Christmas.....

Christmas officially kicked off upon Winston’s arrival at the Fukuoka airport. However, getting him from the Fukuoka airport to my house in the boonies involved a 10 minute subway ride, a 2 hour train-ride, and a 30 minute car ride (all in that order). Not to mention one very small girl and one very exhausted boy hauling 170 lbs of luggage up and down train station stairwells (no escalators, just stairs). In the end we triumphed over adversity and made it home, but we looked like this:

 

Sleepy, sleepy pandas.

We had a fairly busy schedule. Our first event was the JET bonenkai, which is a traditional Japanese “end of the year” party. Of course, considering most all the attendants were foreign it became more of a Christmas party than anything. True to fashion, right after dinner we headed to karaoke in our Christmas sweaters, scarves, and festive hats. 

Our table at dinner

Yellie and her festive LED Santa hat

Hunter had an epic Christmas sweater, so he gave himself a "thumbs up." Hunter said he'd give me his festive Christmas hat at the end of the night, so I gave him a "thumbs up" as well. Clearly Hunter was the man of the night.

This is Darin. I made the scarf he's wearing!

I also made the scarf that Hunter is wearing. When they are both in Christmas sweaters and my scarves they look like brothers.... brothers who were dropped on their heads as infants. 

When Danielle and Darin sing together it gives Greg a headache. 

Betsy and I were caught in the moment, singing our hearts out. Clearly Winston didn't care to join. 

This is Hunter's new girlfriend, serenades are a pretty serious courting ritual.....

this was Betsy's satin holiday skirt. Complete with a bow and a tag that said "for you," it was a holiday hit. 

Their wedding is in August =0)

I missed the "make a funny face in this picture" memo.

he looks so regal. 

Later that week Winston and I headed back into Oita City for a concert. TAO is an internationally known Taiko drumming group. They are really famous here in Japan; especially on there home island Kyushu. They all live together on a commune, growing their own food, making their own instruments, and writing their own music. The proceeds from their concerts all go back to support their commune. Now, taiko drumming is one of my favorite things about Japanese culture. It’s so high energy, it just sounds epic. The pounding of the drums makes my heart absolutely race and gives me an instant adrenaline rush. It makes me feel like I should be storming onto a battlefield, wind in my hair, sun on my back, running to the beat of the drums to slay some ancient monster with a sword. I’d be so much cooler if I could wield a sword. Alas. The tickets were a little pricey, but it was totally worth it. Not only were there drummers, but there were flute players and shamisens. Every movement was perfectly synchronized and accompanied by flashing colorful lights and elaborate stage props. All their movements were so graceful. It was hard to get pictures because the room was so dark and photography wasn’t really allowed, but Winston still got a few shots.

Our next stop was Nagasaki. We stayed at an adorable hostel, and spent our days and nights exploring the new city. Since Nagasaki was bombed, they had a unique albeit tragic reason to re-build the city. Argo in all my travels, Nagasaki has been the one of the easiest cities to navigate. This is saying a lot, considering that I get lost in my tiny hometown that I lived in for nearly 19 years. A good sense of direction is not one of my strong points. 

It’s always funny coming across little pockets of Western culture in the Eastern world. Take KFC for example. They’re everywhere! The best part about KFC in Japan is the giant statues of the Colonel.
I am not totally sure why Winston held his hat out to the Colonel. Perhaps he'd changed his mind about being a vegetarian and wanted some popcorn chicken.
nope. still a vegetarian. 
Everyone needs hugs, even giant plastic mascots who advertises genetically manipulated chicken. 
why are you dressed as Santa Colonel Sanders?! 

Now Nagasaki has an all out Penguin aquarium, which for me was a must see. Penguins are one of the coolest animals in my book. They all look like they’re wearing tuxedos! It doesn’t matter where they are; in the entirety of the animal kingdom the penguin is always classy. As someone who personally fights dressing up tooth and nail, I find them fascinating. So off to the aquarium we went.
this banner was there to great us when we got off the bus. I literally skipped through the parking lot I was so excited.
I found these fellows in the parking lot

this building looked a bit bland to be something as cool as a penguin aquarium. I think it needs a few more plasma screen tvs and flashy lights. 
I don't think Santa has elves, Santa has penguins. Penguins are much cuter than elves. 

I was quite mesmerized by all the invertebrates in this tank. 
penguins! 
this fella looks like he has two heads
he's the loner penguin
he was quite flexible. 

Now, around noon it was lunchtime for the penguins. I can’t speak Japanese, so when I heard “blah blah blah….SANTA-DIIIVAR-SAN” I looked up at Winston waiting for a translation. He just smiled and walked me to the tank. Only in Japan would a little man in a wet suit dress like Santa with a bag of dead fish to swim with penguins.
SANTA-DIIIVAR-SAN!?!!!!!

Winston and I opted to use our second day in Nagasaki as a chance to hop a train to nearby Sasebo. I wanted to go mainly because my Papa was stationed there when he was in the Navy. The minute we came out of the train station gate Winston and I stumbled upon a giant inflatable Hamburger. This was a telltale sign that lots of foreigners live in Sasebo (actually about 30,000 on a big ol' Naval base).

I like to think this could be a giant Veggie burger! mmmmmm! 

Sasebo wasn’t exactly the prettiest city I’ve ever seen. In all honesty it is the kind of place that made me very self-conscious of my own nationality. Everywhere we went we were surrounded by very loud, obnoxious, and rather over-weight people who shared our nationality. It was a cold day, but we spent our afternoon walking around taking pictures before heading back to Nagasaki.
This is about as far onto the Naval base as we got. 
This was taken in a giant shopping arcade... 
I'm sure this is a popular spot considering all the foreigners in Sasebo.
We got a few shots of the base from across the bay. 

Our last day in Nagasaki we met up with Winston’s cousin Salem (who is a JET near Kyoto), his Aunt, his cousin Becca, and Salem’s girlfriend Katie. We opted to visit the Atomic-Bomb site, the museum, and the peace park. The Atomic-Bomb site was a lot different than I’d expected. In my head I envisioned a giant hole in the ground, which is extremely ignorant to think considering that the bomb actually exploded 500 meters above the hypocenter. It’s a very pretty park now, which makes it hard to believe that a bomb ever went off anywhere near there.

The museum was also a very sobering experience. Rather than blame America for dropping the bombs it advocated the obliteration of atomic weapons. However, it’s always interesting to look at history from another culture’s perspective. There were lots of facts on the walls about America never warning Japan that they would drop the bombs, but there was no mention of Japan’s involvement in the war. No mention of Pearl Harbor… That’s the funny thing about history; facts and truths all depend on who exactly is doing the writing.

Our next stop was the Peace Park, but unfortunately we didn’t get to spend a lot of time there because we needed to catch a train back to Beppu (a city near my house), but Winston still got some good shots.
The entrance to the Peace Park

Before we knew it, it was Christmas Eve. We opted to spend the day wondering around what are known in Beppu as “The Hells.” “The Hells” are a series of natural mineral hot springs. Some of them are up to 100 Celsius! Steam perpetually bursts out through vents in the streets, and the whole place smells like sulfur. 

I wasn't exagerating, stinky sulfur steam street vents
this one was over 100 degrees C!
When Winston gives himself a sulfur steam facial it looks like he's eaten Sour Patch Kids.
For some reason this one seemed rather pre-historic, like dino bones are preserved deep within that hot mud. 

this one looked a bit like blood.

For the most part “The Hells” were really beautiful.

Now, I’d like to preface the following rant by saying that I am by no means a burning heart animal rights activist. Of course I’m against clubbing baby seals and poaching endangered species, but I wouldn't go rioting through the streets or pour fake blood on fur coats. So on the map Winston, his cousin Becca, and I noticed a “Zoo Hell.” We didn’t realize the name was literal.

Let’s start with the Elephant. My Grandparent’s living room is bigger than this elephant’s cage. A lot of animals in captivity will pace back and forth in their cages as a nervous habit. This guy didn’t even have room to pace. Instead he just swayed his head back and forth. Besides looking completely emaciated, the poor thing just looked sad. My foreign companions and I were the only ones who seemed repulsed. All the Japanese people were all smiles.
It's hard to see, but the little boy on the bench was holding a little white paper bag filled with peanuts. He was throwing them to the elephant, but they didn't get close enough for the elephant to reach them. 
This elephant was even more depressing to see in real life
I assure you this is a full grown elephant. He's just starved. 

The flamingos have the highest standard of living at the “Zoo Hell.”

The baboons have the worst. I didn’t think it was possible to be any more disgusted with this shabby excuse for a zoo, until I saw the baboon cages. When I imagine the apocalypse I think of 3rd word Russia, bombed and over-run by zombies. All the buildings have dirty walls with chipped paint and rusty bars on the windows. This is what the baboon cages look liked.

Lastly, there was the hippo. He didn’t have much space, but I never really saw him move at all. He just kept his mouth open upward in the direction of any tourist, waiting for the biscuits the zoo sells for 100 yen to fall into his gaping mouth. 

Sometimes it's easy to forget that I live in a first world country. Alright, I've said my piece, moving on. So, after "the Hells" Winston's family, Winston and I went to dinner and then hopped a Taxi back into the mountains of Beppu. We attempted to watch the fireworks in Beppu bay, but we couldn't really see them. So, we proceeded to the "Mud Onsen" nearby to relax on Christmas Eve. 

waiting for our taxi in the taxi depot. From left to right, Winston's Aunt Patty, his cousin's girlfriend Katie, Winston, and myself. 

this is the blurriest picture there ever was, but there were indeed Christmas fireworks. 

we tried to make mud sculptures at the onsen, but most of them didn't last long. 

Onsen aren't exactly the best place to take pictures, but from left to right, Winston's cousin Becca, Winston (with a lot of mud on his face) myself, and Winston's cousin Salem with a lot of mud in his hand. 

Christmas morning Winston's family set off to explore other parts of Japan, and Winston and I set off for a Christmas adventure. 

We waited for a bus to downtown Oita City. When Winston kisses my nose the butterflies that live in my stomach do summersalts. 

We had Pizza and ice cream at a cute little cafe. 

Yay for Soy Hot Chocolate!

Winston and I found this gentleman dresses as a reindeer outside of Starbucks. 

At last we made it back home at sat under my tiny Christmas tree. 

And that ladies and gentleman is my Holiday season in a rather large nutshell. Happy holidays! TTFN, tata for now!

Greg the Christmas Bush

So, this past Saturday my friend Kelly (the cute blonde featured above) took it upon herself to cook us homesick foreigners a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Now, while the turkey decided not to thaw in time for dinner, we still had a feast of lasagna, potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs, salad, and of course my personal favorite PUMPKIN PIE! After a delicious home cooked feast I looked over at Greg, patted my stomach, and tried out my new favorite Japanese word, "O-I-SHI!" which means delicious. He smiled, swallowed his last bite of pie and said, "hey girl, how was your day?"

(this is best friend Greg and I at a bar in Osaka. We get along because we have curly hair. Plus, Greg is Jewish, and everyone in the country thinks I am Jewish.)

Now, quite frankly, my day had been fabulous. While helping Kelly do a little Thanksgiving shopping, I stumbled upon a 500 Yen Christmas tree and 100 Yen Christmas ornaments! I found some 900 Yen Christmas lights, and I was in business! Thrilled to put a tree together for less than 20 bucks, I described my purchases to Greg in animated detail. He was happy for me and asked, "Wow, that sounds great, what are you going to name it?" Greg has now known me long enough to know that I name almost every inanimate object I come in contact with. I replied, "Well, since my tree is only about 90 centimeters tall, I think I'm just going to call it my Christmas Bush."

Greg about spit tea all over my sweater. Now to spare all my family members reading this blog, let's just say I meant Christmas Bush in an innocent sense. like something  you'd find in nature. Greg interpreted  Christmas Bush in a slightly less innocent sense. Actually, a not at all innocent sense. He meant it in more of a porno sense. Sorry, guess that's not sparing anyone. Of course, my comment made it around to everyone else at the table, and I turned different shades of scarlet as people around me burst into giggles and said:

"DOES YOUR CHRISTMAS BUSH HAVE LIGHTS?"

"HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRIM YOUR CHRISTMAS BUSH?"

"HOW DO YOU HANG ORNAMENTS ON YOUR CHRISTMAS BUSH?"

"WHAT KIND OF PRESENTS DO YOU KEEP UNDER YOUR CHRISTMAS BUSH?" 

I told them all to get their dirty minds out of the gutter, Greg told me to stop saying "Christmas Bush" and rename my tree. So I named it Greg. Greg the Christmas Bush. And after I came home, 5 shades of red and full of pie, I watched "Home Alone" and decorated my tree. 

Check it out! 

Now, I accidentally bought strobing Christmas lights. It's pretty, but slightly distracting. When I told Winston my tree was going to give me a seizure, he told me me not to exaggerate. Alas, he's far more reasonable than I at times. It takes a very patient man to handle the outlandish claims I made on a daily basis. 

And while my little Christmas corner is looking a little bare at the moment, but when Winston comes he's going to bring stockings, and I'll have some presents under there soon =0) 

So, now that Thanksgiving is over it's officially acceptable to blare Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and begin Christmas shopping!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Japan's Rules of of the Road

So, after about a month of driving in Japan, I think it's time to discuss the particularities of driving in my slice of Asia, because besides the whole driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road there's a few things that have caught this little American off her guard.....

My car looks like an egg..........

Japan's Rules of the Road. 

1. Even though you drive on the left side of the road, there is no such thing as a “free left.” This is a serious flaw in Japan's driving etiquette. 

2. A green light means “go,” a yellow light means “go,” and a red light means, “at least 4 more cars can go really fast, until people start honking.” 

3. Police cars ALWAYS have their sirens on. You don’t have to pull over unless they start yelling into their loud speaker. This is very distracting.

4. You always have to stop at train tracks. I haven’t actually stopped at train tracks since I rode the bus in 6th grade. The bus driver would stop at the tracks, and stay at a standstill until every student on the bus was silent, with their arms in the air and their hands making a peace sign. This acknowledged that we knew we were supposed to shut the hell up. When I come across train tracks I can’t help it, I turn my music down and make a peace sign until I’ve checked that the coast is clear. Conditioning is eerie….

5. There is zero tolerance for drinking and driving. No beer with dinner, no wine with dinner, no nothing. If you even blow .01 from drinking cough syrup you’re deported. 

So needless to say I miss the freedom of the American "free right," the ability to legally drink and drive, and of course the safety of American intersections (seriously, if somebody runs a red and whacks into my egg shaped car in an intersection, I have NO idea how to say "Officer, with all due respect that butt head ran a red! I think the Japanese are too polite to even have a word that translates into butt head.....) 

Ratty has become my highway sanctuary. For a tiny dented car shaped like an egg, the acoustics in there are amazing! I have an amazing do-hickey that hooks my I-pod up to my stereo, so my car has become a my own personal portable Karaoke box. However, I fear I look rather strange on the highway tapping my steering wheel with my thumbs and making these faces:

Now, remember that these were taken a few months ago in an actual Karaoke box. I assure you my eyes are open when I sing AND drive. Still, I don't think the Japanese out here in the countryside have ever seen (or heard) anything quite like what they get when I cruise by. They gave me a paper house, so I'm giving them the American driving experience. Not only is it a feast for the senses, it's a cultural exchange. I even have a top 15 list of favorite songs to sing in the car:

Erin's Toe-Tappin' Tunes-the super- happy- long -time Metric System Edition 

(when you can't think of how many miles an hour 60km is, just sing!)

1. Brooks and Dunn- Boot Scootin' Boogie

2. Badfinger- No Matter What

3. Charlie Daniels and the Charlie Daniel's band- The Devil went down to Georgia 

4. Journey-Don't Stop Believin'

5. Vampire Weekend- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

6. M.I.A- Paper Planes

7. Toto-Rosanna 

8. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- American Girl

9. Johnny Cash- Boy Named Sue 

10.Leonard Cohen- So Long, Marianne 

11. Salt-n-Pepa-Shoop

12. Nancy Sinatra- These boots are made for walkin'

13. Against Me! -Don't lose touch

14. Bonnie Tyler- Total Eclipse of the heart

15. Chicago- If you leave me now

Eclectic, I know. 

In other news, last weekend marked a significant landmark in my adventures in driving. I had my first passengers! Greg decided to invite some friends from Oita City to Kunisaki for the night, and since I wasn’t in the mood for drinking I volunteered my services as a designated driver. So, we kicked the night off at a Korean restaurant near Greg’s house.


Once we arrived back at Greg’s apartment, we uncovered an old friend. When my mom sent me my Jedi Knight costume for Halloween, it came with an Obi Wan Kenobi mask. I was too embarrassed to wear it, and somehow it ended up at Greg’s apartment. Since I was sober and they were all drunk, it was fairly easy to talk them into taking turns wearing the mask. I like to think it was the power of The Force. 

As Hunter demonstrated, Obi Wan Kenobi LOVES NorthFace fleece jackets.

I tried to convince Betsy and Darin that this should be their engagement picture. 

Betsy's exact words were "Oh heavens! It's cold on the ice planet Hoth!"

Classic SNL tribute photo. 

Me: I SAID WHO'S THAT SPARTAN IN MY TEE-PEE?!

Danielle:It's ME! It's ME!

Scene 1: Obi Wan was stalking us around a corner. We were too involved in our conversation to notice. 

Scene 2: Realizing we aren't paying any attention whatsoever, Obi Wan gets a little bolder. 

Scene 3: HOLY SHIT OBI WAN COMES AT US WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS AND WE DON'T EVEN NOTICE BECAUSE WE ARE TWIRLING OUR HAIR. Judging by the blank expression upon that plastic face, I'm going to say this is a merciless crime, and the crime- committer will have no remorse. No doubt this will end up on CSI: Japan. 

When I wear the mask, I just look like Jeebus. Then Shahzana mauls me. 

Hunter just caresses my sharp nose. He knows that I am really a softy under than false plastic exterior. 

So, I left the mask with my friends and headed home early. The next morning we all headed into the mountains to see the leaves and visit a temple. Now, since everyone besides Greg and I were hung over, we didn’t stay long. However, I was able to get a few pictures in before my battery died. It was absolutely stunning.

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Me, the Kotatsu, and the Sci-Fi Channel.....

So, as fall rolls into winter, the temperature just keeps dropping. The leaves are finally starting to change, so when I look up at the mountains there are brilliant shades of red and yellow mixed in with the green staring back at me in all their vivid seasonal glory. While this is all beautiful, and I’m thrilled to death that the humidity is gone (seriously I am from the Northwest, I can’t handle humidity), it’s getting bloody cold! Now, this was never an issue in America. The biggest difference right now between my native first world country, and my current first world country of residence is CENTRAL HEATING. It is nowhere to be found. They just don’t have it. So, how do the Japanese keep warm? Well, let me introduce the Kotatsu. I wish I was making this up, but I am dead serious. I am sitting under this table as we speak, making this face....

This is my Kotatsu, it came with my paper house. 

So, here's how it works

**********************

Step 1: Remove the top

Step 2: put a blanket under the top, and place the top back on.

Step 3: plug in the Kotatsu.

Now, there are several different ways to stay warm under the Kotatsu.

Position 1: Just put your legs under it while you work, or eat, or watch mindless television on your computer. If you do it this way, you can probably share the warmth with a buddy. Since I don’t have a buddy right now, this isn’t really an issue.

Position 2:Lie under the Kotatsu atop your futon. This is a good way to warm your buns, but your feet are left exposed. Lame sauce. However, this is a good way to stay warm while reading a book, or again, while watching mindless television on your computer.

Position 3: This is my personal favorite. Curl up into a ball, and submerge your entire tiny little body under the heat of the Kotatsu and do nothing but watch mindless television on your computer.

So, here’s the main issue. Since the rest of my house is so cold, I literally come home, crawl under the table, and remain there all night. I don’t get up until my hunger pangs force me to go hunting in my kitchen for peanut butter and jelly fixings, or until I have to go to the bathroom. For the latter I wait until the last possible moment, because my toilet seat is colder than ice, which is not a pleasant surprise.

So, I think I will spend my first winter in Japan in hibernation under this awkward contraption curled into a ball watching various Sci-Fi channel mini-series. Since my doors are made of paper, correction, since my entire house is made of paper, I wouldn’t exactly consider it very insulated. This whole Kotatsu business makes me feel like one of those little baby chickies at the feed store back in Chehalis. In the winter they were always hiding in the corner of their pens under the blanket of warmth cast out by the heat lamp. Thanks Japan- for making me feel like a baby chicken. 

Speaking of Japan, Japan and I are in a fight right now. That’s right, I have given the entire country its own persona, and we’re not speaking right now. Why? Well, since there is no central heating at school, I come to work wearing at least 5 layers and a wool coat. I wear so much padding, I look like an NFL line-backer, with really tiny little girl legs. Well, after class yesterday one of my teachers actually said, “Ereein-sensei, have you got fat since you come to Japan?” I was completely speechless. Not only am I freezing, but now I am fat?! Thanks again Japan, for transforming my hands and feet into popsicle-worthy extremities, AND for this recent boost to my self -esteem. I wanted to make this face, but I didn't....

That's all for now, stay warm =0)