jet-7

whoa

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:56:00 +0000

It's been awhile!

This month is going to be busy. Mindy just finished her visit, and next week Annie and Rachael are coming. Immediately following that, my mom and brother are coming. It'll be mid January before I'm alone again! I hope the adjustment won't be difficult from having a house filled with friends to the length and coldness of January and February.

Things in general are going well. Right now I'm in a season of difficult decisions - so that's challenging, but I'm feeling confident that whatever the shape of next year turns to be it will be a blessing. Unfortunately with JET and their early contract renewal, I basically have to decide what I'm doing next year by February. Yikes.

Beyond that, the weather is cold and getting colder but life is good.

Tokyo Marathon 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:38:00 +0000

This year more than 250,000 people wanted to run Tokyo Marathon. Unfortunately only 7% of those potential applicants will actually get to run. It looks like I'm going to be one of them! I got my confirmation e-mail last week, so now all I have to do is pay.

Well, I guess that's not all I have to do. I do actually have to run the 42 kilometers (26 miles) in March.

It's going to be so awesome. I'm totally pumped.

Unfortunately I'm currently slightly injured. Thanks to the Karasugawa Road Race my foot has been hurting for the past week. It's totally lame because I've run 15k plenty of times. I don't know what it was.. maybe just the extremeness of the downhill portion? Or maybe the bizarre wear pattern on my shoes. I think going down Mt. Fuji in them might not have been the best plan. I think I'm going to have to grab some new shoes at some point in the near future.

The other great part is that a bunch of other JETs also got accepted. We're already talking about training plans and awesomeness. It's going to be so much fun!

no pride, no shame

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:13:00 +0000

This Monday was 'Culture Day' (文化の日) which meant for Kurabuchi it was time for the annual Karasugawa Road Race. There is a nice onsen/hotel place up past my house where the valley Kurabuchi lies in narrows. The starting point was there, and the full course was a 15k. I can hear you now: "15k, that's nothing!". I'd tend to agree with you. 15k isn't too long of a race. This 15k is special though. There is a 500m change in elevation over 7.5k.

The way it works out is the first 7.5k are a breeze - they're all downhill. The way back up, however, is quite challenging.

But it's the most beautiful and inspiring course. The trees are all in their full autumnal colors, and the number of deciduous trees in that area is quite a bit higher. There are beautiful views at every step - from bridges down to mountain streams, up to the loveliness that is the Kurabuchi valley viewed from an elevation.

It was made all the more special by the fact that it was a community event, which mean EVERYONE was there. Most of my students, plus soooo many members of the community. I think half the day was spent greeting and talking to people. During the beginning of the race one of the participants, as they were passing me, said "ああ！先生が人気者ですね？" (Ah, teacher - you're quite a popular guy aren't you?) because people kept calling out. It was really encouraging.

I was running with my friend Eka, with who I am quite impressed. We've been running once a week (or two) for a couple of months, but beyond that he'd done little to no training. We ran together the whole race, and the goal was simply to not be last. We totally did it by coming in ahead of 2 people. I had warned him about the difficulty of the course, and it was about 3k from the end when he admitted "this is much more difficult than I thought". I laughed because I had been using descriptive terms like "deadly", "horrible" and "I ran up this hill with Mindy and almost killed her with it".

750m or so before the finish line a large group of my students was waiting. They cheered and clapped. There was a high-five line and they ran with Eka and me. Eka was not as inspired as I was, so I directed them to clap and cheer for him. We doubled our pace as I pushed him up the hill for an awesome photo finish. It was spectacular.

It was a really fun day, and topped off with a great dinner with my neighbors at my house.

The concept of 'debut' seems to play an important role in the anime and manga (at least in the ones without giant robots). I hope that Monday was my burst onto the scene of Kurabuchi. This past year I've played a somewhat passive role - especially in my relationships with my (Junior High) students . I've really been making an effort since we've come back from Summer vacation, and I feel like it's starting to pay off.

The next day one of the teachers commented on the students waiting for me - "They love you!". I said that I didn't think that was true yet, but I hope by the time I leave it is.

a good day

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:46:00 +0000

today was a very good day.

autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

The leaves are changing now in Kurabuchi. The air has gotten colder, and everyone is enjoying the last weeks we have before the long cold sets in. Yesterday I commemorated the start of the season by buying a new kotatsu blanket. I'm sure I've written before about the wonders of the table heater, and those who visited in colder months have no doubt experienced its joy. My last kotatsu rig was quite janky. The blankets were most likely not in fact kotatsu blankets, but just blankets for I had to use two of them to properly keep the heat in. Even then it was not the joyful experience that snuggling up under a kotatsu ought be.

The new set is quite nice, and I spent a long afternoon beneath them yesterday. I didn't think it might ever be, but I might actually be a little bit looking forward to winter. Actually, no. I wish it would stay right like it is forever. The daytime weather warms up to about 21 or 22, and at night it gets down around 10. It's a nice range that gives you the opportunity to wear whatever you want in the day time and have the joy of snuggling up cozy in bed.

In any case, the heater has been warmed up and the dust blown out. My winter clothes are ready to go. So bring it on!

(With talk like this invariably the next few weeks will be record temperatures)

looking to write

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:40:00 +0000

I want to post, but the activities in my life really aren't that interesting right now. Lots of work, but not much to write about. I've been organizing events, preparing for a presentation tomorrow, and started practicing taiko for Haruna Festival taking place later this month. Beyond that things are much the same as they've been. I'm still running, still working, still doing kendo, still studying Japanese, still going to Bible study.

Actually, that's a good topic to talk about; faith. Over the course of the past year things have changed a lot in that department.
I'd always considered myself Christian. I mean, after all I went to Christian school my whole life, right? But, I think I took it for granted. "Hard to notice the forest for the trees" seems applicable here. While I was surrounded by Christians, and even in many cases studying the Bible (although in high school that quickly became non-existent) I wasn't going to Church and was floating through. I didn't have faith, but the ghost of a child's faith.

It's hard to recall clearly so far back, but as I child I remember how actively the church played a role in my life. I remember worshiping Jesus on my own in my room, writing my parents notes telling them how God loves them, and even telling my (few, non-Christian) friends about Him. Unabashed, unashamed and living in a real way for God. (“Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" - Mk 10:14) What changed?

Thinking back though, I don't think it's what changed, but rather, what didn't. Surrounded constantly by the faithful, there were few challenges of faith. Without challenge and without reflection can we grow in anything? School, as much as it teaches you facts, teaches you even more how to think. Math, Science and English have their unique approaches, but at the end of the day it's about taking in the problem, analyzing it, proposing an answer and testing it against reality. Whether it's poetry or compound interest the general approach is roughly the same. You can't analyze a poem if you haven't read it, neither can you calculate the amount of money you'll have in 10 years at a given rate if you haven't analyzed the problem enough to know that's what it's asking.

My biggest failing, and probably that of many, was not being an active participant in my faith; not applying the same thinking learned elsewhere to it - not being critical, posing questions and answers and comparing my thinking with that of others. Sure, we memorized and read... but the questions we were asked in Bible study were easier than ones we were asked in history class. Complacency won and nothing evolved. I suspect that if I'd been thirstier for Him - participated in youth group or, for that matter, gone to church more often I might have been introduced to heavier doctrines and more interesting paradigms. As it was though, my child's faith stayed a child's faith and Friday followed Thursday.

One success in my Christian education was drilling into me thankfulness. ("Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" - James 1:17) While I wasn't good at pursuing God, coming to know his character or growing in my relationship with him I was recognizant of the fact that his hand of blessing was in my life. A friend asked me earlier this year "What do you talk to God about?" - and this was my answer. I think she thought I was full of crap (which I was, at least more so then than now). More interestingly though was how I had interpreted her question. What she meant was 'What things did I challenge God with? How was I coming to know Him? In what ways was I probing His character?". I don't remember how I answered, but at the time the most truthful answer would have been that I wasn't really doing those things at all.

Another side-effect of my stagnant faith, was I wasn't confident as a Christian. I was, frankly, at times a bit ashamed. A childlike understanding of Christianity, while pure and easy for a child is dangerous for an adult. I think there are really two possibilities: zealotry or shame. The zealot is stubborn in his faith, and unshakeable in his tenets. Not because what he believes is unshakeable or without reproach, but because he won't listen or accept anything that changes his world. The other option isn't much prettier. Not wanting to give up on something that was so personally meaningful in the past, but fully aware of faults in reasoning and and lack of understanding the shameful hide the fading bits away from the world. Only through examination and continued pursuit can either of these be avoided.

It was with some trepidation that I joined the Bible study this year. I wanted to know more, but I was scared of the Christians. Ashamed because I knew my own heart so little, how could I ever know God's? I'd long suspected there was more to my beliefs (how could we have nearly 2000 years of art, music, buildings and wars dedicated to my small understanding of it? It didn't make sense), but I had no idea. Starting to peel away the text, finally applying the tools of understanding to what had been a somewhat esoteric set of documents revealed a world I'd never seen before. Ideas so big that they must stir the hearts of men. I had no idea.

The importance of change, the grasping to be better than we are have been important themes in my life of late. It seems obvious to say, but without movement and growth we go nowhere. If we never challenge ourselves to get better, we'll never be better. I'm glad my faith is changing and growing. I feel no shame any more in my beliefs, because they've been analyzed, considered. No. They're being analyzed and considered. I've yet a long way to go. It hasn't always been easy - in fact some has been quite hard, and will continue to be. But with each changing day, with prayer and passage meditated on I'm moving around the Immobile and finding pieces of the Unknowable.

korea and what-not

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:15:00 +0000

Korea was a smashing success. I was really blessed that everything on the timeline went like clockwork, and even things that didn't appear to be in the end fit in perfectly. Ethan and I stayed principally in Seoul, leaving only to visit the DMZ and JSA (Joint Security Area).

That part of the trip was interesting. Finding a place that accepted reservations via the Internet was a challenge, so I ended up having to call. The tour company I called sadly didn't have the tour I wanted to take (the one with the JSA included) listed as departing that day, so I was sad.. but figured something would be better than nothing. I called and hoped for English, but the lady there that didn't speak English. Only Japanese. I was scared, but tried my best. It seemed to work though. I got all the tour information; leaving 11a from the 6th floor of the Lotte Hotel. No problem. The lady didn't know what to think of me though. Not because my Japanese was particularly good, but just had no idea what nationality to guess I was.

The morning of the day I left, I called to confirm and was thrilled to find English help... except she told me the tour time and meeting were wrong. We were meeting at 8am on the 1st floor. I crossed all my stuff out, and re-wrote it. 8 hours later they called back and reconfirmed the original time and place.

So finally, the next day we're headed over to pick the tour up and they call me again, in Japanese re-re-reconfirming. It was pretty funny. I mean, organizing a tour in 2 languages with at least 2 different people. It all worked out in the end. Our tour was in English and quite interesting. I'm glad we got to go.

Beyond that there was lots of eating and walking around, and when neither of those appealed we stopped in one of two places. A jimjilbang or DVD bang.

The first (jimjilbang) is similar to an onsen, but totally different. The main focus is a sauna, but more than just a sauna. Many saunas, of varying types and with different qualities. The first place we went to had one whose interior was completely covered in amethyst. It was like being inside of a very hot, and very large geode. It was really pretty. The other room was germanium themed, possibly scented. It was hot.

The other main difference is that boys and girls can mingle. Everyone is given clothes to wear (and sweat in) so the sauna part, and rest areas are coed.

The other place we went to had cold rooms, and tons of other crazy stuff. It was quite a bit bigger and even had tons of places to sleep. Many have suggested using them as cheap overnight places to stay, and it certainly would be. The second one we went to was only $6! Not bad at all. (Although the hostel we stayed at was only $10/night)

The jimjilbang we went to also had sex-segregated baths that were more or less the same as upscale onsen or ofuro. Different baths with different qualities and lots of naked dudes. It was wonderful and perfect for tired feet.

The DVD-bang were also awesome. It's like a combination video rental and karaoke box. By that I mean you pick your movie, and you get a private room to watch it in. In the room is a big comfy place to lay down, blankets, a projector and nice stereo system. It rules. It's like having nice things without having to pay for them! Plus it was cheap. For the length of the movie it was between $12 and $15. I totally wish they had these here in Japan, especially considering how expensive the theatre is.

I was really surprised to see so many American franchises set up. They really had almost everything. In that sense it was like the promised land! A Krispy Kreme on every corner, Burger Kings abounding and even Quiznos and Sbarro. I'm sure people in North America now think that sounds horrible. In a way I'm inclined to agree. American companies marring the culture of a place, and all that. Yet I can't help but be enthusiastic about familiar products being readily available. Neither can I help but feel a bit of nostalgia when a slice of pizza from Sbarro tastes just like at home. (although there were Korean variations. At one point we ordered pizza at Pizza Hut with potato wedges as one of the main toppings) Of course we were in Seoul only, so no doubt outside is quite a bit different.

All in all it was a great trip. Got to see a lot of cool stuff, and experience first-hand a culture very different from the one I'm living in. I have to say it was quite different, and in ways I didn't expect it to be. I really haven't had much Korean influence in my life, so I went in rather ignorant. But, maybe that's the best way. I really would like to spend some serious time there. The surface view of 5 days in country barely scratched the surface, but it didn't seem like it would be hard to love.

At least once while I'm here I'd like to take my car over on the ferry from Fukuoka. Wouldn't that be an awesome roadtrip? Especially considering they drive on the right side of the road in Korea!! Yeah!

... actually it'll probably be scary. But, still an adventure.

re-establishing

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:24:00 +0000

It's been a busy time pegged with long periods of soul-sucking boredom.

School has now started again, which is nice. Summer vacation was also nice. My school is quite nice to their ALT in turning a blind eye to my irregular summer schedule. Suffice to say, while sometimes boring, it was by no means tortuous. I got a lot of piano playing in, and learned how to shoot a free throw.

The new people have all arrived, and are quickly establishing themselves as real people. Cell-phones have been acquired, car leases signed and internet installed. It's quite exciting to see! I'm also excited to see their interest in Japanese language. I think we're all excited at first about it, but soon realize how easy it is to be passive and not learn anything. Especially with a program like JET where there is such a strong built-in support system. In many ways we're lucky in that regard, but it can definitely be a crutch when coming to integration and language.

For almost 2 weeks in August we had unseasonably cool and rainy weather. This is not at all a complaint. Last years summer was record breaking, and quite miserable. While this summer certainly had hot days, it was much preferable to that of last. Unfortunately the heat has returned in the past couple of days, and with it's evil friend humidity, in spades. Thankfully it's now September, so we can expect the temperature to start dropping relatively soon.

Of course we're also entering typhoon season, so while the temperature may drop that won't much increase outdoor activities. Sometimes you just can't win.

I'm going to Korea in a few weeks, which I'm really excited about. I haven't left Japan since I got here last year, so it'll be a nice break. I remember fondly leaving Benin for the first time with Ly to go to Ghana. It was really refreshing, and provided exactly the motivation and encouragement that I needed at the time to keep going. I'm hoping for something similar from this short trip.

Regardless of the outcome, the preparations have been fun. I learned how to read Hangul and am now trying to build up my reading speed. Perhaps I won't always understand what I read, but to at least be able to try and say things on menus and try and figure things out will be fun. It really wasn't much of an investment in time. Hangul was designed to be easy to learn, and within just a few hours of starting I was getting 100% on reading quizzes. The nice thing about it is that it's phonetic; composed of blocks in turn composed of characters that represent a single sound. For example:서울 (Seoul) is composed of two blocks. The first contains the characters: ㅅ(s)ㅓ(eo). The second contains the characters: ㅜ(u) ㄹ(l). Easy right? (the little circle in the second character on the top in that position is not pronounced - in case you were wondering) I'm not sure if reading Japanese had anything to do with the speed or not. I certainly used links from written Japanese to help remember pronunciations (although the two writing systems aren't related at all). Try and learn to read Hangul and tell me how long it takes you!

I'm still trying to gather examples of common foreign words so I can get a grasp on the 'rules' they use for putting it into their phonetic system. It's been somewhat difficult so far. I guess we'll see when I get there! Still, it's a fun break from Japanese.

On the Japanese front, lessons are still going well. I'm actually moving to 3 lessons a week starting this week. I found a great teacher whose teaching style matches my learning style really well. Lots of ridiculous humor, saying weird things and just plain old conversation. I'm really happy, and have high hopes for my Japanese study this year. Recently I've been a lot more confident, and am starting to feel like I'm becoming a real person again. For example, I went to the travel agent the other day to see about booking for Korea, and didn't have any trouble communicating what I wanted or understanding what was being presented. It's small successes like these that remind me that my Japanese actually has improved over the course of the year, when most days it feels like it hasn't at all.

all alone again

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:34:00 +0000

The season is finally over. That is to say, everyone has finally left me.

Having Tim and Brandi here was a fun time. We covered quite a bit of ground. Actually, no... we covered about a months worth of ground in the two weeks they were here. We were busy the entire time. For me it was awesome, because I like running around like crazy. Which is actually a bit strange. I never considered my traveling style particularly frenetic, but when I look at how much ground we covered I have to wonder. Am I one of those crazy tourists who doesn't actually enjoy any of the sites and just goes for the picture? If I was, wouldn't I have a lot more pictures? In any case, I had a good time. And I guess that's what it's really about. I think it's really that when I'm on a time limited schedule I want to do a lot. Living in a country makes it easy to take things in slowly, but touristing puts you into a constrained block that my schedule-dependent tendencies desire to fill.

In any case, we did a nice loop around central/south Japan; all by car. I think that many ALTs in Japan miss a huge opportunity not traveling by car. It's true that the expressways are incredibly expensive, but even when you add that to the price of gas you're still saving quite a bit of money if you've got even just 3 people. It's true, you're not saving time when compared to the Shinkansen, but you do have the option of pulling off and playing frisbee in the park. It's a nice way to travel with friends.

There are too many stories to tell, but I'll do my best.

***
We climbed Mt. Fuji the 5th day after they got here. Ethan came up from Okayama and we were in high-spirits as we pulled up to the mountain around 10:30pm. While it is the more difficult course to climb all night, we were confident we could do it with no problems. I think we might have been able to... if it hadn't been raining. It started off fairly nice, but quickly moved into a fairly miserable drizzle. The one advantage to this arrangement was that the long string of mountain-hut lights stretching up the mountain was largely hidden from us. Looking up the mountain at the rare times the clouds cleared was depressing, and coming back down the next day revealed exactly how high and depressing looking the mountain was. Starting at night is the way to go, you don't realize how totally screwed you are.

Fuji was difficult, much more difficult than I thought it would be. Prior to going we often used the misnomer 'hiking' to describe the ascent. Mt. Fuji is not a hike. It's a climb, and it's long. Still, seeing the sunrise at whatever elevation (we didn't hit the summit before sunrise, sadly) was amazing. Really quite beautiful, and definitely made the grueling climb worth it.

***
Nara is famous for two things: deer and a giant Buddha. The giant Buddha was really big. The deer wander free through the park, growing fat on the deer-crackers people feed them. The deer were far more entertaining. Actually, no: the people who came to see the deer were entertaining. Everyone went through the same set of reactions. First there was excitement: "Oh!! Deer! And they're not afraid of people! Let's feed them!". They'd then invest 150 yen in some deer crackers, and head in the direction of the deer. The deer would take notice, and start heading excitedly towards the deer-cracker toting individual. Crackers would be fed to the deer, but then chaos would break out. Deer would bite hands, butts or grab clothing trying to get at the delicious deer crackers. Panic would ensue, and the deer-feeder would try and restore order by yelling at the deer. "Hey! Those aren't for you!" The deer would continue their bad behavior, until the feeder would in fear or frustration toss the crackers away and run for their lives. This flow cut across age, class and nationality.

It was hilarious.

After Tim and Brandi experienced this first-hand, we sat back and watched for awhile as other dupes fell into the same trap. Those deer have a sweet deal and rewarded bad behavior. They're so spoiled it's awesome.

***

Saying good-bye's while enjoying time with Tim and Brandi was difficult, but at the same time, perhaps, easier. Distracting at the very least. Now that they're gone, I have a few days to stew. Actually, just 2. The day after tomorrow is the first day of Gunma orientation for all the new ALTs. That means I get to meet some new friends. Let's hope they're at least half as cool as the ones I made this year.

運転免許証

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:22:00 +0000

You needn't do much more than search for 'japan drivers license' to see what a pain it can be to get your license here. I may as well throw my 2 cents in the pot.

Living in Japan is easy for the first year. Using your IDP and home country license is a breeze, you don't have to do anything. Unfortunately, after a year the grace of Japan wears out and you're forced to get a real Japanese license. For some this is easy. Countries like Japan that issue licenses through a single, national entity means that those two entities can communicate and agree that they hold potential drivers to the same standard. That means you can just show up, pay some cash and get going. Unfortunately for other countries, like the US, who issue licenses through 50 different bureaus or who don't hold their drivers to the same standard... it means a road test.

The entire experience can be frustrating. The first time I went, I was turned away because my paperwork wasn't in order... (although it actually was). Worst of all though is the amount of time it takes. You have to arrive between 1:00 and 1:30 and you don't get done until at least 6pm. The amount of time it takes has nothing to do with your performance, it just sucks for everyone. Everyone takes their driving test in small groups, and the results for the day are announced all at once.

The actual road test is interesting. It's a closed course, and everyone takes the exact same route and faces the exact same obstacles (save perhaps the stoplight changing). As such, the test isn't even so much about driving skill but as test of doing these certain maneuvers, in this certain order at this specific time. It's notoriously difficult, fewer than 30% of people pass it on their first time. I've met at least 2 people that have taken it more than 5 times each (so far...). Even the 30% number that I dug up on the internet seems high though. The two times that I took the test only 2 people passed each time, out of perhaps 30 drivers. Some days no one passes.

I was really blessed to have passed on my second try. But, it was a good lesson in patience. So much time is spent just sitting and waiting. The second time I took the test I came to the driving center with a book I hadn't read, and left with a book that I had. It was also a bit nostalgic. I was absolutely tickled when I saw my number written on the passing board. The only other person to pass that day screamed, and started crying tears of joy. I could relate to how she was feeling.

Perhaps even worse though is that even if you pass your test, you have to come back again to actually pick up your license... and it takes almost as long. So very much waiting.

But, it's over now and I'm now officially part of the cool kids' club.

updates

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:05:00 +0000

http://jet-7.net/gallery/
I updated the gallery. Just 30 pictures, don't get too excited.
I have to admit, that compared to Benin I've been totally lame about taking pictures. I'd say I'd try to be better, but it is a little bit annoying to whip the camera out all the time. I think it's because life here isn't really THAT different than in the US, so it's hard to motivate. I have been trying to take more pictures with my cell-phone, since I do have it all the time. But even that is annoying (mostly because the camera doesn't work very well anymore... one too many drops on the ground I suppose). At least it wouldn't be out of place though. Japanese people take pictures with their cell-phones like every 5 seconds.

Beyond that it's still rainy season, which means bouts of incredible heat followed by bouts of incredible rain. Supposedly it's on its way out, so that's nice. Or is it?

I was checking out the Kurabuchi page on Japanese wikipedia. I'd been quoting our population as around 5400 previously, but it looks like we're actually a bit smaller at 4,683. It was also interesting to know that we have an official village bird, tree and flower (Japanese bush-warbler, Japanese Cypress, and the Gold-banded Lily respectively) It was also interesting to compare the wikipedia articles for surrounding areas (Matsuida has a population of 16,715. I knew it was bigger, but didn't realize nearly 4 times bigger!)

In life we're now just waiting for summer to start. Right now just 7 more days of teaching until the it starts. That's exciting! It's really snuck up on me, and it's even harder to believe that I've been here nearly a year now.

In other anniversaries, it's been now a year since I left Benin. Wow...

the sun gets up too early

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:49:00 +0000

Sunrise is currently happening in the neighborhood of 4:30. That's too dang early. Thankfully with the passage of the solstice it means we'll finally be heading in the opposite direction and I can slowly regain my sanity. Actually it's not so bad. The weather is sufficiently cool still that I can close my storm shutters and just let the tiniest sliver of light pierce my room. With that I don't get woken up quite so quickly. I'm afraid it won't last though, and when it really starts heating up I'd like to start sleeping outside. Whoa that no one can weave me a traditional bed overnight for $20 as in Benin. Even so, with the sunrise so early I wouldn't want to sleep outside yet.

I'm still running. My current plan is quite a bit less ambitious than marathon training mode, but it's enough to keep me fit enough that training again won't be difficult. I'm running 3 times a week; 2 hour-longs and a 30 minute on Wednesdays. I hope I can convince one or more of the new people to run with me come closer to fall, as there is a glut of marathons taking advantage of the beauty of turning leaves.

It's hard to believe that last year at this time I was cruising around on my rented motorcycle enjoying my last few days in Parakou. It's even more hard to believe that I've been here that long. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long at all. Crazy, crazy days.

Nothing all too exciting has happened in the past couple of weeks. We had our recontracting conference, where we talked all about... well recontracting. I'd say it was nice to miss a day of school, but it wasn't really. My conference tolerance is pretty low, although for all my complaints this was actually a rather nice one. The speakers in general were quite good, and the subjects relatively pertinent.

Beyond that I've really just been spending quality time with the friends who are leaving oh-too-soon. Hard to believe that some are leaving in a tad more than 4 weeks. Yikes.

sick...

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:13:00 +0000

I have a cold, and I blame the weather! (and elementary school). Nothing serious, and nothing preventing me from going to work... it's just annoying. Especially with the weekend coming up. I guess I don't really know which is better though; feeling crappy at school or feeling crappy at home. I guess I'll go with home.

MOS Burger recently reintroduced their 'hot chili'. I don't think I was around for its introduction, but it's changed my life. I mean, it's just chili... but it's chili in Japan and it's somewhat spicy. (By Japanese standards it's off the chart on the level of spiciness) I've always been a fan of MOS, but the chili cheese burger is way up there. Especially when you order extra chili to dip your fries and two onion rings in. (In their sets you can get a potato set, an onion set or an oni-pote set which combines french fries with 2 onion rings... yeah, that's right. Two.)

I can't seem to find a reference to the fact that I finally sought out Burger King in Japan with Brett. There are 6 branches, all in Tokyo. Burger King did try once already in Japan, but expanded too rapidly in a competitive environment. (For fast-food chains we've got First Kitchen, Lotteria, MOS Burger, McDonalds, Freshness Burger and probably others). They're making a new stab by following the Krispy Kreme strategy for Japan domination: start in Tokyo with one store, generate a lot of buzz and expand slowly. Currently Krispy Kreme Japan has been open for about 2 years, but in that time have only 7 stores. Of the seven currently opened, 2 have opened within the past month. They're all in the Tokyo area, and every branch I've visited has had lines out the door at all times.

Burger King hasn't quite gotten that amount of buzz, but they've been busy the two times I've gone. The experience is what you'd expect, down to the same feel and smell of the bun. I was actually a bit surprised. They also have a list of where each ingredient comes from in the burger, with all of the fresh items (lettuce, tomato, etc.) coming from Japan. I think my favorite feature was that you could buy extra packs of BBQ sauce. This seems like a given for a US chain, but I've never had luck at McDonalds asking, pleading and offering large sums of money for BBQ sauce. The only for sure way I've gotten sauce at McDonalds is by buying nuggets.

In further restaurant news, I finally investigated the mysterious "Lumberjack Cafe" that I pass every week on my way to Japanese lessons. It's always tantalized me with calls of 'tex-mex', and it turns out it really is! It was awesome. A bit on the pricey side, but you get quite large portions of food. They even have double size portions called "Lumber size" if you're really starving. I'm glad I asked before I ordered, as the regular portion of 'tacos' (which was sort of a combination of a taco and a taco salad) was huge. They also have sandwiches! I'm excited to go back at some point.

For all my talk of foreign food, I actually do enjoy Japanese food. After all, I eat it almost every day in school lunch. Not to mention various restaurants, peoples houses and others. All my foreign food consumption excitement I think is still being carried over from Benin. I really don't know why I'm still excited at the prospect of finding familiar cuisine readily available.

not feeling useless

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:05:00 +0000

Every so often you have one of those days where you don't feel useless here. Today I opened up a new bank account, paid for my car insurance (which was more complicated than it sounds) and sent a cash envelope (you can send cash through the mail here! ... in a special envelope). It was pretty exciting. I'm particularly happy about the bank account. As it was before I had one bank account at a bank that, while is nationwide, doesn't have branches anywhere. In addition you can't use their ATM cards at any ATMs but their own, which are impossible to find and open only at specific hours.

There have been a few times where I've been in Tokyo with no money because of this. Since JR has a better deal on a round-trip ticket for short trips, I usually buy it so I've yet to be actually STUCK in Tokyo with no money... but it's still inconvenient when you want to buy things. One solution I found was the iD system. Essentially it turns my phone into a low limit credit card. It's pretty awesome, as it's accepted at vending machines, AEON (chain) malls, convenience stores and lots of other places in Tokyo. At the very least it has helped me conserve cash, if not sustain my stomach for the train ride home. It's cool, but no replacement for real money. It does have a neat little application on the phone that gives you a quick view of your balance, so at least you know how much you've spent.

Another solution is the Suica card. It was originally designed to be used as a rechargeable train pass, but has since grown into a simple rechargeable cash card accepted in many of the same places that iD is (plus on trains and buses). Around the time I got here they also launched a mobile equivalent that uses your phone as the pass. I set it up, but have yet to get it to work. I'm trying a bit more in earnest now... but I forgot my password... and my the answers to my security questions. Although this may not be a big deal. I didn't realize you could charge your account at a convenience store, so my project for the weekend is to try that out.

All that aside, the bank account is the best. I can split my savings and spending and have a card that will actually work outside of Kurabuchi.

it's summer... or is it?

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:58:00 +0000

Just when weather establishes a pattern of soul-destroying heat and humidity, you get a day like today when it's cold all day and rainy. Sadly it looks like the weather is going to continue this cycle of way too hot and way too cold for at least the next week or so. I guess I shouldn't complain too loudly though, as I'd rather have occasional breaks from the heat and humidity before summer finally takes its horrible hold.

Things have been good lately. Lots of stuff to do, between Sanja Matsuri (huge festival in Asakusa), a trip to Disney Sea a Japanese baseball game and hundreds of other small things. It seems like my weekends are never entirely mine though. In that respect I very much miss Benin. There I was busy, but it was the sort of busy that let me sleep as much as I wanted and stay at my house the hours that I wanted to stay at home. Of course along with that came chores that simply don't exist here. Washing my clothes in Benin was a 2 hour affair, having to prepare things entirely from raw ingredients, and frequent market trips.
Even so, weather and business aside I'm having a good time.

Sadly though, we're now entering the season of goodbyes. It won't be but 2 months before most of my ALT friends will leave, or will have left. I guess that means we'll also be getting a ton of new faces, but they'll be annoying and new for at least a few months. Ugh.

marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:43:00 +0000

The Annaka Ansei Toashi (or 'Samurai Marathon') is held annually, and it's a big deal. It's considered by many to be the first marathon to be held in Japan and is run along a section of the Nakasendo (the ancient trade route between Kyoto and Tokyo).

It was awesome. Previously people wore only samurai costumes, but recently it's turned into just a general costume marathon. I would say 85% of the people that ran it, ran in costume. My group was no exception. Inspired by a blingin' gold skull and crossbones belt found at Don Quixote (if you've visited me, you know the store) we were pirates. Pirates with foam swords and the will to attack small cheering children. There were thousands of people running in costume, thousands of spectators. It was glorious.

All of our group completed their goals, which is saying a lot. When we started this process, none of us was in shape to run at all. I couldn't run 15 minutes without wanting to die. But we all made plans, stuck to them and finished! Good feeling! I'm actually pretty impressed with us as a whole.

During the Haruna marathon a couple months ago, at the end of the race I broke away from Mindy in an effort to win. I ultimately did beat her by 1 second. I thought that after 21k of running, I might not have the energy for a repeat performance... neither did I think it was very sportsman like to ditch your partner at the very end. Imagine my surprise when for the last 50 meters she bolted ahead in an effort to beat me! I ended up beating her once more by a single second. Now though, I actually like this last 50 meter power dash. The people cheering at the finish line always think it's hilarious, and it feels good to finish strong.

For the records, I finished the course in 2:30:35. My goal was 2.5 hours, so I was quite pleased with the result. Our average pace was a bit below what we run at in practice, but there were some very tough sections of the course... plus the slow start (thousands of people, one itty-bitty road out of the starting area) and length slowed us down a little. I'm looking forward to the next local marathon and continuing running. I'd like to get my speed up quite a bit, or I'm afraid that my dreams of doing the Tokyo Marathon next year (and Wildflower... someday) might not happen.

busy and hot

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:31:00 +0000

This past weekend was Golden Week, which is the name for a series of holidays that falls all in a row at the beginning of May. Sadly this year, two of the holidays fell over the weekend... which meant Golden Week was short. Sadness. Even so, it was nice to have a bit of extra time over the weekend.

I can't say I was super productive, but I did have a good time. Saturday was largely spent running. I did a practice run of the marathon (coming up on Sunday!). I ended up doing around 19k. Sadly I started a bit late, so it was during the hot part of the day. After that I went to Isobe to try out their onsen. It was nice, and I think my favorite part was the cold pool. I was still rather warm from running, and while the onsen felt nice it was the cool pool that really was refreshing. I finished the day off with a trip to UNI-QLO and the mall for a bit of light shopping.

Sunday was dedicated to cleaning my horrendous house. Sadly not much after I finished cleaning my neighbor kids came over and we all proceeded to destroy my morning work with a foam sword fight and french-fry and wild onion tenpura making. Quite a nice afternoon actually, although my house still hasn't recovered.

Monday was the long awaited micro-brew beer festival in Tokyo. There were beers from all over Japan, and a few imports. More than 120 beers in all, and it was awesome. Good beer is something that's been lacking in my life for far too long. Niftily enough, I found that there is actually a microbrew in Gunma. I sadly don't know where their products can be bought, but at least I know it exists at all.

Before all that though was a stop in Akihabara, where I picked up a copy of GTAIV. I haven't had too much time to play it yet, but it doesn't seem to depart too much from the standards laid out by the previous 3. Which I guess is good. We'll see.

Tuesday I hung out with some Okayama JETs and Masami in Tokyo. Ate some Krispy Kreme and El Torito, and even got to drink a Negra Modelo. Interestingly not a week previously I'd acquired 4 Bohemias. If I get a Hoegaarden on tap in the next few days we'll have had the best beer week EVER.

Since then though I've been too busy. Additionally it's been really hot. Wednesday got up to 28 degrees! (83F) What the crap? We're in spring, not summer. I don't want to suffer yet. Thankfully it's been getting cooler, but at the cost of the sun. We're to get rain this weekend, which I'm not looking forward to at all.

We also had a rather strong earthquake early Thursday morning. Well, three actually. The main event was actually quite long, certainly the longest (and strongest) I've felt so far. It seems like my stay in Japan has been rather earthquakey in general actually. Since I've arrived there have been at least 3 occasions. Even back in California I'd only ever experienced one or two during my whole time there.

This weekend is the famed Samurai Marathon, for which I've been training since February. It feels all at once longer and not as long. In any case, it'll feel good to have set a goal and accomplished it. I'm not really worried at all about being able to run the distance, I just wonder what will happen after. I need a new goal, or I won't be pushed to keep on running... and with my love for McDonalds not running simply isn't an option =P

random select

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:09:00 +0000

Today my JTE surprised me with Krispy Kreme donuts from her daughter (whom I've never met). Donuts are the best surprise ever, and Krispy Kremes... well. A little tear came to my eye just now.

***

Today in class the teacher asked the students "Why do so many countries use windmills?" (a question from our text). A student replied "Because I love you".

(aside - this was him being funny. One of our last lessons last year was about Mother Teresa. A dying man asked "why are you helping me?" to which Mother Teresa replied "because I love you". Of course when he said it today it was completely out of the blue, and we had to ask him what he meant)

Actually, I think that's a pretty good answer to any 'why' question. I'm going to start using that from now on.

***

In the continuing saga of my hair, I visited the last elementary school that hadn't seen me since I'd gotten it cut. The first comment a student made when I came in was "ああ！前より格好いい！" (He looks cooler than before!)

***

We're going to be pirates for the marathon, if anyone was still wondering. We found some awesome foam swords at Toys 'R Us and battled in the mall the other day. It was awesome. Almost as good was playing "Pirate Says" in elementary school and punishing students who didn't obey the words of the pirate with a saber slash to the chest.

exploring confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:22:00 +0000

Astrologically speaking I ought to be among the cockiest of people. Being born in the year of the rooster and under the sign of leo doesn't bode well for modesty or humility. Not that I take any stock in any of it but, the topic has come up in conversations before. This weekend someone told me that I was extremely self confident, but without being cocky. It really sort of stuck in my head. So much so that I found myself acting rather more cocky than usual. [sorry, friends] In any case, 'confident without being cocky', I consider to be quite a high compliment. As such it's been somewhat of a point of reflection as of late.

In honesty, I'm not sure I actually reflect the compliment given. It seems to me that a self-confident person would actually, you know, feel confident. Much of the time I feel just the opposite. Surely, in my domains of expertise (or perceived expertise) I have my feet and can talk at length and make decisions without second thoughts. Outside though, in the realm of the social or unfamiliar I'm constantly second guessing myself. Even more so though in life decisions; love, career, future. It's only been amplified by living in an environment where one is constantly analyzing decisions, options and the reactions of others to them.

Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities and judgement, says the Apple dictionary. I think that's the perfect definition actually. So much ascribed to self-confidence is pride in disguise. Defining it as a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities and judgement doesn't presuppose great abilities, desirable qualities or sound judgement. Merely one's feeling of trust in those. I think it's more about knowing who you are and what you're capable of.

The thought that self-confidence and knowing oneself intrigues me the most. I'd always considered self-confidence and cockiness to be merely a step away from each other. It seems now though that self-confidence and cockiness are reached in two very different ways. Self-confidence from reflection, and cockiness from plain ignorance.

The other large disparity between the dictionary definition and my earlier thoughts is that the dictionary definition doesn't mention anything about knowing what direction you're heading or even knowing what you want. It's sort of comforting actually.

I'm still not sure if I'm worth of the compliment given, but I'd like to be. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

butter shortage

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:54:00 +0000

For sometime my confidence in my grocery store has been waning. They've continually stopped carrying, stopped restocking, or otherwise messing with my favorite products. This came to a head a few weeks ago when there was suddenly no butter. Naturally I assumed conspiracy. Surely they must want me to stop shopping there, or else they wouldn't keep on taking away my favorite things.

The next week, shopping at another grocery store, I discovered the true reason on a sign where butter ought to have been: butter shortage. This was terrible news. I love butter.

The next day I was talking with my JTE (Ms. Kobayashi), who also had run out of butter. The solution was simple: an alliance. If she saw butter she'd buy it for me, if I saw it I'd buy it for her. It wasn't a few days until we both found butter. I found mine at an import store at the mall (although it was domestic butter... sadly). She found hers in Tokyo.

So now butter abounds in my house, although the shortage still continues. Ms. Kobayashi just came back from Tokyo this weekend where she tried the same store again and met with the same luck. So the alliance will, nay, must continue.

The interesting thing about the butter shortage is that I feel like it could be avoided. The WTO Trade Database lists the import tariffs on butter at 29.8% of value plus 1,203 yen. I don't know about the world price of butter, but buying 1kg of the highest quality butter in Japan off the shelf would run about 1500 yen. At that rate, with import duty applied we're talking about 3150/kg. As far as import tariffs go, expensive... but not outside the range of what other countries apply. Even so, if they reduced it a tad the butter could flow. High tariffs protect Japanese products in the local market, but when there are no Japanese products to be had why keep tariffs high?

I don't know. I'm not an economist. In fact I think I got a B- in the one Economics class I was required to take. Seems like there is a way to satisfy the demand for butter and protect Japanese dairy farmers at the same time.

Aside, I really miss French butter. I've never seen it in Japan ever, and everything from the taste to the packaging is superior. Would that they encouraged the importation of it...

al qaeda

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:56:00 +0000

I took some ID photos at the grocery store the other day so I could renew my passport. During my aunt and mothers stay I'd gotten lazy with the shaving, and consequently was wearing a goatee at the time. I sent my passport off, but kept the one huge photo from the set. (It came in 2 passport sizes and one 3x3). With nothing better to do with it, I just put it under my desk mat at work.

A few days ago we got the proofs from the school photo shoot, which coincidentally happened both the day I shaved and the day after I took my passport photos. They too went under the mat, next to my beardy picture.

Yesterday one of the school staff came over and said "Wow, you really look like a terrorist in that picture with a beard. Here you look all young and nice, but over here it looks like Al Qaeda"

running is so hard

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:24:00 +0000

I didn't run for a period of about 3 weeks. My ankle was slightly hurt, my mom and aunt were here and I was lazy. Probably mostly the last reason, but I like to pretend that everything else was valid too. In any case, last week I started back up in preparation for the dreaded Samurai Marathon (22k!) coming up in 4 weeks. I'm scared.

This weekend I did 10k with Mindy, but man I was hurting. Of course it didn't help I picked the toughest 10k in Kurabuchi to do, but that's beside the point. We attempted to run from my house up to a hotel/spa called Hamyu Sanso (which is actually 13k from my house... but that enters into the story later). It's a beautiful run, but being that I'd only been there about 3 times and always by car I'd neglected to note the steepness of the hills. They were killer. The first 8k actually weren't so bad. That's from my house to my furthest school, and the run is really pretty right now. Daffodils are everywhere, things are turning green and of course the star of spring - sakura, makes it's appearance more than once.

After the 8k mark though, the hills suddenly turn into mountains. Somewhere around that point an old woman stepped out of her house to cheer us on, commenting on how admirable we were. Little did she know how un-admirable we soon became. Any remaining strength we had was soon sapped on the mountain, and 3k short of our goal we stopped and walked the rest of the way. Sad, sad story.

On the plus side though, it was a beautiful day. The weather was marvelous, and extra appreciated as the previous few days had been rain. I wish every day was like that weather wise. I opened up all the doors and windows in my house for the first time in a very long time, and it was nice to feel the outside air move once again through my sealed box.

Today is another one of those days, but sadly I'm at school. Pity me.

coin slot

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:17:00 +0000

UNIQLO is the Japanese equivalent of Old Navy. Their clothes are inexpensive, and relatively hip. I don't shop that often, but if I'm looking for something I'll usually see what they have. They've actually opened a store in New York City, and are likely attempting the same thing that the Gap has been so successful at here. The Gap in Japan is about the equivalent in price to the US's Banana Republic (also owned by Gap). The clothes are about the same, but the prices you have to pay to have the 'latest in American street fashion' are just crazy. I haven't actually been to a Japanese Banana Republic yet, so I can only imagine what their clothes would be priced at. I'd be curious if the clothes at UNIQLO New York are as much raised above the prices of their Japanese counterparts as the Gap Japan's fashions are with their American brothers.

One surprising thing on my first trip to UNIQLO was the tailoring service on certain pants. For many slacks there, only the waist size is different. Conveniently though they offer free (I think, I don't remember paying for it) hemming. It's awesome!

I won't complain too much about the sizes Japanese clothes. Foreigners from time immemorial have whined that things don't fit right and are just different. Even so, allow me to explain a pair of pants I picked up near when I first got here. I liked them, tried them on but was so anxious about my Japanese ability I didn't really pay enough attention in the fitting room. So, I ended up with a pair of pants that are, well, interesting.

First there isn't much room in the crotch. This isn't a slight against Japanese averages, nor promotion of my own endowment (for once). I don't really know much about couture, but there is definitely something odd about that section. Next they feel to me like they ride really low. Enough so that if I'm sitting in a chair leaning forward I feel like if I were wearing a tight shirt I'd be sporting a little coin-slot.

For all this complaining though, they're actually pretty comfortable and serve their purpose well enough. They're just not something you'd find in the US normally.

it's been awhile

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Cherry blossoms are blooming in Japan. Everywhere. They're so show-boaty; all pink and in your face. It would be an understatement to say that most Japanese have great love for sakura and springtime. And in the past week I can't even quantify the number of flowers I've seen. It might have even been too much.

The past couple weeks I've spent with my aunt and mother who came to Japan for a visit. What timing! They came at the perfect moment for what many consider to be the most beautiful season. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately the weather wasn't entirely cooperative. I can't say we didn't have quite a mix. During their trip we had everything from snow to beautiful sunny days to freezing wind. Had we experienced but one unbearable hot and humid day we'd have felt a day from each of the seasons. It was very strange.

The entire visit was great, and really too eventful to get too detailed here; school visits, local tourism and rounded off with a 1,000 mile drive (with about 450 of those in one day). We saw temples, shrines, museums. Marveled at the 1000th person with their cell-phone taking a close up picture of a branch of a blooming cherry tree. (Seriously, everyone must take at least one... but then what? Is there a party where they swap photos? Competition?) And even witnessed a cat-napping.

Actually that story needs explanation, because it was so weird.

We were in Nagoya near the castle grounds at a nice little park. Walking around we noticed that there were a surprising number of seemingly wild cats (and homeless people). It was rare the step we took without seeing a new cat as we walked through the park. There were seriously hundreds. After a while we saw an older woman on a bike, which in Japan isn't too terribly interesting, but that she had a pet carrier strapped to the back and was riding on rough terrain was. The pet carrier was bouncing around, and I questioned aloud "Does she have an animal in there?!". Not a few seconds after that, she came to a stop and pulled the carrier off. There was no animal inside. That is, until she walked over to the nearest convenient cat, grabbed it and stuffed it into her pet holder and biked away. My family and I stopped, stunned and not quite sure how to interpret what had happened. I mean, an old lady just stole a wild cat from a park! Why? Or was it theft? Maybe it ran away? Maybe it was her car and she takes it to the park for play-dates during the day while she's at work? Or was it more nefarious? Dinner tonight?

It was very strange.

Spring break is over now, school has started anew and I'm back to my domestic existence. My friends are back, my family is gone, and I've got 22k to run in 5 weeks. Yikes.

mickey, marathon and marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Lyle) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Disneyland was great. It was everything it had been promised to be, and like many places and things in Japan it had the scent of familiarity but somehow held a unique identity. The actual layout of the park is very similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, which was interesting, but also somewhat confusing. The orientation however is upside down. Things that were "north" (Disneyland Anaheim is laid out on the compass; Main Street runs North-South) were actually South-East. Not really a huge deal, but it was slightly mind-blowing. Although now it makes me wonder why Anaheim is laid out North-South. Tokyo makes sense; it's laid out more or less perpendicular to the ocean. Is there a mountain view to the North of Anaheim?

Tokyo Disneyland's castle is also way, way cooler than the one in Anaheim.

One thing I found particularly interesting was the Calpis. For those not in the Japan know, Calpis is a delicious, yoghurty drink sold here. It's often mocked for the way it's name sounds a lot like "Cow Piss", and as a result in countries outside of Japan it's marketed as Calpico. At Tokyo Disneyland they sold it; but on the Japanese language menus they referred to it as Calpis, and in the English menus it was Calpico.

There were other strange things, like the churros and popcorn offered in one of several flavors depending on your location in the park, or the 'Big Bear Restaurant' in Frontierland that served curry (certainly authentic California gold rush curry). Probably the most strange thing was the number of people that were dressed up. There tons of little girls in princess dresses, and more people than not wearing Mickey or Minnie ears (those who wore the ears' sex had no relation to which of the mice they chose to represent). And perhaps most strange of all was our method for paying for the day.

I think I've probably related before my money saving technique for Japan; the 500 yen coin. It's great, it's big in value and easy to save. I'd been saving them since I arrived, and bought a Playstation in short order after my arrival entirely in 500 yen coins. Mindy, D and I thought it would be fun to have a day where we spent nothing but these coins, and Disneyland was the resulting trip. So, our entrances were paid with coins, our food throughout the day, you name it. All 500s. It was great, although odd to have a sock full of coins worth more than $300. Somehow, through the magic of the day I didn't spend hardly anything and now still have a huge stock. Time to make a new goal I suppose...

We left Disneyland a bit earlier than we might have otherwise because the next day Mindy and I were to run the Haruna Ume Marathon. We were promised 11k running through beautiful plum blossoms on the hills of Haruna. We got that, sort of. Well, we got the hills part. Sadly the cold of winter had not quite been shaken, and only a few of the many trees were in bloom. Still, it was a nice run. We even had supporters in the form of D and Joyce who waited at the finish line with hand made signs. I finished in 1 hour 18 minutes and 50 seconds. Not the best time in the world, but considering that 7 weeks prior I don't think I could have run more than 15 minutes at a stretch I feel pretty good about it. Of course this is really just a practice run for the Samurai Marathon coming up in May: 22 kilometers, all up hill and in costume. Should be interesting.

After the marathon we went out with a principal at one of Mindy's schools. Delicious yakiniku, delicious beer and random appearances on the part of teachers I teach with. After stuffing ourselves for hours we were invited back to the principals house to see his collection of Hina-matsuri dolls. We were fed even more. Between running, not sleeping enough and overeating I was exhausted, but satisfied. Hanging out that whole day was awesome, so many funny moments and odd little experiences.

The week post marathon was busy, and included a haircut I'll never forget but don't possess the prowess with words I'd need to properly describe it. Ask me.

This weekend I was invited to the wedding of one of my friends and teachers at elementary school. It was really, really fun! The food was amazing and plenty, everyone in attendance received gifts, and I won $25 worth of purchases at convenience stores for my amazing dart skills at the post party. The highlight for me though was the flower tossing ceremony. I was surprised when the bride was handed a bouquet. I thought it would be strange to see the same competitive spirit exhibited by so many women at our weddings in Japanese women. So, it didn't come much as a surprise when in a modified version of the ceremony the winner of the bouquet was chosen by ribbon raffle. What came next was comedy masterpiece. The best comedy is funny on multiple levels, and the building of the next routine was wonderful.

It was then the grooms turn to throw something to the single men of the audience. I've seen garters tossed before, so assumed that something like that would make an appearance. I've also heard of bouquets though, so when a green wrapped bouquet-shaped object was placed in his hands it wasn't so surprising. As typical, he put his back to the throngs and everyone counted. It wasn't until it was in the air that I realized that this bouquet was no bouquet at all, but broccoli. In perfect timing with the catch, the groom turned and seemingly from nothing produced a bottle of mayonnaise. Snatched from his hand by the eager broccoli captor, the mayonnaise was applied and broccoli bitten. It was poetry. Only then did I realize something strange. Japanese don't seem to eat broccoli raw, ever. It's unnatural and strange, which I find interesting in a country where raw fish, raw eggs and raw horse are all kosher. On first glance I thought that this man had taken a bite of raw broccoli but no: the bouquet had been cooked. It was at this point I lost it. The layers of comedy were just too great; throwing broccoli, having mayonnaise on hand, and finally the care and preparation that went into cooking the broccoli ahead of time... brilliant.

All in all it was a great day, really fun and funny. Also, really well prepared. It was at a place that gives weddings as a business, so things were so smooth. It was more like a dinner show or a Disneyland experience. Cast members made sure we got where we were going, there were costume changes, audience participation, a soundtrack, and even closing credits.

Wrapping up the weekend was slow. I spent most of the day at home yesterday cleaning up and enjoying the fine weather we've been having. It's finally starting to be warm during the day, so spring may finally have come.