoodness, I'm touching it!! I've never touched a $2,000 dress before, and I probably never will again.

On another floor of the department store, I came to the toy section. Actually, it was more than a mere section -- it was a maze of rooms full of toys! As soon as you get off the escalator, a giant "Hello Kitty" greets you. I've never seen so much "Hello Kitty" merchandise in one place in my life. What a child's (and maybe a cat lover's) paradise!

On yet another floor of the store, were several different cafes (ooh la la!) and restaurants. This little tart almost looks too pretty to eat! Almost. But at $7 a slice, I must pass. Dana, just walk away. Take a picture of the beautiful masterpiece, then just say no.

I am proud to say that I resisted temptation. I went shopping in Tokyo and didn't buy a single elaborate, elegant or exquisitely expensive thing, even though I was surrounded by them. It was quite an experience.

But I'm content with my slow pace lifestyle in Kuji, where the women I see shopping don't look like runway fashion models and the most happening place in town is the grocery store!

The Universe got bigger!

When I first arrived in Kuji, there was a big Universe and a small one. And now, they are both big.

In case you have either forgotten or are new to reading my blog, and you're starting to think I'm crazy, I must tell you that Universe is the name of a grocery store chain here. I have no idea why it's named that, but it sure makes for some funny-sounding sentences!

The smaller Universe was torn down a few weeks ago and made into a parking lot for the brand-new store. The new store is just as big as the other Universe in Kuji. It's also nicer and closer to my apartment!


So I have been anticipating the grand opening of the new Universe. Apparently, so have a lot of people.

There were so many cars near the store today that traffic guards were directing traffic around the Universe. (Haha, see what I mean about funny sentences?) Besides lots of people at the grand opening, there were also balloons, samples galore and even a mascot walking around. It was glorious.

Me with my new friend "Ham," who I guess is the mascot of the Universe. :)

The excitement in the community was equivalent to the buzz in Camby when Wal-Mart opened (or "WallyWorld" as Derek called it). This is a big deal for Kuji.

So Oliver (pictured below) and I had fun exploring the Universe tonight. (hehe) Oliver loves to cook and I love to eat, which makes for a great friendship. :) And both of us can easily spend an hour wandering the Universe!

Thumbs up for grocery shopping!

One of my favorite things about the new Universe is the giant English on the walls that labels each section, like a grocery store in America. Here are a few pictures of the inside of the beautiful store. You'll notice that there aren't many people in the pictures because when I get my camera out, folks tend to scatter! And I was trying not to get people in the photos.

Only five dollars for six apples...what a deal! The sad thing is, that really is a deal.

Yep, the seafood is definitely fresh. It looks like it could have just been swimming!

Grocery shopping is the only kind of shopping I do in Kuji. As I was warned before I moved here, there really isn't a place where I can buy clothes. Not in Kuji, anyway. In my next blog post, I'll write about shopping in Tokyo, which is a totally different world.

By the way, I'm a member of the Universe. :) I have a card to prove it!

(I had to end with one last "Universe joke"; the puns are endless...the sky's the limit, haha.)

A simplistic summary of a terrific Tokyo trip

A lot can be packed into four days. Just ask Sara, Aaron, Hisayo or me.

Sara is a friend I met at church camp in June. Aaron is her grandson, and one of the campers. Hisayo is Sara's Japanese friend (and now mine), who got married on Sunday. Sara and Aaron came to Tokyo from Indiana for Hisayo's wedding. And I went to Tokyo to meet up with all of them and experience the city.

A group picture (at Nikko on Tuesday).

Since there's so much to write about, this blog post has the potential to be lengthy. So I'm going to share the basic itinerary of what we did and saw and fill in some of the details later.

Friday: An evening of sitting -- on two busses and a station

I left Kuji by bus at 5:15 p.m., and rode three hours to Morioka. I've heard a lot about Morioka since it's the capital of Iwate prefecture. Morioka has a "city feel," unlike Kuji, and the basement of the station reminded me of a mall, which I enjoyed browsing. After waiting around for what felt like a long time, I finally boarded the Tokyo-bound night bus. With the bus windows covered and lights off, I was out.

Saturday: A museum, a festival, a shopping excursion and lots of people everywhere!

Seven hours and an off-and-on sleep later, I arrived at Ikebuko Station, (one of many in Tokyo) drowsy and disoriented, but suddenly energetic from the excitement of being somewhere new. I met Hisayo for the first time, and she took me to the hotel where I would stay the next three nights with Sara and Aaron. After breakfast, Sara, Aaron and I took a taxi to Tokyo National Museum, where we saw a lot of ancient Japanese art and artifacts. Not far away from the museum was a festival, where we joined a crowd being entertained by a man who made amazing balloon creations. I tried sweet potato ice cream for the first time, and that was amazing as well! Back at the hotel, we met up with Hisayo and went to the nearby, 15-story(!!) department store. Dinner was at a nice restaurant on the seventh floor of the store. Afterward, we spent some more time shopping and then walked the streets and enjoyed the night scene. We ran into yet another festival, and saw men carrying a shrine, just like I saw last weekend.

The view from our hotel room. There are skyscrapers on the horizon in every direction. Tokyo is so big!

Tokyo at night. Notice all of the bikes!

Sunday: Hisayo's (and Takeo's, too) big day!

Since Hisayo and Takeo are Christians, they had a "Western-style wedding," which means it was held at a church, and Hisayo wore a white wedding dress. However, it was still different from a typical American wedding. Two major differences were: #1 the rehearsal took place immediately before the wedding and #2 a group picture of all the guests was taken after the ceremony. All the guests boarded a bus to an extremely fancy hotel, the site of the reception. Since we had an hour before the reception started, Sara, Aaron and I walked around the beautiful garden outside the hotel. We enjoyed a seven-course dinner (!!) of fancy, delicious French food. After the meal, the bride and groom performed a duet, with Hisayo on the piano and Takeo on the contrabass. Everything about the wedding and reception was beautiful.

Monday: The wheels on the bus go round and round, ALL OVER town...err..giant city

Sara, Aaron and I took a bus tour of Tokyo and went to all of the following places: the Tokyo Tower, the Meiji Shinto Shrine, the Imperial Palace double bridge, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple. As part of our tour, we went on a 30-minute river cruise and also had a presentation about pearls at the Tasaki Pearl Gallery. And we drove by the House of Parliament and through some famous shopping districts-- Ginza, (a very expensive section with brand names that I'll never own, like Armani and Gucci) Kappabashi, (an area where they sell fake food that is in so many of the windows of restaurants in Tokyo) and Akihabara (known as a good place to buy electronics).

One of many window displays of plastic food outside a restaurant. Looks good enough to eat, huh?

Tuesday: A nice time in Nikko
On Tuesday morning, Hisayo met us at the hotel, and the four of us took a train to Nikko, a couple hours north of Tokyo. Nikko is a popular tourist and field trip destination, with its beautiful scenery and Japanese culture and tradition. When we arrived in Nikko, we ate lunch at a place where we sat on mats, took our shoes off and used chopsticks. I had a bowl of noodles (pictured below.) We saw some gorgeous architecture after lunch. Nikko was a great place to see some traditional Japanese shrines and buildings, and it was on my way back to Kuji. I said goodbye to Sara, Aaron and Hisayo, and traveled back to Kuji by shinkansen (bullet train) and then a bus. I finally arrived back to my apartment around 10 p.m.

Standing in front of a pagoda in Nikko.

So that's the brief (believe it or not) account of my mini-vacation. I'll have more pictures later. Sayonara for now!