The Christmas that nearly wasn't...

This year I wasn't sure how Christmas was going to turn out. I had a few things planned, but wasn't sure how they were all going to fit together. Then I got an email on December 22nd: Shimon had the swine flu.

I still had my miniature tree. Yes, it is made of felt and has no lights. I needed something that was tree-like to be able to get into the Christmas spirit.



I had miniature stockings as well. Not very festively colored, but stockings in shape at the very least. All I could stuff in them were some Reese's Peanut Butter cups that a friend sent me. :-)



Even though I don't have much space I even insisted on a strand of twinkle lights! They are small, but when the lights are off they do look pretty.



Christmas morning, I unwrapped presents while Shimon watched via Skype. (The only thing that made things a bit better!) I unwrapped a kitty present for Suzu the cat. She didn't seem to like it very much, even though it is meant to keep her warm in winter.



She wouldn't even stay still for a picture. I call this picture "uncomfortably dressed cat!"


The real Christmas surprise came when I arrived late after a lovely turkey dinner!! (My back up invite was really great!) I came home and Shimon had been a bit of a Santa's helper and brought me flowers, some presents and some cat grass for Suzu. That's the one thing I wasn't able to document on film (digital camera!?).

The Christmas that nearly wasn't turned out pretty alright. And the cat still gives me funny looks if I try to put her "jacket" on!

Scaredy-cat!

My cat scared the CRAP out of herself tonight! She was sitting in the window and decided to jump off... she managed to knock something off the window seat and it made a great big clatter. Next thing I know, she's huddled in the entry way with her hair puffed up so she looked twice her normal size.

Now, my cat does a silly "I'm going to get you" dance and puffs up a little just for show every so often. This was different. She was REALLY big (all fur of course) and usually she mellows and lets me pet her when I get close... she hissed and wouldn't let me close right away. AND she was breathing all funny like she was getting all hyped up for a fight.

All that over knocking something off a shelf. Cats are funny!

Missing Christmas...

This year I am really missing Christmas. Two years ago, I managed to get through Christmas because my brother was going to visit me (that fell, through but it still got me through Christmas). This year, I'm doing everything I can to get in the Christmas spirit, but it feels like I'm forcing it.

I wish that I were going home for Christmas. I love this time of year at home. It's snowy outside and warm and snuggly inside. The smells of baking and goodies is in the air. Then there's decorating the tree, wrapping presents, watching Christmas specials on TV and all of the other things that make Christmas so great at home. I'm missing it a lot this year and I'm not entirely sure as to why. I knew I wasn't going to be there, but being away from all of it seems worse this year and I'm not sure why.

I am trying to get in the spirit of things... if someone has seen my Christmas Spirit anywhere, let me kn0w!

Out of order...

Well, I haven't gotten around to the Yamagata photos. They are coming. So, this post and the following post will be out of order.

I know this great photographer... and wanted to toot his horn a bit!


This one looks a bit colder... more wintry.

And a bonus that has nothing to do with lovely, picturesque mountains...



Different location, different subject, but a pretty good pic nonetheless. If I do say so myself. ;-)

Since my photographer doesn't like to toot his own horn, I figure that I can do a little bit for him. He takes phenomenal pictures and these are just three that are pretty darn good!

I have pictures!

But the pictures will have to wait until tomorrow when I'm not completely tired from my long weekend trip to Yamagata. I had a great time and came back with lots of fun stuff, I just really need sleep before I need to download pictures! :-)

Junior high school girls... in Japan!

This week I only taught 2 classes at the girls' junior high that I teach at. There are three girls in one of those classes that are obsessed about marriage and kids (and they are only 14!!).

I supposed I made a silly move when I answered the question, "do you have a boyfriend?" with the answer "yes." I could have been more mysterious about things and made life slightly less interesting. Well, these three girls from the aforementioned class are always asking me when I'm going to get married. To this question I reply, "mada, mada" (not yet).

This particular class was made more interesting by another question: "Alisha, when are you going to have a baby?" My reaction... "HUH!?!?!?!" To illustrate how wrapped up in marriage and babies these 14 year-old girls are I should say that throughout class they were making a list of names. Not names of potential husbands... but baby names. I wanted to say to them, "don't you have the order of things a bit backwards!?" But I didn't.

Once class was over and I ran into the same girls at lunch, one assured me that my boyfriend was going to surprise me and propose on Christmas Eve. To that I just laughed because I know very well that he won't. Geesh!! What is it with 14 year-old Japanese girls!?! I'm fairly sure that I wasn't thinking baby names at age 14!

So, the moral of the story is... don't tell girls you have a boyfriend unless you want them to turn into your mother!! Haha.

Bowing in Japan!

Now... my brother brought up a very interesting "news" item for me the other day. He asked if I'd heard about the right-wing going nuts over President Obama bowing to the Emperor of Japan. It is entirely frustrating that people are pushing their own agenda to the extent that they completely disregard Japanese culture as being the reason that the US President would bow to the Japanese Emperor.

Bowing is greeting between people of all ages. A bow is usually deeper based on the age and status of the person you are bowing to. (Obama is in his 40s and the Emperor is in his 70s - and he's the Emperor!) Friends bow to each other as do family members. It's not a sign of subservience (usually anyway, only when you are bowing to apologize ).

Why did the Emperor not bow to Obama in greeting? He's the Emperor of Japan. He is the ONLY person in Japan who does not have to bow to reciprocate a bow made in greeting. The Japanese Emperor is no longer regarded as a god, but he is still probably the most respected figure in all of Japan. (There were celebrations last week for the Emperor's 20th year on the throne... it was full of celebrities just like the Queen's Jubilee in 2002 in the UK.)

Why is the right making a big deal out of this cultural exchange that was a sign of good will and cultural understanding? Well, I have a theory. Instead of trying to resurrect the Republican party in an honorable fashion, by re-defining goals and their voter base, it is easier to oppose President Obama on EVERYTHING. The attacks are getting more and more petty and proving that the American people made the right choice in voting for Obama. Isolationist behavior, as displayed by the right-wing, is what earned the US a horrible reputation on the international stage for the last 8 years. Thank goodness there's been a change.

OK, my political rant is over... I'll talk about something more fun tomorrow! :-)

My poor neglected blog...

So, again, I have managed to neglect my blog. But in my defense, there hasn't been a lot happening lately.

Things have been happening... but mostly things like "we went to look at the fall leaves in Yokohama and while I was there I fixed a bench" or "I looked as a very old building and tried to find out when it was built, but couldn't" so... not very exciting things to post on a blog.

In March, I plan on moving. Moving is REALLY expensive in Japan... much more so than in the US. (You have to have between 3 and 4 months rent up front!) So these days, Shimon and I are trying to minimize expenses and maximize money saving.

However, this coming weekend is a LONG weekend. I will be going up to Yamagat (where I used to live) to visit a friend of mine and see some of the old places that used to be my "old haunts." I'm pretty excited to be going and very much looking forward to the girls weekend that will ensue. After that I am bound to have tons of pictures and stories as well. :-)

That's the scoop... I will try to keep blogging away... I'm sure to have more stories as the Christmas season begins. Bear with me, if you can... :-)

The Question of Culture

Halloween. Christmas. Valentine's Day...

The list goes on. The list is of holidays (in no particular order) that are part of the culture that I come from. I'm at the point when I really want to stress the importance of the cultures that Shimon and I share because we are a couple. Most of the time he just listens to me babble about things that I want to do in the future (Christmas trees, etc.).

On occasion his minimalist tendencies bubble over and he says things like "we don't need a tree" for Christmas or "what would we do with a pumpkin AFTER it's a jack-o-lantern, it would just get in the way." It's at these times when I realize I have not insisted enough on sharing the real importance of the symbols of Christmas or Halloween or whatever holiday happens to be discussed. I NEED to be better at discussing the importance of my cultural heritage with Shimon and I haven't much thus far.

This year will be a low-budget Christmas celebration, but that does not mean that there can't be a lot of holiday cheer involved. :-) It just hit me last night that I have not been as vocal about the cultural celebrations that I want to share with Shimon and I need to start being more specific about what I would like to do for some of the holidays that are important to me.

Sometimes I have really delayed reactions to the fact that I am operating in two cultures, but my significant other is not. He's operating in his own culture. In order to bring him closer to my culture, I have to make a concerted effort. Here's to doing that in full force from now on! (Well, maybe not full force, but there will be much more effort from now on!)

Now... any recipes for Christmas goodies that don't require an oven?? I have limited oven access, so any recipes that don't require one would be AWESOME!!

Yay for friends!

Last weekend I had a very special friend visit from Korea. Ji Yon is a friend that I met in Hawaii and I have been good friends with ever since. We live so close (less than 2 hours!!) and I haven't managed to get to Seoul to visit her.

Well, she beat me to it! She had a free weekend, a free ticket and so she came to see me. We had a great girlie weekend. Sadly, we didn't take many pictures. But we did get a really good one of us in Yokohama.


No, I am not a giant, Ji Yon's just tiny! :-)

I spend a lot of time in Yokohama since Shimon lives there. He met us there and did an impromtu tour for the two of us (mostly for Ji Yon's benefit).


The view of Yokohama at night is really nice... well worth a visit if you ever have the chance.

Getting over hurt feelings.

So, I live in Japan. I think that I've adapted fairly well to the culture that I live in. I also think that most of the cultural differences and subtleties do not come as much of a surprise anymore. There is one area that I don't seem to be able to get used to.

In Japan, many times couples do not socialize or even meet each others friends. On a number of occasions when I would have liked to go to certain gatherings (mostly barbecues and things that are outdoorsy and fun) of Shimon's (boyfriend) friends, I have been excluded simply because the group is set and outsiders would change the dynamics and somehow, inexplicably, make it weird or bad (in Japanese I would disturb the "wa" of the group).

I get it. I won't be invited to anything that involves that group of friends. In my head, I understand. Then why does it always hurt my feelings?

This time, Shimon thought that I might be able to be included (the group of people was slightly different) and told me as much (but without having checked with the person planning the bbq first). And once again, I can't go. I should have seen it coming. I should have been prepared. But I wasn't and I've got hurt feelings.

I don't even know why. Maybe it's because I always hope that the next time I might be included or it might be okay for me to go to an event. Or maybe that's one thing that I really miss about the US - I know there are some events that are exclusive and require a specific invitation, but there are many, many times when it is perfectly okay to take a friend or girlfriend to an event (especially something like a bbq).

I just needed to vent a bit because it's bugging me that I can't somehow get over this strange cultural "hump" that I seem to be stuck on. If anyone has any ideas or interesting "takes" let me know!

Odd things that happen...

So lately there have been some strange things that have happened. Now, these things have nothing to do with Japan or really with me. I suppose that they are just random coincidences of time and place.

First, Monday night Shimon and I went for a walk after dinner. There is a very nice park near where he lives and so we went for a walk. We went to the viewpoint where you can see a lovely night view of the Yokohama skyline. Usually the park is busy at night with dog walkers, but we were there right around dinner time as we had eaten fairly early ourselves. As we were leaving the park, we saw a man and woman fighting. We couldn't hear anything, but we could see that the man was being rather rough. We got closer and the man hauled the woman into the nearby trees. Both of us were worried as to what was going on, but weren't sure what to do. I had to use the bathroom, so I said, "I'll be right back, keep watch." While I was gone, he asked whether things were ok. The man responded "OK" and then more weakly the woman also said "ok."
Everything was ok as far as we knew and there wasn't much more we could do. What would anyone have done? After we left the park, Shimon made me promise to never go there alone at night!

Second strange thing. Today I was on the train and a man motioned that I should have his seat. I was listening to my iPod so didn't really hear what the man was saying. Turns out he was kind of "crazy." He was speaking to me in Japanese and I couldn't understand what he was saying (this is after I removed my earphones), I realized he wasn't really saying anything that made sense. The woman sitting next to me was trying to pretend not to notice, but I think she was relieved I had sat down. (She just had that look) I must admit I felt a bit stupid, but at least I tried to talk to the man. I think most Japanese people would have ignored him (and were ignoring him), which I just couldn't do.

These two "strange" encounters could have happened anywhere and they would have struck me as odd. I just felt like sharing. :-)

my feelings on rain...

Rain. It's water - that comes from the sky. It can be warm or cold. It is very helpful for plants. It's also necessary in order to grow a large portion of the world's food. Sometimes it is a mist... some times it comes to drench - as if a bucket has been overturned on your head. At times it is a relief and other times a burden.

Right now!?!? I just want it to go away!! A single day reprieve (Sunday) was not enough to prepare me for an entire week of rain. It's only Tuesday and I'm sick to death of the rain. I know that the rain is coming from two simultaneous typhoons that are rather close to Japan. I know this, but it does not stop me from just wishing it would all go away.

*sigh* Ok... enough about the rain. (And yes, I will blame it on the rain!)

Last week in Tochigi

Last week we had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off for national holidays. So, Shimon and I went to Tochigi Prefecture to help his father fire some pottery. Sadly, Shimon has all the pictures of the kiln (I'm so forgetful sometimes!). But I did take a few other fun pictures.


This was our little friendly frog... he stayed on that leaf for an entire day. He only moved around in a circle.


Chestnuts! It's fall!!


I thought this was a nice picture... a ginkgo leaf.


Fisherman on the river... they were there all day!


Empty rice fields. This really is the ultimate sign that fall is here.


Right before we headed back to Tokyo I got ahold of this little guy. How cute is he!?!

Graduation Party

These are some of the photos from after graduation, in particular the graduation party with my fellow zemi (seminar) members. :-) We had a lovely night. The reason Shimon isn't in any of the pictures is because he's taking them all. :-)


My personal photographer is fantastic isn't he??


The party from above. It really was a nice restaurant.


I love this picture of Sunaho and Lia. :-) Such lovely girls!


Flowers from the zemi group! What girl doesn't like to get flowers. ;-)


The three graduates... Will, Wakako and me.

After four long years, two different programs and a lot of work... I am a MASTER!! Thank you for everyone who's been cheering me on over the years. :-) I've appreciated all the of support.

Graduation

Graduation was yesterday. I had the best photographer for the occasion. I have many more pictures than the ones here... these are just a taste.


Me with the sign announcing the graduation ceremony.


Actually being given my degree. I didn't do all the bowing right, so Shimon didn't have a chance to get very many pictures of me on stage! :-)


Me on the steps outside of the hall where the ceremony was held.


The Fall 2009 graduating class from the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies!


Shimon and I with my degree. :-)


These are my friends (and two are fellow graduates) from my seminar group. Will and Wakako are the other graduates. Mike (in the khaki blazer) will be graduating in March.

Hope everyone can take a peek at the photos. I'll try to post some more very soon!

New Shoes

So, graduation is tomorrow. I have decided on a black and white dress (mostly black) to wear, which means I needed to find some nice shoes to go along with it.

There is the cutest shoe shop on the South Side of Shinjuku Station. So I headed there in search of some black shoes.


From above...


From the side...

They are sparkley, but not overly so. I really liked them. The other ones I tried on (that were far too big!) were patent leather and a bit sparkley too. But these fit and are cute and feminine.

Here's to starting a new chapter... the chapter when I can afford to splurge on some girlier items of clothing! :-)

(P.S. This post is for my friends Melissa and Lia as they like to give me fashion advice... I hope the shoes get your approval!)

Thursday.

Hooray for Thursday! I am so glad that the week's nearly at its end. :-)

This week is not a particularly busy week, but I feel drained just the same. I guess it's the new schedule of waking up at 6am three days a week that is probably doing it. I'm getting more used to the schedule, but I really want to start running again and that has to be after getting to the chiropractor.

I thought that finishing my thesis would leave me with more time of my own, but alas that has not been the case so far. Luckily, by the weekend I should be able to sort out the chiropractor and start running on Saturday. It'll be a relief to start running again. I'm very glad to finally have the time to begin doing that again. :-) Now, if I can only find the will power to go with the time. :-)

Again, I say thank goodness for Thursday... the weekend is right 'round the corner.

The delayed camping photos!!

So, a few weeks back (nearly a month really), I went camping. We used Shimon's new tent!! And had a great time. There were a few things missing... s'mores and marshmallows! :( It will be remedied in the future. I also learned that ramen is a GREAT camping food. Totally easy if you aren't able to grill hotdogs on a stick. :-)
Our camping adventure included some canoeing too, but as I didn't want to damage my camera there aren't any pictures of us canoeing. However, there are pictures of us (mostly Shimon) hiking around near a waterfall. And after that sub-par explanation... here are the pictures!


I'm just the amateur... he's the professional photographer!! :-)

This is only something you'd see in Japan... an entrance to a shrine right on the edge of the lake! How cool. ;-)

Climbing near the waterfall area... he nearly blends in... but for the yellow shirt!


And what a campfire... it took two to make it, but it was a goodun'!
One half of the fire-making duo!! :-)

Hope you like the pics now that they're finally up!!

Remembrance

9/11.

I think it is safe to say that 9/11 is our generation's Pearl Harbor or Kennedy Assassination. No one can forget where they were when they turned on the TV and witnessed the events of September 11, 2001.

I think the difference between Pearl Harbor or Kennedy's Assassination is that 9/11 was an event that touched people outside the borders of the United States in different ways. Because of the age of the internet and worldwide news broadcasts, people from all over the globe were able to see, and be touched by, the events of that fateful day.

Remembering 9/11 for the tragedy and also for the amazing outpouring of love amidst a great tragedy still remains as one of the many legacies of the event. Though 8 years have past, I think it would be good for people across the globe to remember. Remember the people whose lives were lost. Remember the people who were the heroes that prevented more lives from being lost. And remember that there is a common bond between all human beings despite all matter of differences.

With these thoughts, I remember.