tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19818294087304623562024-02-21T17:01:18.454+09:00Teaching English in Morioka, JapanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-15944158456419641082009-06-12T22:29:00.003+09:002009-06-12T22:48:45.801+09:00Sara - Rice PlantingOn May 31st, Patrick and I went to plant rice. In Japanese it's called Taue (Tah-oo-eh)田植え. We were invited by our friend, Mr. Kamura, who is the owner of a restaurant we frequent.<br /><br />Patrick had done it last year and I was unable to attend because I had fractured a bone in my foot. I was very happy to go with them this year.<br /><br />The rice field was for making sake and it was being maintained by a group Mr. Kamura's friends. It was a very friendly atmosphere. I've never planted rice before but it was really fun. I took off my boots and went into the mud barefoot. The mud was warm and felt pretty good under my feet. I was almost knee deep in it.<br /><br />But before we went into the mud, there was a tractor that planted rows of rice. We were to plant to remaining rice plants between the rows. Planting rice was pretty easy. You don't plant seeds, but the actual plant. This is because the fields are flooded with a lot of water and a seed would just wash away. Instead, the rice are grown elsewhere until there are several inches tall. Then you take the plant and gently place it in the mud. You have to give it a slight twist when you plant it to make sure that it stays in the mud and not just be sitting on top of it.<br /><br />After we planted the rice, we went and had a great lunch that included great sake. Here are some pictures that I took of the rice planting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprXyOjFqkA9ECkHpS2lZewrGJQHbJk8lmJ6GgHrg7BPVi-LRMCi59W_vdn_DGR4iKd4MpPgoT6RDX35cf0TNVZYh0Ck0d-mk1iTSkkaTAavfNxs2kWqIZCXscym7MAvaD42pPOXw7WZUu/s1600-h/empty_field.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprXyOjFqkA9ECkHpS2lZewrGJQHbJk8lmJ6GgHrg7BPVi-LRMCi59W_vdn_DGR4iKd4MpPgoT6RDX35cf0TNVZYh0Ck0d-mk1iTSkkaTAavfNxs2kWqIZCXscym7MAvaD42pPOXw7WZUu/s320/empty_field.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346436513548054674" /></a><br />This is the field before it was planted.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7wPBM1F46IEPiaci6-gi9YS5WknteHker_EMnFqpMRUkck5f0YKlDnfIkLHqFrpD4sjVoysqgw5NnIt82FB0ANF_fqlqCS6KQdrUCYZFBvGiTNMxoEyRUFIICme-L3x0Y1HicKCcfF9V/s1600-h/Rice_tracktor.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7wPBM1F46IEPiaci6-gi9YS5WknteHker_EMnFqpMRUkck5f0YKlDnfIkLHqFrpD4sjVoysqgw5NnIt82FB0ANF_fqlqCS6KQdrUCYZFBvGiTNMxoEyRUFIICme-L3x0Y1HicKCcfF9V/s320/Rice_tracktor.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346436533147752370" /></a><br />This is the rice tractor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6J4PVBsTwPhL4oPeUsn2OS5VPR8CXxvq-f3zVih3X1NwFBCJsPD2xYynEL4KAWEfCBGhmI8g1i2vekh-Q-iybBWh1AG44Dg2-Pvi2zs6KKRRmxUVgEL3lGVDOhVSEZlmRrzfNq8BWyb0/s1600-h/rice_bunches.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6J4PVBsTwPhL4oPeUsn2OS5VPR8CXxvq-f3zVih3X1NwFBCJsPD2xYynEL4KAWEfCBGhmI8g1i2vekh-Q-iybBWh1AG44Dg2-Pvi2zs6KKRRmxUVgEL3lGVDOhVSEZlmRrzfNq8BWyb0/s320/rice_bunches.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346436523964790690" /></a><br />These are the rice plants in bunches.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKgH3IwqmTf-0_2iNwCRGDXTzG0d1dun2UWVicq8HYGaSYIX-K1aQA-9a3SaONzLnMmPPJMAIBOJEIKa5_08K6xcV4pBBvWpZTS8FxYJwCVKSN2-5iFFtMa_ITPuEy33B6XLM9ydto6iJ/s1600-h/rice_field.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKgH3IwqmTf-0_2iNwCRGDXTzG0d1dun2UWVicq8HYGaSYIX-K1aQA-9a3SaONzLnMmPPJMAIBOJEIKa5_08K6xcV4pBBvWpZTS8FxYJwCVKSN2-5iFFtMa_ITPuEy33B6XLM9ydto6iJ/s320/rice_field.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346436528680700466" /></a><br />This is the field after we planted the rice.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFRsUKyQo-jYR81JT6oa38Lzj4uE8SRZHA2PDozNGfePYpUQGLATbJMg9xLJ9cx7BUCD6mzZkzQzva0tcoe8w4O6GKUYztjbEBBhxJoT2-NklyrhQ-tn-SVwA4t9ZyNHXGfiahQVuXbu5/s1600-h/rice.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFRsUKyQo-jYR81JT6oa38Lzj4uE8SRZHA2PDozNGfePYpUQGLATbJMg9xLJ9cx7BUCD6mzZkzQzva0tcoe8w4O6GKUYztjbEBBhxJoT2-NklyrhQ-tn-SVwA4t9ZyNHXGfiahQVuXbu5/s320/rice.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346436517002303618" /></a><br />This is a close up of the rice.Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-76239123420866803682009-06-12T21:16:00.006+09:002009-06-12T21:42:36.700+09:00Sara - Tea Ceremony LuncheonOn May 23rd, I went to a luncheon with my tea ceremony class, for class. We went to a sushi restaurant that had a tea room in the back. We were served many delicious by Ms. Obara. <br /><br />Ms. Obara is an advanced student in my class and was practicing a tea ceremony luncheon. Part of the practice included writing out invitations. There are specific things that had to be written and she went through several drafts before giving us the final one. My teacher, fellow students, and I practiced being guests. There a few mistakes made by both host and guests, but it was the best lesson.<br /><br />The food was amazingly beautiful and delicious. Unfortunately I was unable to take any pictures because I was concentrating so hard on the eating order that I forgot to take out the camera. I had to keep track of where I placed lids, chopsticks, sake cups, and which way to pass serving dishes. <br /><br />Each food item had a meaning and reflected upon spring. The flower arrangement on the wall also reflected upon spring. The flowers also have meanings, but I was a very bad student and didn't keep track of that.<br /><br />I did put together a quick video of what I was able to capture of the ceremony. I didn't get all of the moves, but you can watch Ms. Obara make Ousu (light green tea).<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5l4Kh3O1EbgIWowa8tiU10-NpLB5g1CavxnVVKvryeUr0s8TWYSjpIlaqxQpvxeQEgohEllpKEn0nJF-xSw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-13694045466387518912009-03-16T20:16:00.004+09:002009-03-16T20:28:53.358+09:00Sara- Time Warp to September 2008 (Yabusame Festival)Well I finally got the video put together. I hate Apple iMovie and this may be the last movie I make with it.<br />Anyway, back in September 2008, Patrick and I skipped work to go see Yabusame which I believe is part of the two or three day Hachimangu festival... <br /><br />Yabusame is archery on horseback. The ground for the event is blessed by the Shinto priests, and if I remember correctly, horse archery was not used only for warfare in Iwate, but it was also used as a way to scare off demons and so there were also priests at the event.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzMUb2OXpb0ZxoIo1NgofjqxSTF7Ko8icfPYmnHgZSFDb71gaZ-c4psDEmCnNWbgCWF0-3nMrGs3wckYxhA7w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-80202314443920181412009-03-16T19:49:00.003+09:002009-03-16T20:12:06.719+09:00Sara - Kitamatsuzono GraduationWell we finally had our graduation on the 13th and everything went well. We had a lot of speeches, and some singing. Graduation took up half the day and I was lucky to get out at 3:30 instead of 4:25. I made a movie of the event so that you can sort of see what goes on. I skipped the speeches. The music in the movie is called "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" which translates to 'Please give me wings'. The words, roughly translated, are:<br /><br />If I could have one wish granted now, I would wish for a pair of wings.<br />Upon my back, like a bird, I wish you would give me a pair of white wings.<br /><br />I want to spread my wings and fly through this wide blue sky.<br />Through the free heavens where there is no sorrow, I want to soar and fly far!<br /><br />When I was a child, I used to have this dream, and even now I still dream the same dream.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyH00jTII7Y-9KqdSoQUGnB2CiwnhhDMHkaE1i7kbLxVrI5YBkaGOa097o_ypyTEi-mtJ-ufkOEUH7f92zGvQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />The girl who waves towards the end of the movie is Misa. She comes by every day to talk to me in English. Her English ability is very impressive. She went to Indiana on a two week abroad program so we often talk about her friends in America and American culture.Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-20653126956533253532009-02-26T20:15:00.006+09:002009-02-26T21:01:15.857+09:00Sara - Spring Ballroom Party 09Last year I went to a ballroom dance party that my dance studio held and had a great time. I went again this year, just yesterday, and was just as amazed. This time we had a couple from the US come and perform. They are placed as 2nd in the world in the category of Latin dancing. But they won 1st place at the Osaka Asia Open on Feb. 24th. Riccardo Cocchi is actually Italian and Yulia Zagorouitchenko is Russian, but they now compete as a couple for the US. (Since 2007)<br />It was really great seeing them as the performed show dances. It's still ballroom, but a lot flashier since they don't have to worry about getting points etc.<br /><br />Here is a brief collection of the dances they performed. I thought Yulia's costumes were especially fantastic.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwBbdMvDdmIy0UUoXx4AH1DJmmEzFe25-Cbg5Wia9zUX4FfYg2C6M5HjT4of6VKm_tmnW-XooE6ZDoOZv3jIA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-1296068215241511752009-01-19T20:57:00.005+09:002009-01-19T21:50:54.204+09:00Sara-2008 recapI said I would write about all my previous adventures, but I never quite got around to it unfortunately. So instead, I mashed up all the things I did into one movie. There is the all city track and field meet, Yabusame (horse archery festival in Morioka), the school festival and my trip to Yamagata with my teachers. I got the perfect music for the movie for Christmas from friends back home, G and Ryan. A big thank you goes to them since I wouldn't have done it otherwise. The music really sums up my feelings about 2008 I think.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfjtJ0OAJ0yydBvQ9s7ZPTUnjb6iAAuE3q_WxbTPxl-tHA7aC-wimuRV3vKSGGR3fzgqPzxILnrFjbO3YCeA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-69599755877155251362008-11-25T21:32:00.003+09:002008-11-25T22:16:22.484+09:00Sara-Gyms, Nanowrimo, JLPT, General catchupWell, sadly I have many things to post but I haven't. One day I promise I will. Since August I have seen and done many things, that I will later put up, but for now I will just give a very brief update of a few things that I have been doing.<br /><br />I have changed schools. I am now at Kita-Matsuzono JHS in suburbia. It's about a 45 min bus ride with a 15 min walk to the bus station. That said, I shall now skip over to a briefing of the most current events.<br /><br />Over the months, I have come to face the fact that I need to exercise. This became more clear when one day I was acting out the story of <span style="font-style:italic;">Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree</span> to third grade elementary students. As I read and acted out the picture book, I realized that Pooh and I had many things in common. One, we like food. Two, we always are thinking about food, and three, we often find ways of getting that last dessert that might turn out to be a disaster.<br /><br />After having read the story three times, I was beginning to feel a little guilty. Pooh, after all, went out and exercised...or tried anyway. So I went out to look at some swimming pools and gyms. <br /><br />There are several swimming pools and gyms around Morioka. There's a gym called WoW'd, that stands for something like World of Workout'ed or something strange like that. That is in the new AEON mall that is close to us. However, the entrance reminds me of some sort of posh lounge for a restaurant. The walls are black and they have white leather back like couches and chairs. The people weren't all that friendly either and it was rather expensive. So my travels went to a gym called Central.<br /><br />Central is not even a five minute walk from the train station bus center. And since you can hop on a bus to the station bus center from almost any where, it is very convenient. It has a swimming pool and gym with two studios where they have yoga, Pilate's, aerobics, Taibo (For those who remember the fad) and other fun lessons. They go by different monthly plans so you get to pick the plan that best fits you. I decided to go to Central because the bus from work ends up at the bus station. It was also cheaper than WoW'd and the people are very friendly. The plan that I got was about 9,700 yen a month, but this meant that I could use the gym or pool any time day or night (between 10am-11pm) Mon-Sat. as well as on Sundays and Holidays and they give me a towel for the shower so I never have to bring one. I can also join in any of the classes for no additional charge, and I can come and go to them as I please. They also have a squash court and lessons, but I never was a big fan. Anyway, more on the Gym later.<br /><br />Besides the gym, I am participating yet again in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month-www.nanowrimo.org). Right now I'm at 28,043 words and roughly 40 single spaced, times new roman, 12 point font, pages. So for future ALTs who want to do it, it is possible...I'm just very lazy. Also, there are several other people participating in it around the Tohoku region, so it is also possible to meet up and do write-ins or word wars, though the timing may be difficult.<br /><br />Besides Nanowrimo, I'm also doing the JLPT. Last year I believe the choices were Sendai or Tokyo. This year, however, Iwate University (that's not more than maybe a twenty minute bike ride?) will be hosting as well. So, though Patrick and I were getting ready to go down to Sendai on Dec 7th, we have been assigned to the University site.<br /><br />Next on the things to write about:<br />A trip to Yamagata (where they sell pears that are over 600 yen)<br />Archery festival thing (Held back in Sept. and may not be written about till next year...)<br />Schools (May not be written about)<br />And other events that I have, at the moment, forgotten about.Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-55020438747022375682008-11-24T13:27:00.003+09:002008-11-24T14:01:15.218+09:00TravelDear All,<br /><br />So this year, after listening to a great deal of nagging from my various family members, I decided to go back to the states for Christmas. This is my first trip back since coming to Japan. I am looking forward to it mostly for the food. Chunky peanut butter, those Reese's chocolate Christmas trees, turkey sandwiches to name a few. I am also looking forward to getting some shopping done as I have had to resort to using safety pins to keep my pants up. This is all beside the point though as I really wanted to tell you all about making travel arrangements. <br />When I originally thought to buy the ticket I first shopped online to compare prices but because buying anything online can be problematic I also visited two travel agents here in Japan. Namely H.I.S. and JTB. Both are known for international travel. The prices they offered were in line with those online at the time and had the additional benefit of being easily accessible to me so I decided to go with JTB. On the whole I am pretty happy with the interaction. The service, like most of Japan, was impeccible. They kept ahead of problems, including six time changes and a necessary one night layover in Toronto, for me admirably. I was also able to purchase my buller train tickets from them directly. <br />Some interesting things I noted about the travel agents were these. All of the agents at the counters are women but the manager is usually a man. Women are considered more desirable for service oriented positions like being a travel agent because they are considered to be friendiler. The agency also offered numerous travel packages broken down into three categories: travel within the country, travel abroad, and weddings/honeymoons. These categories are further sub divided. I have to say that I don't know how such things are divided up in the states but I was impressed with how orderly it all was. <br />That all being said I have to say that sometimes it was all too much. I recieved numerous additional phone calls about issues that seemed unimportant to me but they just wanted to tell me about just in case. <br />In order to travel out of the country and return legally I had to get a re-entry permit. I filled out a form bought a 3000 yen stamp from the post office and had my permit in about six minutes. The immigration officer took a moment to point out to me the expiration date on the permit and tell me to have a nice trip home and I was off. It was wonderful. <br />The last or the first thing I had to do involved filling out a form from my school and the board of education asking for a special leave to go out of the country. I had count up the number of days I would be gone, surrender my flight information, provide contact information for when I would be in the states, provide a reason for the travel, and collect three stamps to officiate the document. Then from there it was sent to the BOE to do whatever they do with it. Of all the things I had to do for going home taking the time from work was the most personally involving. <br />Well that's the story of leaving Japan with the intention of returning.girlteachinJapanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334009492925051888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-54892437507893574642008-11-04T22:13:00.002+09:002008-11-04T22:15:21.344+09:00Patrick- Update for the past few monthsHere are some old things I wrote a few months ago but forgot to post to the blog.<br /><br />Recently, I have been studying like mad for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test that will take place on December 7. If I pass this, I can quit working so hard and be able to casually enjoy life again, in addition to making more frequent updates here on this blog.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Impressions of Switching Schools<br /><br />Since the students are taking semester final exams all day today, giving me eight hours to sit at my desk, I have some time to update.<br /><br />So, in August, we all switched schools. I switched from the strictest, oldest school in the prefecture (which was also one of the smallest) to a school that is rapidly growing and near the bottom of the pack. What they both have in common is that neither are pulling from affluent neighborhoods.<br /><br />At first I was surprised because I jumped from 369 students to nearly 600. But, after having worked here nearly two months now, the far bigger difference is working with new teachers. At my previous school, I worked with some of the most experienced, best teachers. This often let me with little to do, as they didn't need an assistant for most things. At my new school, however, the teachers have much less experience, and so I end up doing a bit more work. This is good, except when the work is correcting papers, since instead of 100 per grade there are now 200, and the students' abilities are lower making the corrections much more frequent.<br /><br />The other big difference is that students at this school are much more friendly. At my old school, only a few students would talk to me freely. But at this school, many students often crowd around my desk. One reason for this is the difference in discipline. At the old school, students could only enter the teachers' room with special permission, but at my new school they need no reason and so come and go freely.<br /><br />Japanese<br /><br />I have been continuing to study Japanese. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even getting better, but then I look at what I did a few months back and realize that I am at least making some progress, slowly.<br /><br />Weather<br /><br />Suddenly it has gotten very cold. It went from too hot most days last week to me having to wear my winter coat this week. It seems we have skipped the nicer part of fall.<br /><br /><br />***<br /><br />In front of many stores are little gardens. What often makes for interesting morning scenes is that the employees, not professional gardeners, maintain them. For example, in front of a real estate agency is this elaborate pond, about two meters by six, filled with some flowers and a fountain. Yesterday, on my way to work, I observed a man in his normal work suit and boots taking a net to the pond to clean out the trash.<br /><br />Another thing that's new on my commute are the unmanned vegetable and flower stands. There are several farms along the way, and by the road are little sheds which included vegetables and flowers and a money box. The items all have prices and you can simply take what you want and then put your money in the box.<br /><br />In one stand, the money isn't even in a box. It just sits out on a tray. I'd seen this arrangement before in temples but this was my first time to see it on the side of the road.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-57992990424125333272008-09-15T13:48:00.005+09:002008-09-15T14:24:31.188+09:00Catherine-A Note About Public BathingDear all,<br /><br />I was reading Sara's last post about Akita and her mentions of onsen (hotsprings) and I thought I should write a note about public bathing in Japan. Japan, being a mountainous country absolutely riddled with volcanoes, has several thousand onsen(温泉). Japan, also being an island country with limited natural resources and therefore a need to conserve fuel, has always used these onsen as places to bathe. Because the onsen were communal traditions concerning the use of onsen and the proper way to bathe developed. Certain days were for men, others for women, and still others were "mixed" days for whole familys to enjoy bathing together. In the past before one entered an onsen one used a bucket full of water to wet oneself down. Then one scrubbed oneself down from top to toes or toes to top with soap and a scrubby brush. A second bucket of water was applied to remove any suds and then one was ready to enter the bath. All of this is accomplished sitting down on a low stool or crouching. Japanese do not bath standing up.<br />By bathing outside of the bath ancient Japanese were able to ensure that the communal waters of the onsen stayed cleaned and fresh. The bathing traditions that developed as part this outdoor bathing in naturally occuring hotsprings were carried over into private baths in family homes, ofuro(お風呂), and into public baths, sentou(銭湯). These bathing traditons are continued today and while private family baths are typically used by one person at a time public baths and onsen are still communal. Going bathing now, as it was then, is a highly relaxing and friendly event. Friends and families go to the baths together. They use the time to talk, catch up, gossip and in general reconnect with others. During the cold winter months baths are especially nice for getting toasty warm and relaxing muscles tightened by the cold.<br />During the time I have lived in Japan I have visited onsen, sentou, made use of a private family bath and I have enjoyed them all. I have to say that one of the things I will miss most about Japan when I returned home is trips to onsen and sentou during the fall, winter, and early spring.<br /><br />Well cheers,<br /><br />CatherinegirlteachinJapanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334009492925051888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-53738455061222672692008-08-12T16:55:00.008+09:002008-08-12T18:03:17.937+09:00Sara-Akita tripThis past weekend, Patrick and I went up to Akita as part of my birthday celebration. <br />Patrick took me to the aquarium there. I really love aquariums, and this one was really fun. So I put together a little video.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyI92cX5eKZ8wPkFX3-222SdQ_RQgVZ0f97kpEocxnXUw4d5BAX7LWODJPx-aPp2PoZOVv4XfE8TOUhG4Cm7Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />After the aquarium we stayed at a very nice onsen (public bath house, one for men, one for women). An onsen is also a hotel. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTq-PYfWHWI3k_oUvN7qvm0BWCdeecs0YoS9QFeJCZc6_qj6teKeJYPuVJ8fOdlTPkpkfooKx4-wQq-EjpHDS4-3GicpILCMEPdTLlb6OCcZbtrmt6ulh16v8wPsG70IMZ__Qlk8ch-9q/s1600-h/Akita3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTq-PYfWHWI3k_oUvN7qvm0BWCdeecs0YoS9QFeJCZc6_qj6teKeJYPuVJ8fOdlTPkpkfooKx4-wQq-EjpHDS4-3GicpILCMEPdTLlb6OCcZbtrmt6ulh16v8wPsG70IMZ__Qlk8ch-9q/s320/Akita3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233544747841985026" border="0"></a><br /><br /> We had a very spacious room with a good view of the ocean. The room was actually bigger than our apartments! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIYQCF0FigE6NBbhv04hsFpTnnpzj7YRoRuSHW9JX5pgXIUj9bRRzWYpd2vdIxkOHvmQDkGCsLAoR9epyf5RJzy-hVvWpwjiM6F-_wrL8PY7CcwoBeAUa8Hu8_k3xNgwkPf5TaRJkQ0Vm/s1600-h/Akita1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIYQCF0FigE6NBbhv04hsFpTnnpzj7YRoRuSHW9JX5pgXIUj9bRRzWYpd2vdIxkOHvmQDkGCsLAoR9epyf5RJzy-hVvWpwjiM6F-_wrL8PY7CcwoBeAUa8Hu8_k3xNgwkPf5TaRJkQ0Vm/s320/Akita1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233541702454398562" border="0"></a><br />We had a great dinner of fresh sea food that they brought to our rooms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWrJN8ibFhAnfWMMR9fvZN6kLU2aYkC40VFagBtRZKOgYXKWNjyUHx_LHNccYVjlVky0sLEgobfAx4OJKZw6TbkxRjBkcRcMaS4FBE-zo0qS2b0ZqeFwn8pTAaLVJsdwn1pgSyRN_jxxy/s1600-h/Akita2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWrJN8ibFhAnfWMMR9fvZN6kLU2aYkC40VFagBtRZKOgYXKWNjyUHx_LHNccYVjlVky0sLEgobfAx4OJKZw6TbkxRjBkcRcMaS4FBE-zo0qS2b0ZqeFwn8pTAaLVJsdwn1pgSyRN_jxxy/s320/Akita2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233544241939134338" border="0"></a><br /><br />The food was incredibly good. And the bath was very relaxing after you get over the shyness. <br />After dinner and our bathing, we met up again to go to a taiko drumming performance that was at a small community theatre down the street. I can't particularly remember the troupe's name, but they dressed up as Namahage (A type of demon/god of Akita). People usually dress up as these beings for various festivals in Akita. This troupe performed as Namahage as a way of preserving tradition and teaching their culture in Akita. Namahage are beings who would punish/take away bad children so when they performed, the Namahage would wander the audience yelling "Arrgh! Are there any bad children here today?? Are there lazy, or rude children?" Parents were told to hold tightly to their child to protect them from these gods. It was a really great show. The drumming was amazing and it was free. It is a must see for anyone going to Akita.<br />This is a brief video I put together of the performance. The last piece they performed, I believe they composed themselves. For anyone who is familiar with taiko drumming, you may notice the more modern sound.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxeyWCdRtWq06QUdO64rVxBRXIyBTXIN0MHj528IpwxlUU5ZBRGwtktgXTepHLM9OcZZaYc4MDmG_gw3UhE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />The next day we had another wonderful meal. Breakfast was served in their dinning room. It was a traditional tatami mat room. We were the only ones there but it was nice to have a quiet and relaxing morning. After breakfast, we checked out and wandered around the small town and then took the train to Akita city, in Akita. We went to a small art museum and wandered through a nice park. We ate dinner at the train station and then took the shinkansen back to Morioka. Though it was a brief trip, it was a lot of fun.Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-52111005814502973792008-08-11T15:14:00.003+09:002008-08-11T18:00:24.109+09:00Sara-Sansa Festival '08From August 1st to the 4th, Morioka has it's Sansa Festival. Sansa is a type of traditional dance here in Iwate. There are many different dance troupes that perform during this time. Companies and neighborhoods put together troupes of dancers, drummers, and flutists. They parade down the main street of Morioka in their summer kimonos (yukata). Children and adults take part in the parade. Many families perform together. I saw some of my students participating as dancers for their neighborhood troupe. It's a very festive parade. Everyone dances, even the drummers and flutists. They also have an announcer who announces each troupe, and when the troupe gets to the finish line she announces "Thank you for your wonderful performance." <br />I have put together a brief movie with the original sound so you can hear the music. The dancers are chanting something like "Sakkora Choiwa yasse!" I'm guessing that this is from their local dialect, or something much older or a mixture of local and old Emishi. (The Emishi were the natives of Tohoku) I have heard that there are about 20,000 performers and around 5,000 drums. In the video you will also see performers wearing large flowers on their heads or a straw hat. Those are the traditional Sansa costumes.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwhZgbxvs52D2rQUKo0vfN9Ec2rhyNZkzfocuODXW7qAxhJeI2IsxKq8gzArDup0B2wIhq1AQPgQsJ4lD8Hzw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-42174195368196011612008-08-07T18:53:00.004+09:002008-08-07T19:27:35.984+09:00Catherine-Long time no seeHello all,<br /><br />I'm sorry that I am a terrible blogger. I just tend to forget that this is here which is why it's fortunate that Patrick and Sara are such good bloggers. I could tell you all about the various things I've been doing since my last post but as it's been several months I won't. Instead I will talk about all the recent events. <br />For our job we work at one school for one year. The catch is that we start work at the beginning of second term rather than first term. Recently, meaning the end of July, we all ended our last term at our old schools and prepared to head to our new ones. For me this meant cleaning out my desk, saying goodbye to all the teachers and students at Josei during various events. To say a proper farewell to the students I gave a speech in English and in Japanese telling the students how much I loved working at Josei and how much I would miss them all. I cried two lines into it but I had come prepared with tissues. After my speech a student of mine gave me one in return. He had written in both English and Japanese and though the English was not perfect I was very impressed and moved by what he had to say. I was also given a bouquet of flowers. It was very nice. <br />At the end of the day, after my farewell to the students, I went to a nomikai with all the teachers from Josei. There I gave another speech that was much shorter and ended with the line, "Please drink a lot." I am happy to say that they had no trouble complying. This nomikai was a chance for me to say goodbye and thankyou to the people I had worked with for a year. I really loved being and Josei for a lot of reasons but the staff that sat around drinking and talking with me was a big part of it. I miss them already. <br />The next major event for me was actually a series of events, namely Board of Education seminars spread out over the course of this past week. These seminars included the four new AET's: Rylan, Alicia, Kim, and Dan. These four were all SICE students and had been to Morioka before for four months on a homestay program that included two and half days a week teaching English but I still felt a little like a senpai. We spent time going over teaching methods for both middle school and elementary and talked about living and working in Morioka. We had a contract ceremony to start the year off right, visited our new schools to introduce ourselves, and attended workshops with other teachers about teaching English. <br />Tomorrow is the first official day at school for all the AETs but Rylan. He is in the Tamayama area and will be visiting all five of his schools tomorrow. I am looking forward to starting at my new school, Kuroishino Jr. High, and I hope that it will be another great year. <br />As I think back over the past year at Josei and in Japan I feel like I have learned a lot about Japan and Japanese culture but I also think that I will always be surprised. I know that I have learned a lot about being an English teacher because I had three amazing role models to learn from and I'm glad but I also think that I will still make a lot of mistakes. Teaching may be a process of learning everyday how you can mess up and then never doing that again. <br />Well that's enough. <br /><br />Until the next time I remember or am reminded,<br /><br />CatherinegirlteachinJapanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334009492925051888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-11155399949461488542008-07-27T00:25:00.003+09:002008-07-27T00:26:24.295+09:00Everyone- Earthquake OKSo, a few days ago there was the worst earthquake since we came to Japan. Fortunately, though it was quite strong, and we certainly felt it, no one was hurt, and as far as I (Patrick) know, no property was damaged.<br /><br />More updates soon, but I figured the safety announcement should come first.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-69017306680830639872008-07-09T22:31:00.005+09:002008-07-09T22:41:34.372+09:00Sara-Fourth of July and Wanko sobaSo this past weekend Risa and Jura came to visit us. On their first night, Friday, Catherine, Patrick and I took them to eat wanko soba. Wanko soba is basically a soba eating contest. My record best is 100 bowls, but that night I could only eat 90.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD_dQoeWfkYG6JPHrtKY8GJ-w7Ubby6_jZUj2HbJp-IDVkyLICZKQ-1mJakPDgvisimczxSYK4ugHZchhTDfAjUjDkyCPGuPENB4D09p2kyjLZZKKedUsY2cFH1YqsGPsgpNcY9ddZaA1/s1600-h/n587586433_1045747_3381.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD_dQoeWfkYG6JPHrtKY8GJ-w7Ubby6_jZUj2HbJp-IDVkyLICZKQ-1mJakPDgvisimczxSYK4ugHZchhTDfAjUjDkyCPGuPENB4D09p2kyjLZZKKedUsY2cFH1YqsGPsgpNcY9ddZaA1/s320/n587586433_1045747_3381.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221007178788221442" /></a><br />All together, we probably ate around 400 bowls.<br />Then on Saturday, Catherine organized a Fourth of July picnic dinner for us and our other ALT friends in the neighborhood.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcuxHawDuYEYUktKyX7ABA-tcaA4PWjTBV9H_vf0x4pO9JsEavfMt8bnnQFFFE8amUctbJU8y4mwbK_AAl90BF0WOKByAOu3wGioei3ohXQuAsL7Z1io1fUIRulXvxF30rXqoSir9sd3Q/s1600-h/IMG_1458.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcuxHawDuYEYUktKyX7ABA-tcaA4PWjTBV9H_vf0x4pO9JsEavfMt8bnnQFFFE8amUctbJU8y4mwbK_AAl90BF0WOKByAOu3wGioei3ohXQuAsL7Z1io1fUIRulXvxF30rXqoSir9sd3Q/s320/IMG_1458.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221007918463274850" /></a><br />We had a lot to eat and we had a lot of fun. After the picnic, we then went down to the river and lit up some sparklers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdk4RER5rj3A83HtdJNnxjfq72Vs7gMhZMRxfhSugGBh0IyIP4W73yLWUf-eJBkRR_cWenTy5okHcC7WEZk8tdS3S1k10TktDyRW0e9zq1POpaDkNuQ8lXskVq_tLEYEok8JbLWPRjo2a/s1600-h/IMG_1472.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdk4RER5rj3A83HtdJNnxjfq72Vs7gMhZMRxfhSugGBh0IyIP4W73yLWUf-eJBkRR_cWenTy5okHcC7WEZk8tdS3S1k10TktDyRW0e9zq1POpaDkNuQ8lXskVq_tLEYEok8JbLWPRjo2a/s320/IMG_1472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221008245060351506" /></a><br />Catherine is holding a 'senko' sparkler. You have to keep it very still and it is very pretty. As Martin said, it looks like a sparkling holly.<br />Then to finish off a fun night, we all went to a local Karaoke and sang for three hours or so.Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-79341843366915029362008-07-09T21:51:00.004+09:002008-07-09T22:42:43.077+09:00Sara-MiyakoThis past weekend our Earlham friends, Risa and Jura, came to visit from Tokyo. During their time here, Patrick and I went to Miyako with them. Miyako is a small town on the coast and it's about 2 hours away by bus. We got bus tickets for 5,000 yen that was round trip and it included lunch, a boat tour, and local bus fair to get to the boat tour. Unfortunately I believe that this is just a limited summer deal. The food was great and the boat tour was amazing. It was an overcast day, but we had a lot of fun on the rocky beach and wandering the beautiful town.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwUTP0sVGcdPRyRj9JdzhrAy9jkkl6T90O9rvYCyuaiPC_qVLrq7o868mX-np1DxnJay4Sj2tFOzHQslAfpQw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-54602488711429543742008-07-07T15:36:00.006+09:002008-07-07T15:39:39.236+09:00Patrick- Pictures from the International SymposiumHere are some pictures from the International Symposium described in a previous post.<br /><br />In this first picture, my principal is introducing the school:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkU3VxT6SF-spGszWIT1gmI7so10xBcOguhP6jiSn9TyNBNwP9LZov7uPCYXdamdplQslpDUYvY-PO-G7KaVQp7G2iHXeBYWQl_fdGfSV-O9D4SqqVjC_JNkwLs0nN2RBP6YWSdFxDdS4/s1600-h/P1010998.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkU3VxT6SF-spGszWIT1gmI7so10xBcOguhP6jiSn9TyNBNwP9LZov7uPCYXdamdplQslpDUYvY-PO-G7KaVQp7G2iHXeBYWQl_fdGfSV-O9D4SqqVjC_JNkwLs0nN2RBP6YWSdFxDdS4/s400/P1010998.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220157512900193250" /></a><br /><br />Here, I am explaining a video that describes the day to day activities of the students:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9B3LhGz6IF4cc7jWw8qpzpT3ZQGAX9GVckm-SP6klnsa2FLgPYZHbkEg4o68bAPrvjTf3lDfRM2IKRJJzwMOt-7JcKzFDCwVzKBSxBjMpCdW799ELJVGv3cCw2cjRcf6H6PWGWbUc8z1/s1600-h/P1020002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9B3LhGz6IF4cc7jWw8qpzpT3ZQGAX9GVckm-SP6klnsa2FLgPYZHbkEg4o68bAPrvjTf3lDfRM2IKRJJzwMOt-7JcKzFDCwVzKBSxBjMpCdW799ELJVGv3cCw2cjRcf6H6PWGWbUc8z1/s400/P1020002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220157640074799010" /></a><br /><br />And here I am actually teaching class:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsnDalQrPHHmDEmOsnxrAvpzb3sPcdQXtH5yKkrjJGzmZCSxFLHBZcyo4QaZ1yjU7FodD-VP0r_5CEpeaR-8Ae0x-daesyniQQUTfABOEPWuL3MJi_k852_N_RxXBBxdo9SLUUTJA2oqg/s1600-h/P1020005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsnDalQrPHHmDEmOsnxrAvpzb3sPcdQXtH5yKkrjJGzmZCSxFLHBZcyo4QaZ1yjU7FodD-VP0r_5CEpeaR-8Ae0x-daesyniQQUTfABOEPWuL3MJi_k852_N_RxXBBxdo9SLUUTJA2oqg/s400/P1020005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220157847715253586" /></a><br /><br />And in this picture I am accepting a gift on behalf of the school from the representative from Vietnam:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUH0mV4tcZd57baoW4lMuBRXyVPalQ3j43f8Xk98oS9csS2nGlKaKrg3PUp_J0DnnHMaTBI6aMIlZGDWtMzk7urRZopyTVRbT9kxhBhXZyXREcE_h6yyMziwS6yihPGbxGi-mjwkwAnJK/s1600-h/P1020012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUH0mV4tcZd57baoW4lMuBRXyVPalQ3j43f8Xk98oS9csS2nGlKaKrg3PUp_J0DnnHMaTBI6aMIlZGDWtMzk7urRZopyTVRbT9kxhBhXZyXREcE_h6yyMziwS6yihPGbxGi-mjwkwAnJK/s400/P1020012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220158007789988402" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-84973995033085052812008-07-02T14:39:00.002+09:002008-07-02T14:44:36.322+09:00Patrick- Field Trips at the Junior HighThis week we had several field trips at the school. First, on Monday, the whole school went to a nearby park to draw and paint pictures of the landscape. They were given the entire day (8am-2pm) to do this. All students take art class for all three years of junior high school, and they had a brief trip to the park the week before to help them select what particular scene they wanted to sketch and paint and what perspective they wanted to do so from.<br /><br />Then, today, first year students (and I) went to the river near the park to do basic botany. After identifying and cataloging as many plants as they could, they went to the park to study some more. Meanwhile, I and another teacher hid plastic animals by the river, which they were supposed to find. The catch was they had to stand on the sidewalk and look for what was fake; they couldn't get close to sift through things. They also only got ten minutes for this particular "game." Out of the 11 items, the best students could do was 7.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the second year students visited various companies to see people working and learn about jobs. Both first and second year students only had morning trips; third year students, on the other hand, are off to another prefecture to plant trees as a service project and then study the relationship between the forest and the ocean.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-78650119107083150072008-07-01T20:19:00.004+09:002008-07-01T21:48:51.624+09:00ALT BBQSara- This past weekend, Patrick, Catherine and I went to an ALT BBQ over at Iwaizumi, a town that's about 2 hours away by car/bus. There we met our friends Shannon, who is on Earlham's program, and Martin. Then we met the ALTs who were hosting, Caitlin, and Jeff. We had a great time. Patrick brought chips, Catherine made mac 'n cheese and sangria, and I made coleslaw. There was a lot of food and later we enjoyed lighting small fireworks. That night we spent at Jeff's family house. <br />The next morning, everyone but Jeff, who had work, went to Ryusendo Cave. It was very exciting and fascinating. I made a short video of it. After the cave, we went to another one just down the street. It was the science cave. The cave was real, but inside they painted some fake cave paintings from different parts of the world and there was a part where they had cavemen from Japan with Native American paintings in the background. It was very fun. Then on the way back we went to an ice cream shop that had very unusual flavors. I had Rose and Cherry blossom. It was delicious. Patrick had wasabi and pickled plum (umeboshi). The wasabi tasted like wasabi, just sweet as well-but it still burned in my opinion.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF9s6qIUaFc7YTLMIN19IYMCyuxesbLaFmgyiS-ielq4NM1EU3mJ4UwQqueeoJLC4deMknfFAW2CBliq3hD0HjmNHPumPU8nDwqgUCTtBhMx3GtIP2KA3KBOBq5SjI2v6zZDvdn3s096v/s1600-h/wasabi_icecream.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF9s6qIUaFc7YTLMIN19IYMCyuxesbLaFmgyiS-ielq4NM1EU3mJ4UwQqueeoJLC4deMknfFAW2CBliq3hD0HjmNHPumPU8nDwqgUCTtBhMx3GtIP2KA3KBOBq5SjI2v6zZDvdn3s096v/s320/wasabi_icecream.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218025850848390098" /></a><br /><br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxO9isemJzcopMOZMI1KU95yBDchUcTvHA7EW7OY2Iw2B7oaq8B1qZBWzMFNhMGJr7uzVe1aOUCeW9jbRFAOg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-70542983534119771362008-06-30T08:09:00.003+09:002008-06-30T08:26:05.458+09:00Patrick- International Lesson StudyLast week, a delegation of 26 teachers and principals from 25 countries visited the junior high school where I am teaching. They spent an afternoon at our school, during which we had a presentation, followed by an opportunity for them to visit the students' classes.<br /><br />The countries represented included about 5 teachers from Africa and the Middle East, 10 from Europe, and 10 from Asia. The program is paid for by the Japan Foundation, which is a generously funded government institute that, for example, can host $100/head dinner parties for these 26 and another 75 guests, plus cover the flights, trains, and a weeklong stay in Japan for all participants. Of course, if your country doesn't go to war and maintain a standing army then perhaps you have money for other things.<br /><br />It was interesting for me to get to meet and talk to many of the visitors. Also, when asked "Where are you from?", it was nice that people actually knew where Indiana was. Aside: It gets a little tiring when Japanese teachers ask, "Where are you from?"->"The US"->"Where in the US?" but when they ask that second question they maybe only know one or two cities in the US, such as LA and NY, and can't put them on the right coasts. Unfortunately, US and Japanese students are about the same when it comes to total ignorance of maps.<br /><br />For me, perhaps the most interesting part is hearing what people expected to see when they visit a Japanese school for the first time. Since I've been working here, and I studied the Japanese educational system, I have forgotten some of the things that people expect, for example an absence of chalkboards (and in turn LCD screens/smartboards/something fancy in their place). In fact, nearly every school in Japan still uses chalkboards, and not just for classwork but to collect the attendance for the day and other mundane things.<br /><br />In fact, Japan uses very little "high tech" equipment in the schools, and that includes not just computers but TVs.<br /><br />Aside from that, probably the other biggest surprises for people were the inability to fail and suspend/expel students. "Without those punishments, how would we maintain order in our classes?" one teacher asked.<br /><br />One does wonder sometimes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-68813986367725699952008-06-16T22:16:00.005+09:002008-06-16T22:28:35.955+09:00Sara-Baseball finals and horse festival movieToday I had a surprise at work. Instead of classes the whole school went out to the big ballpark because our team went into the finals. (We lost, Catherine's school won. 0-1) So when I got back to work, I didn't have a lot to do to fill the time. After 3, I finished studying Japanese and by 3:30 I was getting bored of reading so I made this little slide show/video of the horse festival I went to on Saturday. Hopefully it gives a better idea of the main street. Unfortunately I was stuck to one place so it's not much. I replaced the sound of all the bells on the horses with music. If anyone really wanted to hear what they sounded like, just think of 100 cow bells, and hooves.<br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxIrgCI-0PdqHkFBDGtgvG253wF8o66GZmENcaNZiiOB9K4trlR92g2o2u1lfAQaELy2fMkgJvFxQu-WI_lJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-23052304031887531932008-06-16T07:11:00.003+09:002008-06-16T07:12:41.899+09:00EarthquakeYesterday morning there was a relatively powerful earthquake in our prefecture. Some roads collapsed. But, the four of us are fine-- we all had dinner together last night-- and are all safe.<br /><br />Although we certainly felt it here in Morioka, we were far from ground zero.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-88815683183181331382008-06-15T21:40:00.003+09:002008-06-15T21:59:13.750+09:00Sara-Chagu Chagu Umakko<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P9qS5rGFBY1a5I-q0DjPKBbQZKFqouAewlvV5ymRPCqXg7PmJVI1MKWy0TFvib2BaTRFk-SN1LqoWPeWtvSjryrvl_48Bo2yrYBJq07Rlai52gSrcYJkyi3rjD-7YJQu954V2piHLhcU/s1600-h/IMG_1342.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P9qS5rGFBY1a5I-q0DjPKBbQZKFqouAewlvV5ymRPCqXg7PmJVI1MKWy0TFvib2BaTRFk-SN1LqoWPeWtvSjryrvl_48Bo2yrYBJq07Rlai52gSrcYJkyi3rjD-7YJQu954V2piHLhcU/s320/IMG_1342.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212090392344545538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPpNwYJroADecsBvDWcuU7_rS1qnzlm1NiQ-px7YuPGKqA3N0oVUVf12YLJsz8rfzC65K729OHPmP_rskyMmsU0psVBA4jLT-DvRxxKIZhs20l2OlrFqk1hXavEPlUlDEhcksnXxtkYja/s1600-h/IMG_1357.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPpNwYJroADecsBvDWcuU7_rS1qnzlm1NiQ-px7YuPGKqA3N0oVUVf12YLJsz8rfzC65K729OHPmP_rskyMmsU0psVBA4jLT-DvRxxKIZhs20l2OlrFqk1hXavEPlUlDEhcksnXxtkYja/s320/IMG_1357.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212090404227248994" /></a>Yesterday Patrick and I went to the Chagu-chagu Umakko festival. The festival celebrates the horses of Iwate/Morioka. 100 horses came and walked down the main street to a temple. The horses were elaborately decorated and children were riding them. Before the horses there were a few bands and other parade festivities, including a super hero. The horses rested at a river and there you could see them up close. However it was raining and there were thousands of people so Patrick and I left before seeing them close. The horses were really beautiful and it's definitely a must see for horse lovers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnLJoRurvi8ZDBnt3LR8ElLT-LpRCFdHRi19lbzB1PTHx9etUtxSo5IEFp0gaYGa3jRVfOgfq4r_6BGirR1cnGADYfKpt1uYlbsr-KWl48_saw3NxRXiRuwYsTA7LZzQ33DE4VHHOR-q3/s1600-h/IMG_1359.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnLJoRurvi8ZDBnt3LR8ElLT-LpRCFdHRi19lbzB1PTHx9etUtxSo5IEFp0gaYGa3jRVfOgfq4r_6BGirR1cnGADYfKpt1uYlbsr-KWl48_saw3NxRXiRuwYsTA7LZzQ33DE4VHHOR-q3/s320/IMG_1359.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212090416888441458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdU_jfL_p5JtnMgdEftxR79ntX6JL-YBKsfpy70mlN3ncGA7_BRSxCSypDYTVTPYa4TOrodu6eh6PHLAc8AdQMiWkQqED8LGV4z-eH3rB7JJzVnombnt_XRa5QKwkk5BMQwQuU6nvVSRk/s1600-h/IMG_1369.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdU_jfL_p5JtnMgdEftxR79ntX6JL-YBKsfpy70mlN3ncGA7_BRSxCSypDYTVTPYa4TOrodu6eh6PHLAc8AdQMiWkQqED8LGV4z-eH3rB7JJzVnombnt_XRa5QKwkk5BMQwQuU6nvVSRk/s320/IMG_1369.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212090427292814370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJPxJekVH7Hx52i8ZTpaYK4BTQWVxLCD-qP32wkkbbkO75NQSedOpXfE_bDwQyZbsFxXqSXgWebcw6vBqPmuj67qd5ZaWRJkw_utXCp0IReNa3JWRZw3fyuJDVsLke0g2ZlGv7BvUgn2Z/s1600-h/IMG_1376.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJPxJekVH7Hx52i8ZTpaYK4BTQWVxLCD-qP32wkkbbkO75NQSedOpXfE_bDwQyZbsFxXqSXgWebcw6vBqPmuj67qd5ZaWRJkw_utXCp0IReNa3JWRZw3fyuJDVsLke0g2ZlGv7BvUgn2Z/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212090439403975282" /></a>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-16848897816608852232008-06-12T11:10:00.003+09:002008-06-12T11:18:56.469+09:00Individually wrapped everything, PS3Despite many good efforts to reduce waste, it seems like everything I buy comes individually wrapped. Usually there are packages within packages within packages. For example, when I bought yogurt the other day, it came in a three pack. So, the three little yogurt containers were supported by a cardboard base, which was then again wrapped in plastic. When I purchased the yogurt, it was put into a bag, and the ice cream I purchased along with the yogurt was put into a separate, smaller bag, which was then inserted into the yogurt bag, which was then taped.<br /><br />I didn't really need a bag at all. But if you don't say it quick enough, you can be triple bagged before you know it.<br /><br />Also US economic intuition doesn't work here. For example, it's cheaper to buy five individually wrapped ice cream cones than a box of five ice cream cones-- of the same brand, in the same store. It's cheaper to buy several regular chocolate bars than a single large one. (Why all my examples are desserts I don't know...)<br /><br />Second, it's cheaper to buy things out of vending machines than convenience stores. This one gets me every time. I'll go into the convenience store, buy a bottled drink for $1.50, and then walk right outside the convenience store and in the vending machine right outside the same drink is selling for only $1, and it's colder.<br /><br />But it's not just the little stuff. I bought a PlayStation 3 the other day, because I wanted to play Metal Gear 4. Well, for Metal Gear 4, there is a special bundle that includes the PS3, the game, and a special controller. There is also a special edition bundle that's very expensive, but the regular bundle is intended for the mass market and is supposed to be a value (it's not a limited run). However, it was still cheaper for me to buy the game, the system, and the controller separately.<br /><br />Buying individual parts instead of packages is hard to get used to, and my fear is that as soon as I become accustomed to it, I'll go back to the US and get confused all over again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981829408730462356.post-23989213603389686192008-06-03T16:34:00.006+09:002008-06-03T17:03:34.067+09:00Sara-Nihon Buyo (Japanese Dance)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN33KYWJV548PD43DBZQtlTh29x7fglNrpP4gBp49GB6Mwpz5nUT7OtTZiwQShah8H1cXfo1pYpJpnqMzS6tfSszxVas2lYrJIVT97iDWn4Z82W9-e88uDyuNelf-HDBPBdcOyafU9pwp1/s1600-h/dance1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN33KYWJV548PD43DBZQtlTh29x7fglNrpP4gBp49GB6Mwpz5nUT7OtTZiwQShah8H1cXfo1pYpJpnqMzS6tfSszxVas2lYrJIVT97iDWn4Z82W9-e88uDyuNelf-HDBPBdcOyafU9pwp1/s320/dance1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207557325199636786" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbOaAT5BgFfIfmObheMWZDOZ5yKvv8jqQTpUVTGzvTQMZggJug_6rosjU5XrI5QSYlZOUz3jpHaw1a2KwlxzbGo7LWD4XLBJE45vbNOEPgrKMmkuJVepkdXAXRFCyFF8Y2QVzoWg_dhYK/s1600-h/dance2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbOaAT5BgFfIfmObheMWZDOZ5yKvv8jqQTpUVTGzvTQMZggJug_6rosjU5XrI5QSYlZOUz3jpHaw1a2KwlxzbGo7LWD4XLBJE45vbNOEPgrKMmkuJVepkdXAXRFCyFF8Y2QVzoWg_dhYK/s320/dance2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207557330298130482" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr7Z-JvPII_MbZzAANKqEZN5G2jF0Y_uDjEXPr9WOG9YgKbefc3WYUQXkWeqfPMzhNI-tgLkZ9jWlwOiOD37vnRRpN0SMkZBoSLeA1oguo6XzyrphL_B8WjpvMWgwwycRDXfgjPat25mt/s1600-h/dance3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr7Z-JvPII_MbZzAANKqEZN5G2jF0Y_uDjEXPr9WOG9YgKbefc3WYUQXkWeqfPMzhNI-tgLkZ9jWlwOiOD37vnRRpN0SMkZBoSLeA1oguo6XzyrphL_B8WjpvMWgwwycRDXfgjPat25mt/s320/dance3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207557342023222930" border="0"></a><br /><br />On June 1st I went to a Japanese Dance rehearsal/performance. My teachers are of the Wakayagiryu School/branch of Japanese dance. The students of my two Japanese Dance teachers performed at the Morioka community theatre. The event was from 10am to 7:30pm. I stayed for most of it and had a nice time. The costumes and sets were very beautiful and the dancers were amazing, especially since 30 students were between the ages of 50 and 80. There were 2 high school girls, and 4 girls between the ages of 3 and 7. I have two movies to show. The first is a sampling of the variety of dances and the second one is a longer version of three of the 4 little girls (the 3 year old is not with them.) It is also the dance that I am practicing at the moment.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzY7hTM9xXe3V-qIArgnz1vnHCNJ_xbsjch0QDwivHvBo8VixAB6j-JTPWDPVzasAXpkaRMtYXPXvEq6rxOvA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dykC8B15o8X6dnQU_xAkg1DC5r9g-puAAJcRemRrf13whFo_xCDXwCInBm4qZDx7hYp3l6S8l-aqr2vDL6k8g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sara Matsui-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17254578098735376885noreply@blogger.com1