Sunday, December 31, 2006

New Years in Japan (Osho-gatsu)



During the last week of classes before winter vacation, one assignment for the first year students was explaining Japanese New year traditions in a paragraph. Here are some things the students taught me.

Some things people do on New Year's Eve:
Clean the whole house and decorate with "simekazari". On the front door, people put "okazari" which is like a straw decoration.

Eat osechi which are traditional foods which all have meanings when you eat them.There's a box called "jubako" which has Koromame, or sweetened black soybeans symbolizing working very hard. Kurikinton is a chestnut which symbolizes financial fortune. Kobumaki is said to give happiness.

Childen are given money by parents and other relatives. This money is called otoshidama. The cute little envelopes that you put the money in are called Pochi-bukuro.
There are these decorations with two mochis stacked on top of each other with a mikan (tangerine) on top. On New Years day, a soup with radish is made with it called Ozouni. Eating mochi is said to give a long life. Also, eating soba is very popular for New Years. I like soba.
There is a game they play called "Hogoita" which is like badmitton, and the loser has to paint their face.
They send special happy new year postcards, nenga-jo, to all their friends.
"Akemashite omedeto" means happy new year or congratulations to the opening of the year.
There are special TV shows on new years eve. One popular one is called Kouhaku Utagassen which is like American Idol in the sense that it is a singing contest show.
2007 is the year of the boar, or eto.
Watch the first sunrise of the year, and say "goraiko banzai" which means congratulations on the first sunrise.

New Year's Day
Many people go to a shrine and make wishes to have a happy year. Some things they do at the shrine are throw coins into the box (osaisen), clap, pray, ring a bell. They pick a fortune called an omikuji.

There is a little marathon run that some people participate in.

Funny how much i learn from teaching, ay?

To all the beauty in this world....


I wish to see it all.

Welcoming beginnings.....


I can feel it.

How to have a new year


Forget about last year, and make amends with it.

It is a New Year


Let us celebrate beginnings.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Takayama

Takayama means high mountain. My buddy, Racheal, had mentioned this place, and as it seemed lovely located close in Gifu prefecture at a pretty high elevation, but it still had not snowed after Christmas. Here are some pictures of the Hida-Takayama "old town" that has a little replica of what houses and life was like in Japan during the 1600's or so.



This is what the inside of the houses were like. The little fire pit in the middle has a name that i forgot. This is where they'd cook their meals and keep warm.

Here is one of the houses. The roof is made of straw and mud and moss.
This is the lake.
Here is another of those indoor fire pits. They smell rather nice.
Here is a little placard that gives some information on one of the houses.
These are what the mountain trees look like here.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Bon-Enkai or T's Christmas night

My Christmas was spent in the following ways:
Talking on the phone to my family while listening to them open their gifts.
Talking on the phone to my Gabby while trying not to miss the inland empire.
Opening my packages that I had saved for that day.
Cooking Xmas cookies, banana bread, stuffing and a whole chicken
Last minute cleaning before my big trip
Joining in a big dinner with all the teachers and staff from school
Trying a new hot drink, Sho-chu mixed with green tea
Karaoke
Taxi Ride home in the rain

A small Japanese garden at night
Shimada-koko no sensei
My din-din of crablegs, sashimi, beef with veggies, etc.
Sho-chu is very strong.
The Izakaya where the afterparty went. After a certain point of drunkenness, my photos usually end, which is too bad because I haven't any pics of funnest part of the night. Oh well.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Piggy's gonna talk about food again........

CC Lemon: 50 lemons' worth of Vitamin C in every can.

Pizza-LA: Open up with your smile.


Why would I buy, and then eat a chip masquerading as a Dorito, which is flavored with ebi* and mayo? I did it for YOU. Yes, folks, in the spirit of Christmas, I am going to liken myself to Jesus Christ, who if lived in the 21st century, would certainly eat this disgusting chip as a way to abolish the world's terrible food sins. If you see this, it tastes like what I imagine dried chum to taste like. Dried chum topped with mayonaise. If you're not feeling pukey yet, sit tight, I'm sure to find more of these things for you. Love ya, Toby

*ebi means shrimp

PS. CC Lemon tastes like carbonated lemonade, similar to a Squirt, but sourer. I prefer sourer to more sour. Shut up, prospective bookish types on guard with their red pen. It's not like I'm an English teacher or anything!!!!!!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Sukimono....or things i like

I like ramen. I like C.C. Lemon. I like nice people.
I like people who cook ramen and serve with a chilled CC Lemon.
I like to eat ramen while I order CC Lemon and watch nice people.
I like to drink CC Lemon while telling nice people about delicious ramen.

But most of all, i like nice people who give me a can of CC Lemon and ramen.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Back to the Shizzzle

Well last weekend I lost my keitai. My cell phone. It is a bit of a worry now that I've gone back to Club Etti, where I'm pretty sure I lost it, and found no luck. Ya, i know. However, my lil buddy, Kate, helped with my search and we found a pretty cool little place to eat sushi. All the thanks goes to Shizeki, though, who is Kate's fave teacher at her school. He's the one who recommended the place. He's one dude who's food opinion I will always respect ever since he took us Shimada kids to eat the best soba I've had thus far.

This sushi place was very fun because you can order via touch screen TVs, or pick something up off the moving trays, all at an affordable price. I can't wait to bring mom here when she comes. I think she'll like it. I came to a new problem since i have learned to post videos. Now my videos are too big to upload. Stupid stupid.

Earlier this week, I totally complained about not taking proper photos of Xmas--Japan style. And I didn't do very well again tonight, however I did find a few things. Maybe I was just preoccupied with my celly. Hai Douzo. If you are wondering about the Hai Douzos, you should stop cuz apparently it means anything you want it to mean. So fuckin' Hai Douzo and shut up. Just kidding, my precious invisibles.




And I liked these kids who were playing in the station. Jouzu, i'd say.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

WHEN HEARTS ATTACK!! by Toby

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Merry Christmas!

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If you can't see, click for a larger picture. You knows I ain't no professional.





When hearts attack! by Toby

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Merry Christmas!

When hearts attack! by Toby

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Monday, December 11, 2006

Saturday, December 09, 2006

When I wake up, in my makeup

Seriously, Christmas in 15 days? I'm about 6 chocolates behind in my advent calendar. Okay, 4 now. My neighbor, Hiromi, gave it to me. Sweet, huh? Anyway, I am amazed at how fast everything seems to be going. Does this mean that I really am old? My dad told me that time gets faster and faster. If it could be demonstrated mathematically, it would look much like an exponential graph like X to the power of y+1. X is the way time feels to you while Y is yr age.

I believe him. Although, the thing I've known ever since childhood is that time moves slow when you are awaiting something wonderful, or serving out a sentence of some kind. Like when you're sent to yr room and unable to leave until "i say so". Or working some tediously boring job like data entry at an insurance firm waiting to come to Japan. For these causes, time moves like the turtle I saw in the road that one day. Which totally just shows I'm loving where I'm at. But now, it's already x-mas season. It's gonna be 2008. We'll be in the year where I turn 28. Fuck.

I apologize to myself for forgeting my camera last night. I happened to end up in Shizuoka for a Xmas party. A 6000 yen Xmas party. Which is actually not as hideous as it sounds because I've spent more on drunken benders in the past. Anyway, the real reason I wanted to have my camera in Shizuoka was to photograph the Christmas season expressed in lights. The city really becomes much more beautiful when there are lights everywhere. Also, I hear Christmas musik everywhere. Though, that's not always a good thing since sometimes it sounds like the christmas rendition of elevator techno, which is my umbrella term for that fast, repetitive high pitched, sounds like it was made by my Casio. Whatever. I just wanted to show you that the signs of the season are everywhere, yet they don't celebrate Christmas day, so i've been told.

Took the morning train home. 5:15. Rode my bike okaylike. Got too hot this morning with my blanket. Did my thing where I overviewed my night to check if I did anything too idiotic. No, was pretty PG-13, though I did reach my loud, obnoxious level where I become a little harrassing....not too bad, though. Upon the overview, laughed again at what I was laughing at while leaving the club all the way back to Shimada. I won't bother telling the story, as you just had to be there.

Today, i'm wondering if I should wash my face before dragging it into the public sphere. I'd like to rent a couple movies and just chill proppa this beautiful Sunday. I don't feel as shitty as I should, but still just wanna watch movies. Wish I could vacation for one of these hungover TV days at Vernon Terrace 2003. When I woke up, and my friends lived in the same place and already began breakfast, while putting in Old School as background noise. Having fun with these kinda new friends really makes me miss my old friends. God, i miss you like crazy.
Gonna rent Old School. Yep.