I am daily struck by how amusing Japan is... it just is. I think the main source of my amusement is the fact that there are SO many contradictions that are inherent to this place. For instance, you have the history of the samurai... the warrior... there are still people who follow the code of the warrior (mostly in the form of martial arts)... and then on the flip side, you have some of the most androgenous human beings I've ever seen. Yesterday, for instance, in the grad student lounge there were two of the most girlie "men" (hard to really call them men as they were most likely somewhere around the age of 22 or 23) I'd ever seen. I even had to do a double-take to check if one was wearing make-up!!
SO... let this be a lesson to you all... men, be men.... and girls... just be! ;-)
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
More from that trip to Shonai!
Hey there... so awhile ago I promised some pics from that last trip I made to Shonai. And what a trip it was!! I got to see Chisato (don't have any pictures, sorry!!) and Hayashi-sensei. She's my Japanese mom (Lauren can vouch for that!!). And she totally takes care of me any time I'm in Sakata (as she did once again!!).
While I was in Sakata, Hayashi took me on a really cool walk around Sakata... the weather was gorgeous (it had rained non-stop since I'd gotten up there) and so we went for a really nice walk... and I discovered a whole new side of Sakata!
I lived 25 minutes from Sakata for 3 years and had never been to the rice warehouses!! Crazy... so Hayashi and I walked from her house down to the warehouses... and I got some nice omiyage (edible souvenir) for my host family.
Next, Hayashi and I in Hiyoriyama Park in Sakata... that ship behind us is a replica of the ships that took rice from Sakata to
Kyoto... back in the day. Fun, eh???
Who knew that Sakata had it's own pagoda?? I sure didn't... not until Hayashi took me to what Sakata folks call otera machi (temple town). There were tons of temples/shrines (I didn't take pictures of them all...). But how cool is this?? I only thought Haguro had a pagoda!
This is the torii at Hiyoriyama Park... well at the shrine near there... I can't remember the name. But look how cool it looks!?! And you can just tell it was a beautiful day! And it really, really was. :-)
Lastly, a bit of humor...
So... I really like manju (sweet cakey thing)... and usually they're just serving size... enough to go with some coffee or tea. Yum-o!! Well... this is the FREAKING BIGGEST MANJU ever!! Holy cow!! It's the size of a saucer... and Hayashi cut it like a cake!! It was crazy!! So... I had to share this picture... she thought it was terribly amusing that I took this picture in the first place. Haha!! Anyway... hope you enjoyed the pictures... let me know!!
love,
alisha
While I was in Sakata, Hayashi took me on a really cool walk around Sakata... the weather was gorgeous (it had rained non-stop since I'd gotten up there) and so we went for a really nice walk... and I discovered a whole new side of Sakata!
I lived 25 minutes from Sakata for 3 years and had never been to the rice warehouses!! Crazy... so Hayashi and I walked from her house down to the warehouses... and I got some nice omiyage (edible souvenir) for my host family.
Next, Hayashi and I in Hiyoriyama Park in Sakata... that ship behind us is a replica of the ships that took rice from Sakata to
Kyoto... back in the day. Fun, eh???Who knew that Sakata had it's own pagoda?? I sure didn't... not until Hayashi took me to what Sakata folks call otera machi (temple town). There were tons of temples/shrines (I didn't take pictures of them all...). But how cool is this?? I only thought Haguro had a pagoda!
This is the torii at Hiyoriyama Park... well at the shrine near there... I can't remember the name. But look how cool it looks!?! And you can just tell it was a beautiful day! And it really, really was. :-)
Lastly, a bit of humor...
So... I really like manju (sweet cakey thing)... and usually they're just serving size... enough to go with some coffee or tea. Yum-o!! Well... this is the FREAKING BIGGEST MANJU ever!! Holy cow!! It's the size of a saucer... and Hayashi cut it like a cake!! It was crazy!! So... I had to share this picture... she thought it was terribly amusing that I took this picture in the first place. Haha!! Anyway... hope you enjoyed the pictures... let me know!!
love,
alisha
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
More adventures up north!
Well, I couldn't resist going up north this past weekend. We had a 3 day weekend and I won't get up there for awhile yet... so I just took off and went. This time I took my kendo gear and practiced twice over ther weekend!!! I managed to get a few really great bruises... and slightly pulled my tricep. All should be well by the time practice rolls around on Thursday. Just gave the ol' arm a rest tonight. Thought that would be best...
Ok... I have a plethora (sp??) of pictures to post... so I'm going to do it in waves. The first batch is going to be playing AFTER kendo. Didn't get any kendo pics (as I was practicing) but did get some pics of kids af
terwards.
These charming boys are Takuro (the bigger kid) and Ryutaro they were sitting behind me and my friend Kirsty during the lunch after kendo (imoni kai). They were fun to play with (ie tickle their feet) during the meal. Heehee... and were good sports about taking pictures!
And here's the same, spunky Ryutaro thumb wrestling with Kirsty. He was so cute... but very resigned to the fact that he was going to lose. So resigned that he didn't give much of a fight... but it was funny how he went about losing. :-) I could just take that kid home with me!! What a cutie!! ;-)
Proof that there are some games that don't cross the culture boundaries. Yup, you've got it... this game is basically a game where if you lose (at rock/paper/scissors) you get to pin
ch your opponents cheek... and ultimately "win." Geee... that sounds like... FUN!?!?!
The second picture there is what it really looks like when you lose and your opponent has ahold of both of your cheeks and you haven't got either of his!! Fun game, huh?? Had to take a couple of pictures of this one...
Well, there's your fun update from Japan. Classes are in full swing now, so I won't be jaunting off anywhere very cool for awhile. I'll probably have to confine my travels to the Tokyo area. That'll be good because I'm very unfamiliar with this area. :-)
Hope all is well wherever you are!
Take care!
Ok... I have a plethora (sp??) of pictures to post... so I'm going to do it in waves. The first batch is going to be playing AFTER kendo. Didn't get any kendo pics (as I was practicing) but did get some pics of kids af
terwards.These charming boys are Takuro (the bigger kid) and Ryutaro they were sitting behind me and my friend Kirsty during the lunch after kendo (imoni kai). They were fun to play with (ie tickle their feet) during the meal. Heehee... and were good sports about taking pictures!
And here's the same, spunky Ryutaro thumb wrestling with Kirsty. He was so cute... but very resigned to the fact that he was going to lose. So resigned that he didn't give much of a fight... but it was funny how he went about losing. :-) I could just take that kid home with me!! What a cutie!! ;-)
Proof that there are some games that don't cross the culture boundaries. Yup, you've got it... this game is basically a game where if you lose (at rock/paper/scissors) you get to pin
ch your opponents cheek... and ultimately "win." Geee... that sounds like... FUN!?!?!The second picture there is what it really looks like when you lose and your opponent has ahold of both of your cheeks and you haven't got either of his!! Fun game, huh?? Had to take a couple of pictures of this one...
Well, there's your fun update from Japan. Classes are in full swing now, so I won't be jaunting off anywhere very cool for awhile. I'll probably have to confine my travels to the Tokyo area. That'll be good because I'm very unfamiliar with this area. :-)
Hope all is well wherever you are!
Take care!
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