Mark & Mr./Mrs. Panda Chia

3.29.08

Markie-Mark, my red-haired partner in crime, has officially arrived in Japan! I'm very happy to say that he is currently sound asleep; he was not able to sleep at all during the flight here because of some noisy Brazilian soccer players sitting behind him. His flight arrived an hour and twenty minutes early; therefore, I was a bit late meeting him. I was relieved to find out that he wasn't troubled by my tardiness. With that said, I'm ready to show him some of my favorite places around Tokyo and I hope he enjoys every second of it. I'm so grateful that he came all this way to visit little old me!

I promise to include some more updates as our adventures around Japan unfold, but until then, please enjoy these pictures I took a few days ago while I was riding my bicycle to work. My Sony Ericsson phone takes very high quality photos. Leave it to Japan to make a cell phone that can do just about everything well!

I bought this panda "chia-pet" for Lauren as a present. In this picture he/she has a bit of a comb-over, but needless to say, we still love him/her. I hope Lauren will allow me to give him/her a hair cut at some point in the near future.

I saw the blossoms of the tree above while I was riding my bike to work this morning. The flowers were very large--bigger than two of my fists put together.

Earth Hour 2008

3.28.08

March 29th, 2008 at 8pm EST is Earth Hour 2008. Please turn off your lights in order to help raise awareness about the current state of our environment. Some of the leading U.S. cities that have pledged to join the movement are: Chicago, Atlanta, Pheonix and San Francisco. "Earth Hour", as it is called, was first started in Sydney, Australia in 2001.



While I was listening to a radio-cast on NPR today I learned a few really interesting statistics about recycling.
1. "Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for three hours."
2. "Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months."
3. "If every U.S. household replaced just one roll of 1,000-sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100 percent recycled ones, it could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space and 155 million gallons of water."

There are so many opportunities for us to change the way we live, but the question is, will we take advantage of those opportunities?

Random Shout Outs: Thanks Edel and Krystal for keeping me informed!

Farewell to Yusuke

3.26.08

One of my students has his last lesson today. He is leaving to study in America. As part of his lesson today, I thought he might enjoy going over some "American Slang". I found a few websites to help jog my memory, and I must say, several of the expressions are rather laughable.

I wish I knew how to feel when my students leave to "do bigger and better things". On the one hand I am excited for them, but at the same time, I will miss them. When added together it's a pretty confusing mix of emotions. I suppose this is how many of my past teachers have felt, and because of it, I look up to them even more.

In other news, it is supposed to get up to 19C today. If I'm not mistaken, that's roughly 66F!

Random Shout Outs: I would like to wish my very good friend Jon Newman a very happy 23rd birthday. He will be turning 23 on March 28th! Mark is coming to visit me this Saturday! Please stay tuned for our adventures.

Random Facts: Did you know that Nathan Hale was the first American spy during the Revolutionary War? I learned that yesterday from Brain Quest 4th Grade Edition. On NPR last night, I also watched an informative 5 part cartoon on carbon--what it is, making and breaking carbon bonds, and how we can reduce the amount of CO2 in the earth's atmosphere. It was quite amusing.

Easter Weekend

3.22.08

Today, I had several lessons and then headed into Tokyo to rendez-vous up with my friend Johanne. It has taken us several weeks of cancellations to finally agree that we needed to spend some time with each other this weekend. We met each other in Shinjuku and then took the train to Nishi-Ogikubo. At the show I went to last week, Leah's friend Yasuko invited me to her show that was being held in Nishi-Ogikubo. Johanne and I were both interested in seeing and hearing the bands but first we had to satisfy the hunger in our bellies.

We found the studio--Uen Studio--and then walked up and down the streets in search of a good place to eat. There was a distinct contrast between the warm and bright shops and the dark, night street. Luckily, for us the weather was on the warmer side. After getting our fill of delicious Indian food, we headed for the studio.

We had missed the first band but were able to hear the four remaining bands. Each had it's own unique sound and was able to inspire a different set of emotion (or thoughts) in the members of the audience--or at least, this was true for me. At the beginning of the last band's set, Johanne and I were actually pulled off of the ground by one of the other concert go-ers. We were only too happy to join the crowd as it danced along to the band's funk-ish tunes.

My dinner: Indian curry and a gigantic piece of garlic nan.

Johanne enjoying her curry and cheese nan. The cheese nan reminded us both of pizza. :)

Evidently, I am "Made in China".

Both Johanne and I enjoyed the show.

Yasuko of The Bad Spellers preparing for her set.

Please see and listen to the videos I have added to the bottom of this blog entry. I apologize before-hand for the video quality.

3.23.08

It was a beautiful day so Lauren and I took a trip to Omodesando. We went to an Easter service and then spent the rest of the day walking down the little allies and into the shops.

They have Easter lilies in Japan too!

Lauren, kissing a very chubby hedgehog at KDDI Land in Omodesando Hills.

The newest character as well as Lauren's newest obession: Kapibara-san. Kapibara-san is a capybara or large rodent found mainly in South America.

Lauren and I went to Fujimama's for lunch. Lauren decided to order some Pellegrino with her brunch special.

Would you like some "Wafflish Waffles"? This little shop in Omodesando Hills was full of cute, earthy clothes for people of all ages.

The Videos!

The second bad was called Mamimi Folksong.


Yasuko and her husband Tony star in the last band--The Bad Spellers. In this video they are playing an original called "Diggity Densha Blues"; train is "densha" in Japanese.

Random Side Note: All of the bands I talked about in today's blog can be found on Myspace.com. If you're interested in learning more about them please let me know.

Random Shout Outs: I would like to thank Mrs. Marge for her comment/recommendation. I spent a few minutes watching the Vegetable Orchestra videos on YouTube.com and I was very impressed. Both Lauren and I were especially surprised by the sound of the carrot flute. We couldn't believe a carrot could be played with so much likeness to a real flute.

American Friends, Kinchijoji and Yokohama

3.14.08

Today I met up with Laura Kim, one of my good friends from Binghamton University. Laura and I were both dancers in Binghamton University's, Philipino-American League's Spring Barrio Festival 2007. Laura has been traveling around Asia with her childhood friend Jessi for the past month. Laura told me that they would be in Tokyo and we both agreed that it was absolutely necessary for us to meet up. We spent the morning and early afternoon walking around Shibuya, talking and I was able to take them to the Vegan Healing Cafe restaurant that I went to with Johanne a few months ago.

My student Maki gave me these Fairycake Fair cupcakes today. I'm not exactly sure why she gave them to me but I assumed it was for White Day. White Day is today and it is basically like Valentine's Day but for guys to give something in return. Remember, here in Japan, only girls give presents on Valentine's Day. :)

Three orders of falafel burgers please!

Jessi and Laura

Laura and I in front of the restaurant.

Random Shout Outs: I also want to wish everyone a Happy Pi Day; hence the date March 14th also written as 3.14! I was reminded by my good friend Kate Devoe that today is a day where we are meant to celebrate the mathematical constant 3.14159265358979323846… Thanks Kate! Want to know "How to Celebrate Pi Day"? Click here. I would also like to thank Edel Bautista for the wonderful present of Pepperige Farm Goldfish that she sent along with Laura. Those little fish swam a long way to go into my stomach.

3.15.08

It had poured all day yesterday, and while riding into school early this morning, some evidence of the storm remained on the glistening leaves and in the damp street. After work today I took my time riding my bike home. I wanted to be sure to enjoy the beautiful weather. It has been getting warmer the past few days--about 50-60F on most days.

I took the Sobu line out of Chiba to a station quite far beyond Shinjuku called Kinchijoji. Kinchijoji is the stop just before Mitaka, which is famous for Studio Gibuli. Hayao Miazaki, also known as Japan's "Walt Disney", created animation masterpieces such as: Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and countless others. Please expect more on this later.

Returning to the topic of interest, I was in Kinchijoji to meet up with Leah and some of her friends who were playing a show. We gathered in the station and headed a Japanese restaurant for a little bite to eat. I only ordered a few sides because I had already eaten a little before leaving home. We made our way to the little club where Leah's friend's band was playing. It was on the fourth floor or a random building in Kinchijoji. The warm glow of the red walls and the sound of music made up for the cigarette smoke that filled the room since there are no laws prohibiting indoor smoking in Japan. The first and second bands consisted almost entirely of Japanese musicians. These two bands used a variety of instruments to create distinctly different sounding pieces. Some songs were rather relaxing because of their repetitive beats while others used purposefully clashing sounds to set the listener on edge. The third band called Aleks And The Ramps (You can look them up on Myspace.com.) consisted of two Australians--a girl and a guy. The guy played the mandolin while the girl played the synthesizer. I enjoyed both their music and stage presence; they did several choreographed dances during their set.

This was the first band at the show. As far as instruments go there was: a drummer, two guitarists, a bassists, a clarinetist and a percussionist. The venue was really nice despite the cigarette smoke.

Leah and I got home rather late but we were both glad that we had taken the opportunity to go. We walked home from the station because it was so warm outside. On the way home we stopped in a convenient store and I bought some Ritz-Bitz sandwich crackers. I normally don't eat them but for some reason I was in the mood for American style snacks.

3.16.08

Leah, Lauren and I decided to take a day trip to Yokohama! Here are a few of the pictures I took while we were there. The weather was perfect for wandering.

The rainbow Minatomirai line in Yokohama took us to Chinatown.

Because the weather was so beautiful, many other people were visiting Chinatown today. This picture of Leah--in the left-hand side of the picture--was taken right in front of the entrance to Chinatown. You can see the gate behind Leah.

The three of us ate some lunch at the top of this building. My shrimp wonton soup was delicious!

Lauren and Leah posing with Hello Kitty in Yokohama's Chinatown.

Leah took this picture of me in front of a Chinese shrine.

These freshly made meat dumplings (nikuman) seemed to be very popular.

I took this picture of Kermit and My Little Pony for my sister Sarah. Kermit looks as if he is saying, "Like duh! Of course I'm a My Little Pony cowboy!".

This creepy stuffed animal was standing in a case outside a restaurant in Chinatown.

Goldfish floating in a bowl outside one of the shops in Yokohama's Chinatown.

I gave Julius the Monkey, created by fashion designer Paul Frank's, a "low-ten" just before leaving Yokohama.

Marathone Thursdays

3.13.08

Normally I teach five classes on Thursdays and four on Fridays. Since one of my Friday classes has recently moved to Thursdays, I am now teaching six, one hour classes in a row on Thursdays. There were a few little bumps along the way, but generally speaking, it was a good day.

As a teacher, it is encouraging to see my student's improving; even if the process is slow at times. I am extremely pleased with the performance of one of my students. She decided to switch into one of my more advanced classes because the time was more convenient. Her previous class was much too easy, and as a result, she became bored. She seemed to fit in with the students in her new class and I'm really glad that she switched.

In Japan, the end of this month marks the close of the school year; whereas, in America we end around May or June. Many of the students at Hands On English are graduating and starting junior high school or high school which will resume in April. Lauren had a graduation party with one of her classes today because all of them have finished junior high school. She supplied them with the materials to make felt coasters as part of a fun in-class craft. I had a chance to look at the finished products before leaving school today. They were very cute!

Yesterday, Leah and I went to read to Peggy. She was rather tired but had enough energy to listen to The Tale of Mr. Tod. I made me happy to see that she was so interested and excited to listen to the story. After we visited Peggy, Leah and I went to a little cafe. The menu was completely in katakana but I managed to read it to Leah and order for the both of us! I was so excited to be understood and acknowledge. To top it off, I was rewarded with a delicious lunch of "pizza toast". Leah had shrimp pilaf.

Tomorrow I will be meeting up with Laura Kim, one of my friends from college. It will be good to see her and spend the day celebrating her birthday. I think I'm going to take her to eat okonomiaki--Japanese vegetable pancakes. :)

Random Side Notes: I was talking to Lappy today and she told me to look at ted.com. I was looking around the site and found this really great video about marine life. I should also mention that the weather is getting warmer. Today I wore a three-quarter sleeve shirt and a button down sweater instead of my usual four layers of shirts. Spring is here and I can't wait to see cherry blossoms!

Beatrix Potter

3.11.08

Today on my ride into work I had to take off my jacket so as not to get overheated. It was such a nice day for a bicycle ride. I've heard stories from friends and family back home in the states. In Buffalo, NY it's still in the 30's. I wish I could stuff a little Japanese sunshine into an envelope and send it to all of you in the states.

Leah and I went to visit Peggy today. We read her a few Beatrix Potter stories--The Tale of Petter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny--and she really enjoyed them. Reading the stories to her brought back so many memories of my mother reading Ms. Potter's stories to me before I nodded off to sleep at night. I loved them all; especially The Tale of Mr. Tod. After reading, the three of us joked and talked about old teachers that had left the school to go on and do great things.

I taught a one year old and a five year old together in the same class today. Before the lesson started, I felt so nervous. However, in the end everything went well. When you have a large age gap as well as a large gap in skill--speaking English--it can be difficult to get everyone equally involved.

Random Side Note: Today I got an early email on my cell phone from my mother telling me that she had purchased her plane ticket to Japan! She will be arriving in early August and we will be returning to the United States together. I also wanted to wish my friend Jon Newman the best of luck. As I type this, he is in the process of getting his four wisdom teeth removed from him mouth. I wish I could bring him a Wendy's Frosty. :)

The Chiba 2008 G20 Symposium

3.9.08

Today I had the opportunity to attend the Chiba Prefectural 2008 G20 Symposium on Global Warming and Biodiversity. This event was held about a 15 minute walk from my work at the Makuhari Messe International Conference Center (I believe I mentioned it in a previous blog entry.) The entire conference was free. Of course I had to do was register and let them know I was planning on attending prior to the date.

I woke up at 8am, checked the location of the event, made my lunch, and was out of the door by 9:15 am. If you want to be precise, I woke up at 6:16am when Lauren emailed my phone--she was in the room next to me--to ask whether I had felt the magnitude 3 earthquake. I actually hadn't felt it so I emailed her back something like this: "no i didnt :(" and went back to sleep. Later when I came home after the conference, she told me she had woken up to her bed be jostled around before her eyes. She was so surprised that I had slept through it and so was I; normally, I am a very light sleeper.

I arrived at the conference around 10:20 just in time to hear the keynote speakers. There were three speakers: Kunio Iwatsuki of Japan, James Edwards of America, and Jurgen Maier of Germany. Kunio Iwatsuki, a researcher at the Museum of Nature and Human Activities in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan, spoke about the need for us to collect as much information as possible to show and predict the effects of global warming on biodiversity. James Edwards, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institute of America, spoke about the the need for a global network of information sharing. Finally, Jurgan Maier, a researcher and activist with the German NGO Forum Environment and Development, spoke about a change in mindset that has to occur in order for us to reduce our impact on the environment. There were several other speakers for various regions of Japan and around the world--Nepal and Costa Rica.

There were a few important messages that I learned from this conference:
1. Global warming has negative impact on biodiversity; therefore, we must find ways to stop global warming before more species are lost due to extinction.
2. Scientists have to work together to collect reliable evidence based on facts. They also have to use this information they gather to "convince and move politics".
3. Information has to be shared not only with the scientific community, but also with laypeople in the global community.
4. It is the job of non-experts and experts alike to collect and integrate the information they might find.
5. Developed nations like the US and Germany need to help developing nations use more efficient and modern energy services. For example, traditional firewood burning produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and is very dirty.
6. We can not "deny the reality for another 11 years [since the Kyoto Protocol was first introduced]". We need to "act now" to stop global warming.
7. The slogan of many of the speakers was: "We need to think locally, and act globally.".

I agree with all of these, but perhaps in the spirit of number 6, we should "act locally" as well. After going to this event my desire to do something for this movement was reignited. I'm not sure how I will help but I know I will do something.

On a lighter note, Leah showed me this catchy little video the other day. It may help you learn a little Japanese, and if not, it will at least make you giggle.



Random Side Note: I would like to wish all of you American's out there Happy Day-Light Savings Day! All of you will be "springing ahead" but I will still remain in the future--13 hours ahead of you. :)

Heavens Door

3.8.08

Leah arrived in Japan on Thursday and has been staying over in our apartment ever since. On Saturday night after work she invited me to go to her friend's show near Shibuya. We got off at the Shibuya station and made our way to the Denentoshi line. We packed ourselves like sardines into the Denentoshi train and headed two stops away from Shibuya to the Sangenjaya station. We stepped onto the platform relieved to be out of the crowded train, took a deep breath, and headed out into a big bright world filled with rushing people, zooming cars, and blinking Japanese signs.

Leah led the way down the narrow street where the club, Heavens Door, was located. We had some time to kill before the show started at 7pm so we did a little window shopping and stopped into a noodle shop to get a quick bite to eat. On our way back to the club, Leah persuaded me to buy a blue and gray sweater that was only 50 yen ($.50) from an open market. We couldn't help but laugh at some of the other clothes for sale: a sweater that reminded me of the one Mr. Roger's wore, a light purple skirt that would be perfect if you decided you wanted to be an Easter egg, some nylon zebra print shorts, and a few other rather outdated fashions.

After a bit of searching, we found the entrance to the club. We both stepped inside and were welcomed by the rhythmic beat of a bass drum. The club was small and I felt at home. The guitarist, drummer, bassist, and singer of the first band were all girls. The singer's dancing and singing imitated the punk-ish music coming from the instruments surrounding her. The second band was made up of a female singer and male guitarist. Their music had a much more electronic/psychedelic feel to it which was heightened by the Mandelbrot images playing on the screen behind them. Leah's two friends Kate and Lindsey were the last band I stayed to see before leaving to catch the train home. Their music had an acoustic feel to it due to the lack of drum or bass accompaniment. Kate sang lead while playing a mix of guitar, synth and xylophone throughout the set. Lindsey sang back-up while playing keyboard, xylophone, and "the box". She "played the box" by shaking a cardboard package--I could see the US Customs sticker--filled with some objects. The songs were playful and creative. Overall, I really enjoyed the show.

The Tokyo Loop

3.2.08

Today, on my day off, I traveled around to different parts of Tokyo. Basically, after it was all said and done, I had made a big loop which started and ended at my apartment (Random Side Note: Many apartments here are actually referred to as "mansions". I'm not really sure why, but maybe the Japanese are trying to emphasize their luxury despite their size. Anyways, my apartment is definitely not a "mansion", but please do not think I'm complaining. I'm very grateful to have a place to call home.).

It was a perfect day to get out and explore. The sun was shining and their was an ever so slight breeze that kept my body at the perfect temperature while I went to the various places my wandering feet took me. First I went to Asakusa to see the shrine and then decided to go to Odaiba to see the Miraikan Museum of Innovation and Emerging Science again. The last time I had visited, I had to leave before seeing all the exhibits.

After going to the museum it was about time to go home for dinner. It actually took me 2 hours to get home because I took a "long cut": Yurikamame Line to Sobu Line to Keisei Line (three different train lines)! Lauren made vegetable soup for the first time ever and it was very delicious! The soup consisted of green pepper, potato, carrot, bean sprouts, garlic, and daikon. Normally I'm not very keen to eat daikon-a very popular and extremely large (I have seen ones that are about 1.5 feet long and 3-4 inches in diameter.) radish-but when it is cooked in soup, it doesn't seem to bother my taste buds.

From the paragraph above, it seems as if two places should hardly be considered "exploring". However, these two places are very far apart! Asakusa is to the northeast of Tokyo Station and Odaiba is to the southeast of Tokyo Station overlooking the bay. I took just about every form of transportation I could think while traveling around today; except for a taxi and a bicycle. Here are a few pictures I took while traveling in a big loop around Tokyo; a loop that started and ended at my apartment.

The shopping area in from of the Asakusa shrine is decorated for the spring. Around the end of March the cherry blossoms will start to bloom; therefore, announcing the start of spring.

All these women are wearing traditional Japanese kimonos but I'm not exactly sure why.

Tomorrow, March 3rd is Hinamatsuri. Hinamatsuri is a special Japanese holiday honoring young girls. The little girl above is dressed in a traditional kimono for this occation. According to what Lauren told me, each young girl is given a Hina doll set (most of them are very expensive) that is meant to be set up in their room at home. The set must be taken down before a certain date as well. The dolls represent the hierarchy of the ancient Japanese court. For example, the Emperor and Empress are placed on the highest platform. As we were walking through our local train station the other day, Lauren and I were surprised to notice the teared platform (click here to see the set).

This man was feeding the hungry pigeons some of his left over crumbs.

I wanted to buy this "Ninja Set" for someone back home but I compromised with my wallet and just took a picture.

At the Miraikan, I made this little crab (kani) out of foam. The foam stuck together after wetting it with a damp sponge.

One of the exhibits was created by kids and for kids! From this entrance, I'm sure you can imagine how much I enjoyed the rest of the exhibit.

One of my favorite parts about the exhibit you can view in the video below. A large portion of the floor space was filled up by a tarp depicting a house. The image on the floor was then projected on the adjacent wall so the children could interact with the image on the floor. I had lots of fun watching the children play. I caught one father sleeping in the "bed" for a about 20 minutes. I felt drawn to join but refrained due to my lack of friends to share in the experience. If you look closely you will be able to see the little boy hanging from the tree while the two little girls try to scale the latter on the other side of the house.

Random Shout Outs: I would like to thank Margene and Brenda for their flattering comments. It always makes me happy to know that the readers of my blog find humor in my postings. Concerning the names of my entries, I try to name them so both I, and other people like you, will be able to distinguish between them. And yes, I try to write as if I'm telling a story-a story of my life here in the Land of the Rising Sun.