Miraikan and More

1.19.08

Today I woke up bright and early to get into work for 8:30am. My first lesson at 8:45am went really well, mainly because my student was able to read her entire book (about five pages) to me without any help. She most likely memorized the words, but that’s what I wanted her to do. Sight words like “the”, “in”, etc. can be learned quickly using this technique.

On a related note, Lauren and I have come to notice that many of our students cannot read. Both of us agree, if a student cannot read, their English education will not progress. With this in mind we have started to work on very simple phonics. Since I started going over phonics a few weeks ago, many of my students are finally beginning to understand how to sound out some simple words.

Today one of my older students and I had a lengthy conversation about business taxes in Japan. Each week we usually discuss an article he had chosen to read the previous week. The article we discussed this week was an editorial entitled “Why are many firms in the red?”. Basically, the author pointed out the incongruity between the Japanese National Tax Agency’s report of a 0.5 percent business surplus from the previous year and the finding that more than two-thirds of the companies reported deficits; he also went on to explain why he thought this was happening. One of his reasons for this was “ the widespread occurrence of tax evasion and undeclared income”. I explained to my student how I had been completely surprised when I read the following quote in reference to tax evasion: “Companies are not required to pay taxes if they report they are operating in the read in tax reports.”. After a lengthy discussion with my student, I learned that a company has to pay prefecture tax, city tax, national tax, as well as prefecture and city fixed costs (i.e. garbage removal, etc.). So in a sense the quote was partially correct; companies “in the red” are not required to pay national tax only. I can only imagine the impact this would have on the economy—businesses would want to report deficits so they could benefit from the lower tax payments.

Tonight I’m planning on watching the 1^st half of the second Godfather movie with Lauren. Maybe we will eat some good ‘ol American style popcorn too; most Japanese people eat kettle corn, which is on the sweet side as many of you know.

1.20.08

Today Azusa and I met up to go to the Miraikan Museum in Odaiba. Also known as the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, the Miraikan, is filled with all sorts of interesting exhibits for kids of all ages. The main exhibits focus on the following areas: Innovation and Future, Information Science for Technology and Society, Life Sciences and The Earth Environment and Frontiers. There were so many things to see that Azusa and I didn't have time to see the entire museum so I guess I will have to go back at a later date. Here are some of my pictures from my day:

Here we have Azusa standing in front of the Miraikan Museum.

The "Geo-Cosmos" globe, made of over one million LED's, is suspended from the Miraikan's 3rd floor.

Slices of Our Brain

This little, furry, interactive seal had been used in a study to test whether it could positively effect the development of children with a particular aliment. The study found that children who played with the seal on a regular basis were able to overcome their aliment more quickly then those who were not allowed to play with the seal.

A life size model of the first internet next work called ARPAnet. ARPAnet was set up by the United States Department of Defense in the 1960s. In the exhibit, you could send "messages" in the form of "packets" or groups of black and white balls (black and white were used to represent the computer encoded 0's and 1's in the network) from one station to one of three others. You can read more about the four initial network hubs of ARPAnet by clicking here.

This is Honda's famous robot called Asimo.

When I got home from the museum, this was waiting for me. Lauren and her old host family had taken a trip to CostCo and while she was there she picked me up....A 6 POUNDS OF PRETZELS! For you metric lovers that's about 2.7 kilos.

It has arrived!

1.16.08

Today as Lauren and I rode our bikes home, I could sense something different; "It is on its way.", I said to myself. After twenty years of living in Buffalo, my nose has come to recognize its distinct smell. Just before it comes for the first time, the air becomes colder and crisp. Your nose is first filled with the numbing cold. However, as you exhale the warm air from your lungs reveals a different scent; one that is both sweet and refreshing at the same time. It is almost just like the smell of a fresh towel from the newly washed pile of laundry or a freshly picked leaf of basil from your mother's summer garden.

Then came the news via email. "It is snowing in Shinjuku!", said Minsoo on Lauren's cell phone. Lauren and I literally ran to the back door, opened it and looked to see if it was snowing. Alas, all we could hear was the crackling of the grass as the cold wind blew over its brown tips. Thank you Buffalo for teaching me all I know about this wonderful form of precipitation. As soon as Lauren and I got back inside, I grabbed her arm and couldn't help but jump up and down repeatedly. Snow is such an amazing thing. I love it!

In other news, I was thoroughly in awe of my two classes of girls today. They were able to read on their own for the first time! I have been going over letter sounds for the past few weeks and today I think the concept finally clicked inside their heads. My older student, who will be going to an American university soon, wrote his first thesis statement today; he was comparing American and Japanese fashion. I should also mention that Keigo did his homework for today's class! Overall, it was a great day.

Yuki!?

1.14.08

I was supposed to have three lessons today but because it was a public holiday only one of them showed. I was a little disappointed because I had planned some fun games. I suppose I will just have to find another time to play them.

Onto a lighter subject. I think I saw a snowflake today but Lauren swears I was only seeing things. However, in celebration of this event, I decided it was about time for me to purchase an serious pair of gloves. I wore them during my bike ride home today and they worked extremely well.

Yatta
やった
(Yay!)

Watashi wa yuki ga suki desu.
私はゆきがすきです。
(I like snow.)

NPR: Medical Myths

1.13.08

Today I was listening to NPR (I have been doing this a lot, actually.) and found a really interesting story that I wanted to share. Doctor Douglas Camerol "debunks some common beliefs"; the "homegrown" ones your mother always threatens you with when he talks about a recent study done by two Indiana University researchers (Rachel Vreeman and Aaron E Carroll). Let's see there's the one about how reading in the dark will ruin your eyesight or the other one about only using 10% of your brain. We also shouldn't forget that one about drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

Perhaps, we should all be more willing to question the things we hear on a day to day basis, rather than simply accepting them. Personally, I could use a significant amount of improvement in this area.

;)

Chinese Dumplings & Mustache Stroking

1.11.08

Because of all my responsibilities before winter vacation, I didn’t have much free time to study Japanese. As I fell back into a more regular routine this week, it was easier to dedicate some time to being a student once again; rather than a teacher. In fact, I was able to pencil in time for two Japanese lessons; one on Monday and another on Friday. I met up with Ogino-san (Ms. Ogino) on Friday and we went over how to read numbers in Japanese. This is especially useful when you wish to inquire the price of an item.

Q: Kono saifu wa ikura desu ka? (This wallet, how much is it?)
このさいふはいくらですか？

A: Sono saifu wa sanzen en desu. (That wallet, it is 3000 yen.)
そのさいふはさんぜんえんです。

I had also studied this on Monday, but had left my lesson without fully understanding the pattern behind the Japanese way of counting. Thanks to Ogino-san, I was able to say the cost (according to her opinion) of a apartment/house (43,295,250 yen), building (5,230,020,950 yen) and car (2,570,500 yen). As native English speakers, we don’t realize the general knowledge that we take for granted. In this case, reading complicated numbers.

After my lesson (11-12pm) with her, I didn’t have anything special planned. I thought ,maybe I would go walk around the outlets, spending some time window shopping until my 2:30pm lesson with Harumi. As I was walking out of the classroom, Ogino-san asked me what I was doing for the rest of the day. When I said I had nothing planned, she cordially invited me to her friend’s house for hirugohan (lunch).

At her friend’s apartment, I learned how to make traditional Chinese dumplings (the Japanese call them gyoza) from scratch. The wrap is made from four and water and the filling is usually made with ground pork, cabbage and Chinese chives. The ladies and I also made a vegetarian version filled with only cabbage and chives. Despite their simplicity, the finished veggie dumplings were absolutely delicious. After boiling them in water, we dipped them in a mixture of special Chinese vinegar and soy sauce. Jay-san, the lady who taught us how to make the dumplings, was born in Southern China and spent a great deal of her life living in England and other parts of Europe. It was interesting to learn that she was a Doctor of Computer Science specializing in Computer Networks. She is also a member of my Japanese class and is trying her best to learn the language. I really enjoyed Ogino-san’s unexpected invitation. I told her how much I enjoy cooking but since I have no oven, I’m really not sure how to cook food here in Japan. In response to my concern, she mentioned that I should come to the Japanese cooking class for foreigners and young mothers. The next class is February 28^th!

Lauren forwarded me the Chiba Newsletter. She must have missed this interesting little tid-bit:

Mustache Stroking Festival (Higenade Matsuri)

This bizarre festival, first held, according to legend, in the
Kempou Era (1213-1219), is said to bring good harvests and
prosperity for descendants through, you guessed it, the stroking of
mustaches. The functional purpose of the event is to pass
stewardship of shrine events from one family group to another. But
the means by which this is accomplished is mustache-stroking and
drinking copious amounts of sake. Fourteen individuals from each
side (outgoing stewards and incoming stewards) displaying splendid
facial hair (both real and false) will line up to drink sake from
large bowls as part of a Shinto ritual. It is tradition that when
a participant strokes his (or her!) mustache, they challenge
themselves with extra sake for that round. Expect plenty of heckling
and hollering from the crowd.

Date: Sunday, January 13th
Time: 1:30-2:30pm
Location: Sobataka Jinja, 5 Okura, Katori City
Access: From Sawara Stn. on the JR Narita Line, take a Chiba Kotsu
Bus toward Omigawa Stn. by way of Okura (大倉経由小見川駅行き)
and get off at Sobataka Jinja (側高神社)
Inquiries: Katori City Tourism Division
Tel. 0478-50-1212
Sobataka Jinja
Tel. 0478-57-1545

Winter Break Episode 2

December 26^th –January 4^th
My dear friend Jonny Newman arrived right on schedule (about 3pm). Before leaving the airport, we stopped into the Japan Rail (JR) Office to pick up his JR pass and our Shinkansen (the bullet train) tickets to Kyoto. We were helped by a very nice Japanese man who spoke English very well. And to think, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find someone to help us! After getting all of the paperwork completed, we had a chance to chat during the one hour train ride back to Tsudanuma station. From the station, we took a taxi to my apartment. I was excited that I managed to do all of this by myself since Lauren was away with Hiroko enjoying a nice dip in the steamy hot water of the onsen by the sea. To make a long story short, we got back to my apartment and the very next day began Jon's guided tour (by me and some other friends) of Tokyo.

Jon standing under the entrance to the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku.

Tokyo Tower

Me with one of the Noppon Twins at the Tokyo Tower. For more information and stats about the tower click on this link.

Looking through the floor windows on the main observatory floor definitely led to the notion that you were defying the physical laws of nature.

If Jon learned one thing while he was here, it would have something to do with this popular little bug: oshiri kagiri mushi (bug that bites your butt). Just about everyone here in Japan knows about him. I would even go as far to say that Jon embarrassed me when he sang the catchy tune as loudly as he could in the middle of the Tsudanuma train station.

This is a perfect shot of the Shinkansen (bullet train) that travels over 300 km/hr. We left Tokyo on the morning of Dec. 28th and returned from Kyoto on the 30th. During our stay it was rather rainy but luckily we had umbrellas!

Mt. Fuji from the window of the Shinkansen.

View from the Kyoto station. You can see Kyoto Tower on your right.

While on our way to the Sanzen-in and Hosen-in temples, we saw this little kitty-cat. His owner was a vendor selling/making the wire leaves that are attached to his collar.

We took a bus to Ohara (NE of Kyoto city) in order to see Hosen-in temple that my student Maki told me about it. Inside was a 700 year old tree and the ceiling of part of the tea room was made from old floor paneling that had been stained with samari blood. The English excerpt we received on entering the temple said that you could see the hands and faces of the soldiers. It also mentioned that the top of the 700 year old tree is meant to look like Mt. Fuji. Admission to the temple also included matcha tea (a very strong green tea made from a powder) and a sweet dessert made from mochi (rice paste) and sweet red beans.

The entrance way to the temple is supposed to look like a photograph; even the frame is included.

The next temple, Sanzen-in temple had roughly 16,000 of these Budda statues.

One of the most famous temples in Kyoto is Kinjakuji or The Golden Pavilion (to your left). It is completely covered in gold foil.

Geishas in Gion

No Smoking!

According to Jon, chocolate and Spikes go very well together.

Two boys working very hard (Minsoo and Jon).

New Year's Eve dinner

Minsoo and Lauren in the giant ferris wheel at Kasairinkaikoen.

New Year's crowds at the Asaksa shrine.

I have never seen so many people in my life.

Lauren, me, and Minsoo at the Asakusa shrine.

Jon and I at the Asakusa shrine.

Lauren and I took Jon and Minsoo to our favorite sushi place in Shinjuku. While we were there we decided to be brave and try uni (sea urchin), which is a Japanese delicacy. In our (Lauren, Jon, and I) opinion, it tasted like pool water. Yuck!

We also went to Akihabara with Azusa, which is known for being the technology hot spot of Tokyo. I was amazed at all the game arcades full of people intensely playing all sorts of video games; from large rooms full of people involved in multi-player games to single player games enclosed in clear plastic bubbles. Besides all of the new technology and game arcades, many anime lovers gather in Akihabara. Specifically, these people are commonly referred to as Otaku.

By the end of the trip, I believe Jon had a basic understanding of life in Japan and had seen (according to my Lonely Planet Travel Book of Japan) two of the most important cities in Japan. While in Tokyo he saw a majority of the must see areas including: Harijuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Kaihimakuhari (my school), and some other various locations. I wanted to take him to Odaiba, but we didn't have enough time. He will just have to come back again, right!?

Random Shout Outs: Thank you Jon for letting me post some of your pictures!

Christmas Party Continued

Here are the other Hands On English Christmas Party pictures that I promised to post. I had many and I did my best to choose my absolute favorites. Overall, the parties went very well! We played a "snowball" relay with palm-sized pom-pom balls. The kids had to carry them on a spoon and put them in a stocking without using their hands for help. We also played other games and gave each child a candy cane at the end of the lesson. I made candy cane reindeer with my private students and baby classes . Hiroko thought they were so cute!

During this week of classes, I was a bit nervous at times because the parents were invited to watch both Lauren and I while we taught our classes. I suppose that I shouldn't have spent so much time worrying; all the parents commended both of us for our teaching. :)

Me and Yoshino with our candy canes.

From left to right: Yuka, Mirena, Sayano, Nao and me after the class gift exchange.

From left to right: Arisa, Marina, Chihiro and me after the class gift exchange.

Momoko and Ruriko (sisters) with their candy cane reindeer.

From left to right: me, Momoka, Narumi, Mai, and So.

Me and Oura.

I'm reading Thomas' Christmas to Sakurako and Kyoko while waving hello to other students who are arriving for the lesson.

Me and Mao posing with our candy cane reindeer.

Lauren and I posing with our new year's resolutions.

Lauren and I were acting a little strange after our last night of class before break.

I'm not exactly sure when this was taken during break. Basically, some random guy and his girlfriend (she is also sleeping on the other side of the man) fell asleep on me while Lauren and I were riding the train home. Amazing enough, I was able to get up for my stop without waking either of them up!

Winter Break Episode 1

December 21^st – December 25^th

When I was living in Binghamton, I always looked forward to walking back to my apartment on a snowy, cold winter night. The white feathery flakes of snow dancing on my hat, tickling my cheeks, and landing gently on my mittens. It was always easy to forget the bitter wind as it threatened to blow right threw my thick winter coat; especially when I focused on the perfect crystals of snow that collected on the tops of my mittens. I wanted to protect them just like Horton the Elephant and his clover. Maybe if I stayed outside forever I wouldn’t have to worry about them melting as soon as I stepped inside the front hallway of my apartment. And to think, all it took to create these beautiful patterns was a extremely small speck of dust.

Although it is/was not snowing here in Japan, I did my best to make this winter break memorable. I had two weeks off (December 22^nd to January 4^th) to relax, explore, and spend time with friends. After finishing up work on December 21^st at 9pm, Lauren and I were ready for our time off to begin. Hiroko treated us to a delicious holiday dinner at Outback Steakhouse, which is not far from Hands On English. We ordered the ever popular “Bloomin’ Onion”. Lauren and Hiroko ordered steak and potatoes, Harumi ordered chicken, and I decided to get baked swordfish. Lauren and I savored every bite as if eating it would bringing us closer and closer to America.

From left to right: Harumi, Hiroko, Lauren and me. Thanks to Hiroko, we were able to enjoy a holiday dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

The next day we went to the Omodesando Hills shopping district to pick up some last minute presents. While we were there, we chanced across the ever popular SMAP Souvenir Shop. SMAP is a very popular Japanese Pop (J-Pop) band. We thought it was interesting that a band would have their own store.

We weren't brave enough to stand in the long line but that doesn't mean we didn't want to take advantage of the photo opportunity. Lauren is standing in front of the SMAP Souvenir Shop near Omodesando Hills.

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to my friend Kozue’s apartment for dinner. I met up with Azusa at the Tsudanuma station and we both headed to the 100 yen store to buy candles for Kozue’s birthday cake. After some searching, we found the candles and headed to Kozue’s apartment near the train station. We enjoyed our dinner while chatting and watching Japanese television. I made German potato salad like my grandmother always makes and brought some veggies, Amiko made Japanese baked chicken, Azusa brought a plethora of baked goods (She has a gigantic sweet-tooth.) and Kozue provided the location.

This is our delicious Christmas feast; without the "roast beast and Who hash".

From left to right: me, Azusa, Kozue, Amiko.

Happy Birthday Kozue! Thank you to Azusa for making her a yummy chocolate cake.

Yes, here in Japan we do have "Winter Cheese Fondue" Pringles. :)

On Christmas morning, Lauren and I opened all of our gifts that had been accumulating around our tree since the beginning of December. I would like to thank my family for the warm clothes and other goodies, thank you to the Weiss’ for the heated mattress pad, thank you to Mark for the cookbook and gummy worms, thank you Mrs. Dake for the ornament and book, thank you Lauren for all the silly and awesome gifts and thank you to anyone else I missed. Also, thank you for all the Christmas cards!

After relaxing around the class, Lauren and I headed to our friend Hyj’s apartment in Tokyo. Hyj lives very close to Roppongi Hills, which is comparable to either Manhattan’s 5^th Avenue or L.A.’s Bel-air. We enjoyed a catered dinner in his beautiful three floor apartment.

This is the traditional Japanese Christmas strawberry shortcake that you have heard so much about.

From left to right: Pierre and Suh (both from Cameroon), Joe, me and Hyj.

From right to left: Johanne, Chris and Emma.

After visiting Hyj and some other friends, Lauren and I had a chance to spend some time with Minsoo while walking around Roppongi Hills. The lights and seasonal decorations were so beautiful!

Minsoo being himself. (He is wearing the scarf with gray skulls I gave him for Christmas!)

Enjoying the lights in Roppongi Hills.

Episode 2 is coming soon so please be patient! I will also post some more pictures from the Christmas Party as soon as I get a chance. Thank you for tuning in despite my tardiness!