tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80548113470495925972024-03-13T20:12:30.551-07:00JapanTakai!The tallest gaijin couple in Japan (that we know of...we haven't looked very hard) blogs about eating, working and playing. Our combined height is 12 foot 3, we hail from middle America and our new host town's claim to fame is a festival featuring men riding huge logs down a mountain. Oh yeah, takai means tall in Japanese (among other things). It's what we wish they would call us. What they actually call us is ookii (big).jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-56192254838944076452011-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:002011-05-23T12:42:00.062-07:00JapanTakai FAQ and Sayonara<div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After 16 months in Japan, we are moving back to the USA and will not continue to blog here anymore. We feel we've accomplished our goals for the blog which were: 1) Keep in touch with family and friends 2) Keep a record for ourselves of our time here and 3) Give back to the blogosphere a bit since we were helped by many blogs as we prepared to come here and in our first months. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Thanks to all who have read. Japan is a fascinating place, it's been quite a ride and we're happy to have had you along, however virtually. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We thought this might be an opportune time to clear up some frequently asked questions.<br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">1. Where does the name of the blog come from?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It’s an homage to the cutest little comic book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Japan-Ai-Tall-Girls-Adventures/dp/1933617837">Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger</a> which we read before we came. The rest is explained in the banner at the top.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2. Who wrote the posts?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">They’re based on shared experiences and conversations but Josie usually wrote the posts and John edited.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">3. Who took the pictures?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">John mostly took the pictures. Don’t blame him for the subpar ones of late though. Our camera (that we bought for our first trip together to Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico in 2005) finally died and we’ve just been using a Kodak video camera ever since. Thanks to Josie’s family for a highly used going away present!</span><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">4. Who reads this thing?</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We wondered that ourselves for the first few months as our family and friends got used to blog checking. Over time though we've seen hits from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Serbia, Moldova, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, and more. Mostly it's people in the USA and Japan though.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Arigatou and Sayonara!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuNBxkLkOPhsvFqf2NHPnWqUiGmRaXKTExbKizKzmbWudHWnz70RBY8AHB17mJ3AojqCSseAkFds90lRq3AmcAHMqhrYjptC8WC-1-iJ6wQJIX9HbFFNt3h43aI2ogZl7Wtq39-NejHV7/s1600/November%252C2010+Japan+022.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuNBxkLkOPhsvFqf2NHPnWqUiGmRaXKTExbKizKzmbWudHWnz70RBY8AHB17mJ3AojqCSseAkFds90lRq3AmcAHMqhrYjptC8WC-1-iJ6wQJIX9HbFFNt3h43aI2ogZl7Wtq39-NejHV7/s400/November%252C2010+Japan+022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609701855519629122" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-67343324384343610502011-05-22T16:44:00.001-07:002011-05-22T16:56:37.440-07:00Are we sad to leave?<span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >This is a question we've been hearing a lot these days. Our last days of school were sad. They didn't tell my students until the last day, per the Japanese custom. So, all day I had kids coming up to shake my hand and give me a note or just a longing look. I had fun signing the 3rd graders' folders. I wrote things like "Don't study too hard!" and "Don't forget to have fun!" They wake up at 5am, go to their club activity practice, go to school all day, have club activity after school, eat dinner and then study until late. They don't really need to be told to work hard or try their best; it's a given in this culture. It was hard to see my teachers look sad and I'll miss both the students and teachers but mostly I feel joyous inside. The job wasn't challenging enough and I wasn't learning anything new anymore. We came, we enjoyed, we're leaving on a positive note (to go to grad school, not because of radiation or anything else) and now it's time to go.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >John was only at his schools for 2 months but still received an outpouring of love from his students. Check out the cards his kids made for him.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrDnnSSqSlnhvN4a0HOMMouSnvTg-NT39BqI4buirLP8U6QX485Ey_sD5tsXnIKbrFCxiR5c-B7Iukec_YY6m-eFcVBBPiMD8dxt6svYj3Cxhcg6htAuX4FGFtHLhMuW1I4EqxX5DYM5Q/s1600/850_1823.JPG" style="font-size: small; " onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrDnnSSqSlnhvN4a0HOMMouSnvTg-NT39BqI4buirLP8U6QX485Ey_sD5tsXnIKbrFCxiR5c-B7Iukec_YY6m-eFcVBBPiMD8dxt6svYj3Cxhcg6htAuX4FGFtHLhMuW1I4EqxX5DYM5Q/s400/850_1823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609691625659061090" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" >We </span><b style="font-size: small; ">are</b><span class="Apple-style-span" > sad to leave our friends here. Given we lived in a small-ish town with no car, we feel lucky to have met and connected with so many people. It was not uncommon to be at a picnic/party/karaoke/dinner with people from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, England, Canada, Spain and/or Jamaica, plus people from all over the US. We'll never forget our friends and the support system they gave us here. We survived not only 16 months in a foreign land but a 9.0 earthquake and a nuclear meltdown with these folks. We know we'll see many of them again whether in the US, Europe or elsewhere. The world is made smaller when you have close friends from every corner of it. We are so grateful to them - thanks, guys - you know who you are!</span></span><br /><br />Here's one picture from <a href="http://atheistapartment.blogspot.com/">Mike's</a> Rapture party on Saturday. Good times!</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYE_qa67rPNWxgDx5na3hMebSGJX0YmAFFA-CAE_UvvN-ECf7LcqCBe_YMdFZtEYNVZO-MablDos2_hZDx4yTmnjCpZCZX-TvJJNSsm9Lc-azKaLAH1oIWh5_cnbr7vje6iQvZVxft_-EF/s1600/850_1801.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYE_qa67rPNWxgDx5na3hMebSGJX0YmAFFA-CAE_UvvN-ECf7LcqCBe_YMdFZtEYNVZO-MablDos2_hZDx4yTmnjCpZCZX-TvJJNSsm9Lc-azKaLAH1oIWh5_cnbr7vje6iQvZVxft_-EF/s400/850_1801.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609691100709376258" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-48331326717094902832011-05-20T04:23:00.000-07:002011-05-21T17:54:47.664-07:00What we'll take away from JapanSometimes (mostly in the cold cold winter) we wanted to strangle Japan's little neck. All in all, though she was really good to us. Here are some of the things we'll take away from living in Japan.<div><ul><li>An appreciation for <b>seasonal food</b>. Sometimes it was a bummer when there was very little produce in the grocery store but it was all the more exciting when a certain fruit or vegetable came into season. We found ourselves eating more seasonally by default, which was nice.</li><li>An appreciation for <b>regional foods</b>. Japanese people are always telling you what foods a place is known for. We find ourselves doing it now too. For instance, Nagano is known for soba (buckwheat noodles), apples, miso, basashi (raw horse meat - John tried it!) and inago (fried locusts). Our town is known for unagi (eel), which John also had the other night.</li><li>An appreciation for <b>seasons</b>. While it's sometimes annoying that Japanese people think they invented seasons and are the only culture with them, it is nice to see the reverence they have for them.</li><li>An appreciation for <b>sacred spaces and mindful moments</b>. The Japanese are very busy and not that good at enjoying life overall when compared to say, South Americans or Europeans. However, they are good at creating lovely Japanese spaces to create a wabi sabi feeling and revel in it. Examples are clusters of cherry blossoms for ohanami parties, tea rooms and tatami rooms for fancy Japanese meals, temples and shrines for praying and outdoor onsen (especially in winter) for relaxing.</li></ul></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-81458595661925074032011-05-11T14:21:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:25:53.240-07:00Our favorite Japanese people and the izakaya experience<div style="text-align: center;">Last night we had our last class with our adult students. We don't feel too bad leaving them because our friend Mike is going to continue the class so they'll be in good hands. We've been teaching them since last October and have gotten to know them well. These folks were so sweet to us. We feel lucky to have met and gotten on so well with them. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacRTR9p4KkgVh1F_23Fe75GEmMLNrMDv9FRkB78QM6YLY1imaWJ-V-vi9LOUQgzECufZUJz6TTV_2m0cqGYfUZ96VT73D3l3NQxBTtYpByBZEFAQt8eXm23POlpU8bYdmjJ3AxHl0UiXO/s1600/850_1745.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacRTR9p4KkgVh1F_23Fe75GEmMLNrMDv9FRkB78QM6YLY1imaWJ-V-vi9LOUQgzECufZUJz6TTV_2m0cqGYfUZ96VT73D3l3NQxBTtYpByBZEFAQt8eXm23POlpU8bYdmjJ3AxHl0UiXO/s400/850_1745.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605571776463945394" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Pssst! We're not standing on chairs or anything; we're just actually more than a head taller than all the ladies.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">After class John and I stopped by Yuki's, our favorite local izakaya (pub) in our town, for a beer. We realized afterwards that we were nonplussed by the 1600 yen bill (almost $20) for 2 pints and 2 little obligatory snacks they give you with them. We've gotten used to those prices but now that we're going home in less than 2 weeks, we realized it could be half that in Minneapolis. There's no tipping in Japan but it's still spendy. You see why we almost never go out here? Here are some snaps of the sake and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dch%C5%AB">shochu</a> selections.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9Ha1c_zv4W7t54ITLOM-VbmezHmcE15wSZjAQbdaJ6VmHT1HFAimqNzDUdRORDPhOp3FpsEOOljNJAGLcZW_n2gcKJVyReGXGGt_c-tQuhidM1LhqqQR4qr8Yf4Juv0T5WGnjuOoirN/s1600/850_1748.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9Ha1c_zv4W7t54ITLOM-VbmezHmcE15wSZjAQbdaJ6VmHT1HFAimqNzDUdRORDPhOp3FpsEOOljNJAGLcZW_n2gcKJVyReGXGGt_c-tQuhidM1LhqqQR4qr8Yf4Juv0T5WGnjuOoirN/s400/850_1748.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605572066795989842" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI7mFngWfUeZz02P-YDrPqzOmlhyphenhyphentj4JgdXfSGoblnLLp6we7m9BEugtIv2UyCWwjc6kmr3QLt2xGgOVpLDKwBnlvo24cvtWWv_IJS57igvbSXS-9yKR1B03qbjDicZKeGkaFAOfCQ_bZ/s1600/850_1747.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI7mFngWfUeZz02P-YDrPqzOmlhyphenhyphentj4JgdXfSGoblnLLp6we7m9BEugtIv2UyCWwjc6kmr3QLt2xGgOVpLDKwBnlvo24cvtWWv_IJS57igvbSXS-9yKR1B03qbjDicZKeGkaFAOfCQ_bZ/s400/850_1747.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605572279719197266" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">There's still smoking in bars and restaurants in Japan, which we've also grown accustomed to. It's like the 90s! The man (owner?) who served us was essentially a caricature of every white haired old guy from every random Japanese movie we've seen on bus rides and such. He smoked a cigarette and tried to act casual as he grilled us with questions and pointed out the pictures of foreigners on his wall. Classic.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One thing we don't love about Japanese bars and restaurants is that they're almost always sort of hidden away. They don't do outdoor seating, there are no windows usually and they often cover their doors with curtains. It's all kind of dark and enclosed and feels like a secret society (probably more so to us since we can't read signs). That said, when you do know and feel comfortable in a place (like us with Yuki's) it feels really cozy, familiar and nice. Especially the izakayas with tatami rooms where you take your shoes off and sit on the floor really evoke that feeling of being at home, but out. That's a pretty unique bar experience. </div></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-16028062680578154692011-05-09T15:24:00.000-07:002011-05-09T16:59:37.436-07:003 charming things in our town<div style="text-align: center;">There's this statue between town hall and the post office.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf90lowUM7rJYemS7d_FYmUe8Cjf2rVQTfOEmq10IGuzuSFtogp5Cuc79mnG0pLjvq-CDQpgvPt0151tiDuz31Feaa25EJkmigFXGMMMZ9iUeOSSluK10xyM67kU1OuzLniSGehrcV9AKG/s1600/850_1671.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf90lowUM7rJYemS7d_FYmUe8Cjf2rVQTfOEmq10IGuzuSFtogp5Cuc79mnG0pLjvq-CDQpgvPt0151tiDuz31Feaa25EJkmigFXGMMMZ9iUeOSSluK10xyM67kU1OuzLniSGehrcV9AKG/s400/850_1671.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602250619225230946" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They change his outfits often so that in the winter he's wearing a stocking cap and scarf, for instance. Unfortunately, he's wearing this right now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KAeWlzHDDXYH5qf654ffS4RiyTb6C8lmvkf4KsxdHsSCkTtnrkP_P1WcajyUqeQDjwkuUkX9ryRb0JjE7D-ELoUvTlSd2xvA5MTbwn8LnmnsrRpbHVDyj9UUjfPg3BmYbqV1b9AYVe41/s1600/850_1672.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KAeWlzHDDXYH5qf654ffS4RiyTb6C8lmvkf4KsxdHsSCkTtnrkP_P1WcajyUqeQDjwkuUkX9ryRb0JjE7D-ELoUvTlSd2xvA5MTbwn8LnmnsrRpbHVDyj9UUjfPg3BmYbqV1b9AYVe41/s400/850_1672.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602250873149513362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Older ladies ride around in these funny bikes. They have mitts on the handlebars so their hands don't get cold. Too funny.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CIKD9I-gjcIvvvxx1BGx8NLJZMqEI7BIrbkuYRddwgXXS_cYrA8uDDhjKgOZXL9ocv0AnuduzK6mi5hH-Az__Yql7UVrvf9JrvKd0mGAdtp3oGq1gTthX3HxOsl2tfoSG9_xlawrbpr3/s1600/850_1674.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CIKD9I-gjcIvvvxx1BGx8NLJZMqEI7BIrbkuYRddwgXXS_cYrA8uDDhjKgOZXL9ocv0AnuduzK6mi5hH-Az__Yql7UVrvf9JrvKd0mGAdtp3oGq1gTthX3HxOsl2tfoSG9_xlawrbpr3/s400/850_1674.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602250996571845698" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We love the mossy fountains with fresh mountain spring water (sometimes hot!).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOndWaQ0gnybqj0X99OdNWrZYdJDmjJnt7e9hDAEyu3XeNDJUk6mthRQopvlmhEJQb0hMvG3Rb0G8g3wk7dIadscW6ZDEE9zXJAYWG_Nb72g6qYt93nvWrfl-F3W1toI37XezBGS43Uh6l/s1600/850_1679.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOndWaQ0gnybqj0X99OdNWrZYdJDmjJnt7e9hDAEyu3XeNDJUk6mthRQopvlmhEJQb0hMvG3Rb0G8g3wk7dIadscW6ZDEE9zXJAYWG_Nb72g6qYt93nvWrfl-F3W1toI37XezBGS43Uh6l/s400/850_1679.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602251333087999362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOndWaQ0gnybqj0X99OdNWrZYdJDmjJnt7e9hDAEyu3XeNDJUk6mthRQopvlmhEJQb0hMvG3Rb0G8g3wk7dIadscW6ZDEE9zXJAYWG_Nb72g6qYt93nvWrfl-F3W1toI37XezBGS43Uh6l/s1600/850_1679.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04kU_I37VKUyBEldYYbVZY_EB0QazBuLvLi6qIMqHgpxqAShHKsKBAM8uKZOF9lZaYi2Mi4cJ33jsuWNjuF734gnY2oyEG-uIZ8LvmuKYj-krQyRa54RvuMBmry06OZRHFUZ6cu8u6kp_/s1600/850_1681.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04kU_I37VKUyBEldYYbVZY_EB0QazBuLvLi6qIMqHgpxqAShHKsKBAM8uKZOF9lZaYi2Mi4cJ33jsuWNjuF734gnY2oyEG-uIZ8LvmuKYj-krQyRa54RvuMBmry06OZRHFUZ6cu8u6kp_/s400/850_1681.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602253379181082194" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-70537316995296197252011-05-08T02:32:00.000-07:002011-05-08T03:32:52.793-07:00Technology in Japan<div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Either Japan or the rest of the world has done a great job at perpetuating the idea that they’re very technologically advanced. Of course they are a very modern country and quite ahead of the curve on some things, but we were surprised to find the ways in which they were lacking in this area. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We'll start with computers. Our c-workers do not use email. Memos are printed and placed in every teachers’ mailbox thus wasting tons of paper (we recycle nearly all of them as we can't read the memos anyways). Some teachers we work with do not seem very familiar with simple google searches. No doubt it is difficult to type with kanji, which is one of the reasons they are behind in the computer usage area, but I also read that because of the hierarchy, those in charge do not appreciate the stratification of power brought about by email. They prefer top down information dispersion. In Japan they like to literally stamp their seal on things. I had to tell my tax preparer that sorry, I didn't have access to a scanner. We fax(!) our monthly reports to our company. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Japanese consumers generally favor flip cell phones versus android/smart phones. This may be because of kanji as well, but in Korea everyone was watching TV on their phones and doing things most Japanese do not seem to have widespread access to yet. The internet is fast but it took us 2 months to get it. When our predecessors left they detached the fiber optic cable and gave it to another household. We had to wait until another one became available or something. The houses are not made to last and have no insulation. T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">hey use archaic heating systems such as kerosene heaters which were banned in the US in the 50s because of their carcinogenic outputs and asphyxiating tendencies. You have to turn the water heater on when you want hot water and it fires up anew each time you twist the hot tap - most inefficient. It's still very much a cash culture and we pay our bills at the convenience store or the bank. We could go on and on.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In general terms, of course, Japan is technologically on par with the rest of the developed world. It's just that they're simultaneously quite behind in some regards. That incongruence is perhaps one of the most interesting things about living here.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Japan is speeding ahead in their bullet trains AND their feet are stuck in the mud of their rice paddies.</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of which, they've been flooding the rice paddies lately and some have even started planting. It's nice to note the passing seasons in terms of the most important food in the culture.</span></span></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-37732592281286912972011-05-05T05:32:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:03:00.618-07:00Lack of personal touch in JapanOne interesting cultural aspect in Japan that we won't miss is the lack of personal touch. In public couples don't touch and parents don't touch their children much. People bow instead of shaking hands. Sometimes our students hold hands, actually. But mostly it's a hands off culture. Compared with Latin cultures where couples are sitting on each other's laps in the plazas, it's downright frigid. We saw a Japanese couple holding hands in Bali and it immediately struck us that they don't/can't do that in Japan. We've recently had one of our adult students (drunkenly) lament this fact as well.<br /><br />When I told the teacher I've worked with the longest that I was leaving she burst into tears. She was really upset and couldn't leave the room for a few minutes in order to get herself together. I've been here long enough to know that it wasn't really appropriate to touch her, but I just couldn't let her stand there and cry in front of me. I stood up, asked if I could hug her and gave her a squeeze. More than any other country, living in Japan has made me realize things about my own culture and how much I'm a product of it. I couldn't just let some one I've known for 15 months cry in front of me without hugging her. I literally couldn't do it, especially when I was the cause of her distress. John's only been at his schools for a month and some of his teachers were near tears too.<div> <div><br />It's definitely going to be difficult to upset the "wa" at school by leaving early. They aren't telling my students until an all school assembly on my last day (per the Japanese custom) when I'll give a speech on the stage. Yikes.</div></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-17472648709010143672011-05-04T16:13:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:39:22.791-07:00Children's DayToday is Children's Day in Japan. It's one of the holidays making up Golden Week this week which means no school for us! All the neighbors have hung these carp shaped koinobori flags. It used to be called Boys Day but they changed it to include girls. It's one of those Japanese things that they make seem like it's very traditional and ancient but really was started by the government in 1948. Here are some of the koinobori from around our town.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK04a45dkQ8N7imJlYeEUQFzXp58jGd2ZaDsoI1CyU8ctch2tJZdWv9mmHIy5upI6ePv6903GtJdxRiZFrO5C2OH1sD2kZqqBePgPXaT2FBwXNDJi6_RFnGD6TE5RSWkr3JQz8B11J1X_/s1600/850_1595.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnK04a45dkQ8N7imJlYeEUQFzXp58jGd2ZaDsoI1CyU8ctch2tJZdWv9mmHIy5upI6ePv6903GtJdxRiZFrO5C2OH1sD2kZqqBePgPXaT2FBwXNDJi6_RFnGD6TE5RSWkr3JQz8B11J1X_/s400/850_1595.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147896064154194" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6LNrSz0wQfzI6HoOm7hiOOWQ0E2h9BN6fZmcTSZ154kBc0iRe8Gvm25Ww2WKkYb4sKF7sCaoCPuGGZYhQ1ztlOI3GLMhY1pFMS8lYQmenPP7ImIhcuVMgniyYyrBtAhLUHL_NaTBzqVp/s1600/850_1577.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6LNrSz0wQfzI6HoOm7hiOOWQ0E2h9BN6fZmcTSZ154kBc0iRe8Gvm25Ww2WKkYb4sKF7sCaoCPuGGZYhQ1ztlOI3GLMhY1pFMS8lYQmenPP7ImIhcuVMgniyYyrBtAhLUHL_NaTBzqVp/s400/850_1577.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147759520368658" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEC8JJHc5clpDM0yD_oE9FGcQr41Bbky_QMkU2DhdGQuScALc53cT-xpNmzCM2jYzmnBDF0zqUNgJGIDS-VR0UhW4p4s-yC7DrB2rDumze3FcTYl_i21u53sf44WPE_69e_RGWFH3sUEJ/s1600/850_1594.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEC8JJHc5clpDM0yD_oE9FGcQr41Bbky_QMkU2DhdGQuScALc53cT-xpNmzCM2jYzmnBDF0zqUNgJGIDS-VR0UhW4p4s-yC7DrB2rDumze3FcTYl_i21u53sf44WPE_69e_RGWFH3sUEJ/s400/850_1594.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601148142411260962" /></a>Meanwhile, we're in the thick of trying to get rid of stuff here and tie up loose ends while meanwhile starting to think about getting things set up back home. Less than 3 weeks now!</div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-56997016053511573682011-04-28T15:25:00.001-07:002011-04-28T15:34:21.000-07:00Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sAD7MbaMi52TwT05iXLv93_f95he0_nagRVdyDmUgo1R2h1P4eYfPTQuWJuTZwvtjGETR68x0z-S5XFnZnLZhg2Zgq4Hfd4BMXgxUx_JrCLaZraunPufLJ-Gt3qd7cxI0JWWz-704b2K/s1600/850_1635.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sAD7MbaMi52TwT05iXLv93_f95he0_nagRVdyDmUgo1R2h1P4eYfPTQuWJuTZwvtjGETR68x0z-S5XFnZnLZhg2Zgq4Hfd4BMXgxUx_JrCLaZraunPufLJ-Gt3qd7cxI0JWWz-704b2K/s400/850_1635.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600764669771060162" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSVDVtg1hJxX8QedZGFbUxQesqm33bFwnKM5XD7zMueEifk7ozlWH6gzX4VaPhKRYlirzDX8azJts7W5o878d2iKpjSHpdOmTVj4YjDtH5DcRG-wU4WmdYTnpVQ1SF3PTFlkr4bgTcNxO/s400/850_1639.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600764946784577330" /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn2gTpBBebTASrVX2n1dWGRj7gkVhJoCB303NHScv3zYCuNDeA9RLP23h1GQG52VBf8jGmnyBFyfXlGp4ScriJlblM5KjR272FXAngIQy6eooGpAe-Uz4mdCd0THCu99lKoUPNQSFnI1M/s1600/850_1658.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn2gTpBBebTASrVX2n1dWGRj7gkVhJoCB303NHScv3zYCuNDeA9RLP23h1GQG52VBf8jGmnyBFyfXlGp4ScriJlblM5KjR272FXAngIQy6eooGpAe-Uz4mdCd0THCu99lKoUPNQSFnI1M/s400/850_1658.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600765105203184978" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGW-uoMKxTBJ0AXFoB5YAwtRaMcsLPkCAjgPvig6Cum9MIT4UPtQD95QMf2Jstf29LnRu0Lss54QBnnoNlJGnAt62k_Zel7MMB2zKjvF4ifBoMLEpNwGuqDQbkYCX-Sob56wNkRNpchsM/s1600/850_1662.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGW-uoMKxTBJ0AXFoB5YAwtRaMcsLPkCAjgPvig6Cum9MIT4UPtQD95QMf2Jstf29LnRu0Lss54QBnnoNlJGnAt62k_Zel7MMB2zKjvF4ifBoMLEpNwGuqDQbkYCX-Sob56wNkRNpchsM/s1600/850_1662.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGW-uoMKxTBJ0AXFoB5YAwtRaMcsLPkCAjgPvig6Cum9MIT4UPtQD95QMf2Jstf29LnRu0Lss54QBnnoNlJGnAt62k_Zel7MMB2zKjvF4ifBoMLEpNwGuqDQbkYCX-Sob56wNkRNpchsM/s400/850_1662.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600765375351261362" /></a></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX81jv5J3Nz6PCr1MeA1ClVSP8iYrMv4j9weLLuOWP9MeHQcR0oXxAJ00xpoL11THbhA6q7VLrdKXgRrKIplfzjJ_qoJgbMVmBTGqKJAT29Al7acX3TDODfEARUzM7oC2eOvJAm1D1W-wF/s1600/850_1667.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX81jv5J3Nz6PCr1MeA1ClVSP8iYrMv4j9weLLuOWP9MeHQcR0oXxAJ00xpoL11THbhA6q7VLrdKXgRrKIplfzjJ_qoJgbMVmBTGqKJAT29Al7acX3TDODfEARUzM7oC2eOvJAm1D1W-wF/s400/850_1667.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600766023140833298" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsp4F4B_PE_E81tNwziiPC0bYjyC7C9p1dnHLs6CX5pvn5YHpCNK16m7TdxyT2D5J2DlimRdyE2cjJooe8E8rqXK19rbXvbwjCo4ba6TxIrZb9FXXB_2ovQB1KsiKI05DTCtRv19cLOTR/s1600/850_1666.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsp4F4B_PE_E81tNwziiPC0bYjyC7C9p1dnHLs6CX5pvn5YHpCNK16m7TdxyT2D5J2DlimRdyE2cjJooe8E8rqXK19rbXvbwjCo4ba6TxIrZb9FXXB_2ovQB1KsiKI05DTCtRv19cLOTR/s400/850_1666.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600766159909928578" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-51346077787984822682011-04-25T14:20:00.001-07:002011-04-25T16:42:28.604-07:00Japanese luncheonOur adult ESL students had us over for a luncheon. Here's the spread we encountered when we walked in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOT-D9LqglKDtnUnM2L_uL-tMnrT0p2YST3gnk8ncz7JrHU65GatDS7hRMVQUbpSE2VC0E5DJrT6XhLe-5V8XLscxreuXAsf6gdyjSAgWrfAYi0XPhiDKXMGAYzJVTOsyWZ5TdWXBs9lR/s1600/850_1617.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOT-D9LqglKDtnUnM2L_uL-tMnrT0p2YST3gnk8ncz7JrHU65GatDS7hRMVQUbpSE2VC0E5DJrT6XhLe-5V8XLscxreuXAsf6gdyjSAgWrfAYi0XPhiDKXMGAYzJVTOsyWZ5TdWXBs9lR/s400/850_1617.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599634437026718242" /></a>There was fruit, pickled vegetables, homemade bread, tofu, tempura and plenty of beer and wine.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMobfe4fZjbShdFF71YLTgLpi7cd_E1SxyLcmQbaY-RR20l5DjjCn511VnLJgboPFWpkp5N-NMexh4GL4Bi6mm-ELrLKsNcUI13ZDH87zLqzSoF6l7NjVW7_T_4ElSLbFSrhp3NXjt7-B0/s1600/850_1621.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMobfe4fZjbShdFF71YLTgLpi7cd_E1SxyLcmQbaY-RR20l5DjjCn511VnLJgboPFWpkp5N-NMexh4GL4Bi6mm-ELrLKsNcUI13ZDH87zLqzSoF6l7NjVW7_T_4ElSLbFSrhp3NXjt7-B0/s400/850_1621.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599634714331439810" /></a><br />Sashimi<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfs7PtrMpBbzuq8udTDNjwgTepSyCgBr18r8TVI4rwq-ZtLR-W2AosTpE4tu3Ve__JS6T_AuETlUCGvEBGC_iMxXuf91UQ77fptzyXtuldEZNOLVZkrSDJTywrmdJePegk6p9dyzEcjq1/s1600/850_1623.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfs7PtrMpBbzuq8udTDNjwgTepSyCgBr18r8TVI4rwq-ZtLR-W2AosTpE4tu3Ve__JS6T_AuETlUCGvEBGC_iMxXuf91UQ77fptzyXtuldEZNOLVZkrSDJTywrmdJePegk6p9dyzEcjq1/s400/850_1623.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599634933849092306" /></a><br />Maki sushi<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ61QUTklXagZAN6Pt9TrXKsAXmJtvcKAnK4P8wSwJD9LDk0UARLaJJC9gcejJu4107fV7loaY5GdSe__1cDvDozKcj3VhcqA8KWDlFQGW75Z4rx0VtfHPBDQ9dlLGvt0W5vCeHHxWzIyR/s1600/850_1625.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ61QUTklXagZAN6Pt9TrXKsAXmJtvcKAnK4P8wSwJD9LDk0UARLaJJC9gcejJu4107fV7loaY5GdSe__1cDvDozKcj3VhcqA8KWDlFQGW75Z4rx0VtfHPBDQ9dlLGvt0W5vCeHHxWzIyR/s400/850_1625.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599635086410580418" /></a><br />We were really drawn to the host's garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9PHmlbKYJmvlG8f-tAx6zZI7lHZowA-YArH6-hCgThse2VbILUMTaTUKQpZnZO5XvwojcxXu0j2pueuBoPhLByNdwsj351sVrsGlFhzuNIAxQKN4fWr7Ti5yq1nGB-HYQEXHZHodg9TB/s1600/850_1627.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9PHmlbKYJmvlG8f-tAx6zZI7lHZowA-YArH6-hCgThse2VbILUMTaTUKQpZnZO5XvwojcxXu0j2pueuBoPhLByNdwsj351sVrsGlFhzuNIAxQKN4fWr7Ti5yq1nGB-HYQEXHZHodg9TB/s400/850_1627.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599635346558942354" /></a><br />John with our host.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojXcpWZiS4WXQjSn8sUGxyXgt-GkvprOhCMHG-w2tT6Trtu_pKqcIePy4nkPPXSwyRdpUZu0kQP8Kl9WAM2qfn8ShV3BR7mPIGOb37QDFFxStzT0G_OA0oouXPl7xEJPSvRxLg6OrFqKm/s1600/850_1628.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojXcpWZiS4WXQjSn8sUGxyXgt-GkvprOhCMHG-w2tT6Trtu_pKqcIePy4nkPPXSwyRdpUZu0kQP8Kl9WAM2qfn8ShV3BR7mPIGOb37QDFFxStzT0G_OA0oouXPl7xEJPSvRxLg6OrFqKm/s400/850_1628.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599635613939180034" /></a>She does "sado" (tea ceremony) so she whisked us up an amazing cup of matcha in lovely chawans (tea bowls).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRpCVGogumFm-WZ6aagLFHgB-NusE4ZtsM19oKrzdXZU9Sx2bbgvV3IHKfly4QMqO9xvCWN9mpk7LTauW5fV7joUVeiSzRfJKhpXpqoSRaUeATCKQqGYW0mC5bwvXVhKpIpB2_-CcjF-2/s1600/850_1626.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRpCVGogumFm-WZ6aagLFHgB-NusE4ZtsM19oKrzdXZU9Sx2bbgvV3IHKfly4QMqO9xvCWN9mpk7LTauW5fV7joUVeiSzRfJKhpXpqoSRaUeATCKQqGYW0mC5bwvXVhKpIpB2_-CcjF-2/s400/850_1626.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599635821046477698" /></a><br /><br />Our host's house was a beautiful old labyrinth of fusuma doors and shoji screens, scrolls and sculptures with tatami mats everywhere. What a lovely afternoon we had.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IoDyHKmk965eeIynorcPovRsJyHNP7Kw8J74akAwKQ6esVNawAh6wjibdm0owSZ8xhWpysRgMrMyOLIdag2HZaaRZNcLrzuyOzlwrQs4j4T16GJfdFDIY9zCscLlLcK4BFIgVe-iiogH/s1600/850_1630.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IoDyHKmk965eeIynorcPovRsJyHNP7Kw8J74akAwKQ6esVNawAh6wjibdm0owSZ8xhWpysRgMrMyOLIdag2HZaaRZNcLrzuyOzlwrQs4j4T16GJfdFDIY9zCscLlLcK4BFIgVe-iiogH/s400/850_1630.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599636690213598722" /></a><br />It seems anyone who lives in Japan encounters questions like, "Can you use chopsticks?" and "Can you sit Japanese style?". These are strange for 2 reasons. 1) They're assuming they're the only ones who use chopsticks or sit on the floor when lots of the world does those things. 2) It shows how they see us as almost another species who may not be able to do the same basic things they do every day. But they're just so sweet, naive and well meaning about it all. They're just curious and want to make sure we're comfortable.jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-66239686367133090962011-04-24T14:59:00.000-07:002011-04-24T21:20:06.237-07:00Mountain Walk: Part 2<div style="text-align: center;">In Part 1, I showed the nice parts of this walk. Here I'll show the not so nice. We told you we live in the "real Japan".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">In Japan they really love their nature but what they love more is controlling it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">All the way up the mountain a stream flows next to the road. They've paved under the entire thing. They're also currently paving under the big river that flows into the lake. Next they'll pave under the lake!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfMcokO3_OXTjQXoyOzm4BN_G1XPrCSHB7CpFQWCTKScsNlBlMZSOT2GmeIjHcB2DHTI7TU8oMfkGvMGxqAJrEAzIiaFSFsHNjgotJNSFTFKv91yfj8VaDoMDFdN68-dX1qA3TwogKI8a/s1600/850_1600.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfMcokO3_OXTjQXoyOzm4BN_G1XPrCSHB7CpFQWCTKScsNlBlMZSOT2GmeIjHcB2DHTI7TU8oMfkGvMGxqAJrEAzIiaFSFsHNjgotJNSFTFKv91yfj8VaDoMDFdN68-dX1qA3TwogKI8a/s400/850_1600.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599273176380818258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW62op1P_1aTh-RUlyMfb51SEvMsbCS1Dy7qh4TvQOc196YbQZK37n-eJ1uakFUPBeUeX-HuACXLdhK3nRzctsOmLB0VJ7jNxQeLWsTXjBVtlPp9VW267tzHYn9k3BGu89MDfiydxBh3KO/s1600/850_1602.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW62op1P_1aTh-RUlyMfb51SEvMsbCS1Dy7qh4TvQOc196YbQZK37n-eJ1uakFUPBeUeX-HuACXLdhK3nRzctsOmLB0VJ7jNxQeLWsTXjBVtlPp9VW267tzHYn9k3BGu89MDfiydxBh3KO/s400/850_1602.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599278830616412674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's where the guys are always burning garbage.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLaOnkM_WYv5R657mt2g2SCc0A72uXaPqZRJMHbsx216Bukbe-VrMYKBkboqgJupAEw9mrkRktfTXUyhpRy-I4VwjAibueIrLkusjNbOjlN1-bOSMmqlxHiMNB0xL0SZjvpyIZe1ky_5Q/s1600/850_1599.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLaOnkM_WYv5R657mt2g2SCc0A72uXaPqZRJMHbsx216Bukbe-VrMYKBkboqgJupAEw9mrkRktfTXUyhpRy-I4VwjAibueIrLkusjNbOjlN1-bOSMmqlxHiMNB0xL0SZjvpyIZe1ky_5Q/s400/850_1599.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599279068297894770" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's where people just dump their garbage.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfKqpGYOXETPfPzWdEGCbzBMqZHR1jp7x53g3M-rFDdsRQkYYN4NwXYudZP2BolJ7WJPXJRus8tjLg687cK2dwZzx7nL1LRP5ZVjvD_9RnG8Aq6nHu3O1DqF3M1ivVuK9hhHM1Wj9ODJz/s1600/850_1604.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfKqpGYOXETPfPzWdEGCbzBMqZHR1jp7x53g3M-rFDdsRQkYYN4NwXYudZP2BolJ7WJPXJRus8tjLg687cK2dwZzx7nL1LRP5ZVjvD_9RnG8Aq6nHu3O1DqF3M1ivVuK9hhHM1Wj9ODJz/s400/850_1604.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599279338976802434" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This appears to be where people open their car doors and ditch their McDonalds wrappers.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazg2s2ekRC9ahgSztLunFd785ubmWes58TPGLjBQT0FSc-4Va2mmVr7ibPL9XJmvF41Kf_muVRdc9RFBF5F4Qa9hrvgJYiwYLqXbzaX4OIFT-LwiT7vqyZhhDGmiqVZTGMja5YT4UnbON/s1600/850_1606.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazg2s2ekRC9ahgSztLunFd785ubmWes58TPGLjBQT0FSc-4Va2mmVr7ibPL9XJmvF41Kf_muVRdc9RFBF5F4Qa9hrvgJYiwYLqXbzaX4OIFT-LwiT7vqyZhhDGmiqVZTGMja5YT4UnbON/s400/850_1606.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599279673391661314" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It just feels wrong to garden so near the cemetery.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroTTM-Ia_0fE4wmNII2UifRZFguMynqkvfZAuypXukzmqtpfEXMUtK0heG5i1FtRDiWAsO9cFObn8SPwfE9YnPs_xjkMD1wSt7ig_7l8-KYI2tGN4eaJRaWiFLpP8jy32Uuv4pWsyrMev/s1600/850_1607.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroTTM-Ia_0fE4wmNII2UifRZFguMynqkvfZAuypXukzmqtpfEXMUtK0heG5i1FtRDiWAsO9cFObn8SPwfE9YnPs_xjkMD1wSt7ig_7l8-KYI2tGN4eaJRaWiFLpP8jy32Uuv4pWsyrMev/s400/850_1607.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599280233162236194" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Along the way one must be careful not to fall into the gaijin trap gutters.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM9Lj40FpWfCxE1kgPxzFiLGGR7DeC7zutikItx9pwrxs9o9QB-Iv9cEgCVEqCVT2HApsNG2DWxNGWWs1F857L3r1j-go68KVZc17SdB_xjGqOXUnuRmc4kYx1tdC6X-vfUya_5QiOoM8/s1600/850_1610.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM9Lj40FpWfCxE1kgPxzFiLGGR7DeC7zutikItx9pwrxs9o9QB-Iv9cEgCVEqCVT2HApsNG2DWxNGWWs1F857L3r1j-go68KVZc17SdB_xjGqOXUnuRmc4kYx1tdC6X-vfUya_5QiOoM8/s400/850_1610.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599280506614913346" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">It's mostly a lovely town but if you go back up into it a ways this is the kind of thing you'll find. Random garbage dumps. Abandoned cars and shacks. If I could vote here, I'd be asking the politicians (who have recently been riding around in vans waving their white gloved hands out the windows and blaring messages over loudspeakers) about these spots. Also, we can't understand why they don't bury their power lines - they muck up the mountain vistas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Most days all we notice is the beautiful (like cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji views) but some days it's the ugly things like these that stand out.</div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-15275510090967109722011-04-24T14:36:00.001-07:002011-04-24T16:37:01.357-07:00Mountain Walk: Part 1<div style="text-align: center;">About 4 times a week I walk up the mountain while reading my book (just finished The Corrections by Franzen) . Here are some of the lovely things I see.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Daffodils at my school.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkO4_NEhzkQNHVKPuN2GLXTo7f7OtHISAX3cwVP8EBISlsRJ5eJf6lBMmEK3ItahfbQ7ieWw5ZEsIxUIEXc-8G9JRJtFkr8WEN6pVbvhgrkqLOLJKUKd_01q7XyYJcwafm3LXqs_xM0Zw/s1600/850_1576.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkO4_NEhzkQNHVKPuN2GLXTo7f7OtHISAX3cwVP8EBISlsRJ5eJf6lBMmEK3ItahfbQ7ieWw5ZEsIxUIEXc-8G9JRJtFkr8WEN6pVbvhgrkqLOLJKUKd_01q7XyYJcwafm3LXqs_xM0Zw/s320/850_1576.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599267475491849122" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">These flowers at the neighbors'.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7pUqzbrVX4Q6g6OxyROZZveR_03GP96TzbAVUWnHlkssNRzLLw0GWrcrPb53fklEVtiVQd8v3u5haXE756PBlcAnqi3_f_4qyFRycULUHP6Gs2kHz0Cijt-5w5HZk3nz_i5KDGYRIMpA/s1600/850_1612.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7pUqzbrVX4Q6g6OxyROZZveR_03GP96TzbAVUWnHlkssNRzLLw0GWrcrPb53fklEVtiVQd8v3u5haXE756PBlcAnqi3_f_4qyFRycULUHP6Gs2kHz0Cijt-5w5HZk3nz_i5KDGYRIMpA/s320/850_1612.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599267786195133714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Jizo statues.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ShcVFOFGBY_IsT2bpHcSj58gV4lCqiG2vSxIOfmT8MM2FfdFFEwf_BpPL7Hx5F99-fqwjvoWt5Nd-6gIwDbWB14JW2eBzwIi0ridfP9q1BIb2nMSdXYOGzaP5HjJx991M4jbO2Uv5wQs/s1600/850_1588.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ShcVFOFGBY_IsT2bpHcSj58gV4lCqiG2vSxIOfmT8MM2FfdFFEwf_BpPL7Hx5F99-fqwjvoWt5Nd-6gIwDbWB14JW2eBzwIi0ridfP9q1BIb2nMSdXYOGzaP5HjJx991M4jbO2Uv5wQs/s320/850_1588.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599268067360560738" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQGURgyNhEgexFMSi9Aft4aT5qBoKQFYVNUQiUTtYGQNo5Q5Np3h8hAvT2JhpHH4ZIYDfCXRLrauuApEM4CmrcPhouMDOKYKS7GURiB7ZZ7iqngatCQgwmw5ZOC904pqPBc7HFVjEoq9Z/s1600/850_1589.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQGURgyNhEgexFMSi9Aft4aT5qBoKQFYVNUQiUTtYGQNo5Q5Np3h8hAvT2JhpHH4ZIYDfCXRLrauuApEM4CmrcPhouMDOKYKS7GURiB7ZZ7iqngatCQgwmw5ZOC904pqPBc7HFVjEoq9Z/s320/850_1589.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599268376914668050" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There are a few cemeteries scattered about.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJXxXeFYd_mKj4LERkHNDzSbwqR3FHhV2S35iqU1OVD8Egu_3rfttk2qegcLX0wKA01CqP2orhN3TAzcNoasKsW4WP2uqhRLqQD8Rlhy16xvKpJcp-qhK4QwtKbmGS_Sa6atsK6esZ02B/s1600/850_1591.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJXxXeFYd_mKj4LERkHNDzSbwqR3FHhV2S35iqU1OVD8Egu_3rfttk2qegcLX0wKA01CqP2orhN3TAzcNoasKsW4WP2uqhRLqQD8Rlhy16xvKpJcp-qhK4QwtKbmGS_Sa6atsK6esZ02B/s320/850_1591.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599268590604229170" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Soon I feel the air get cooler and I know I've come to the little stream and this mini-shrine. Power spot!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOCOCC__egzpqn4wtD0frkoAqY2tAmcGiDzkHcy25PsSpHkoMzzjJ9b6Uta4ZErvpBY1_NFtDyTXKboZANPrAehZD1zChMlOzwnpj_hurwODGAT1M9v7NCYOlvpQVvJVfu1IIjR_iDgaK/s1600/850_1592.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOCOCC__egzpqn4wtD0frkoAqY2tAmcGiDzkHcy25PsSpHkoMzzjJ9b6Uta4ZErvpBY1_NFtDyTXKboZANPrAehZD1zChMlOzwnpj_hurwODGAT1M9v7NCYOlvpQVvJVfu1IIjR_iDgaK/s400/850_1592.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599268906089068578" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The houses and their topiary look like this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAesjsTuF92LmYBITBND2NhA1T3sObeXCBfPMMqEHPM9mycNnqJOAi3Xu8pMAPpkUGdSNK5j5qyGclwMv7v4Q6TP-BiebrTBWwHmGFQp081U1VyS9xYXchOocz03-ohsNqX5bCGO3rPm4/s1600/850_1590.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAesjsTuF92LmYBITBND2NhA1T3sObeXCBfPMMqEHPM9mycNnqJOAi3Xu8pMAPpkUGdSNK5j5qyGclwMv7v4Q6TP-BiebrTBWwHmGFQp081U1VyS9xYXchOocz03-ohsNqX5bCGO3rPm4/s400/850_1590.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599270080607011218" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfqxP-bf0wIZfdmkheKrvFZ0KO4S5JjVYoGwDcHAQdhaALCNV73jk3-vzIpCWTBwJdwUjtMgE62If7fiuMDNkR6H5Mu1B16xwvHNz3pgzj4KSAAoyFXs3GNPDnzITZ3Y3vV2BpJ9_keMk/s1600/850_1596.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfqxP-bf0wIZfdmkheKrvFZ0KO4S5JjVYoGwDcHAQdhaALCNV73jk3-vzIpCWTBwJdwUjtMgE62If7fiuMDNkR6H5Mu1B16xwvHNz3pgzj4KSAAoyFXs3GNPDnzITZ3Y3vV2BpJ9_keMk/s400/850_1596.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599272280464716898" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's an old guy who tinkers on his bonsai in his little makeshift greenhouse. Cute elderly couples head up into the mountains, maybe to collect mountain vegetables.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wul9AKX42kKKxrR3loqPKo3Lp1MQP0q_yFph9GQBon3kW92dmrujLP1o2xzzJL3Ak627SJHI0RFb3R7_sqkbOQwvgAb3BnTs4B4KfFfcmXqq-arrGDxGjI_531zunKbfJwXnprGJrGyX/s1600/850_1598.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wul9AKX42kKKxrR3loqPKo3Lp1MQP0q_yFph9GQBon3kW92dmrujLP1o2xzzJL3Ak627SJHI0RFb3R7_sqkbOQwvgAb3BnTs4B4KfFfcmXqq-arrGDxGjI_531zunKbfJwXnprGJrGyX/s400/850_1598.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599272759413045122" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Rice paddies.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI62lDcRru44JR5i56VvW5tD9PiLXI4e1fw5trr1rlzsLV4fMyHaWzMi4TEsmCVdBB-TlxyWh8vnALzo4LmRrXln8-RkW7DqH_8ojVmmh2OcytyotpAhyMLNXDmrHb08qa5nRWr_beb9I/s1600/850_1601.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI62lDcRru44JR5i56VvW5tD9PiLXI4e1fw5trr1rlzsLV4fMyHaWzMi4TEsmCVdBB-TlxyWh8vnALzo4LmRrXln8-RkW7DqH_8ojVmmh2OcytyotpAhyMLNXDmrHb08qa5nRWr_beb9I/s400/850_1601.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599273007438082450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A cute resting area.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FILWTk09310ItXgKMNkjPa0Fni_WnFyRD0RA8mxjZU_Augg-xi4dq2Lki53K_KT3389om409-D9m3X6mvNZPlTdnWJZHcAadw3Z-Ic8FEHkBqTGzAtKBkWDek74ajhCkj8VXkuRz2899/s1600/850_1603.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FILWTk09310ItXgKMNkjPa0Fni_WnFyRD0RA8mxjZU_Augg-xi4dq2Lki53K_KT3389om409-D9m3X6mvNZPlTdnWJZHcAadw3Z-Ic8FEHkBqTGzAtKBkWDek74ajhCkj8VXkuRz2899/s400/850_1603.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599273639423968050" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The High School. Every day of the week uniformed teenagers come and go along this road.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmJgudId5c0ZeMSXt45aNarNhyphenhyphenpXJmvCj9PXYC65myb300JGgr8KbdHvC2wQG2RiuSPWfP67FnCygieIoRkNcnNTAUvEcmripe3lmTsIS9K0S18J3-tfCtsEGGlRejHQuLfpcylaYFBz6/s1600/850_1608.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmJgudId5c0ZeMSXt45aNarNhyphenhyphenpXJmvCj9PXYC65myb300JGgr8KbdHvC2wQG2RiuSPWfP67FnCygieIoRkNcnNTAUvEcmripe3lmTsIS9K0S18J3-tfCtsEGGlRejHQuLfpcylaYFBz6/s400/850_1608.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599273836422048690" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sakura (ok, only for these 2 weeks or so).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchqDHt6EhQTkbJ9BQZDOP3riBWXokSEP1KMtJrGzVPccJfTA2yRgetdpguNn7j86zyKzCIv3C0071EscbS0wx-Ia-vRHqaNP5dW43YtsGvNd53WAYLWq4P0oJO20LV7Q75Gh-VChrZmpA/s1600/850_1609.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchqDHt6EhQTkbJ9BQZDOP3riBWXokSEP1KMtJrGzVPccJfTA2yRgetdpguNn7j86zyKzCIv3C0071EscbS0wx-Ia-vRHqaNP5dW43YtsGvNd53WAYLWq4P0oJO20LV7Q75Gh-VChrZmpA/s400/850_1609.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599274124188787474" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Another little neighborhood mini shrine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJiRZpmioaO_LaxaaQzv-RsEklTruHZL2NfHOuX7K25gwd0RfyaEOirIe6B79zdWD9aMyyRNZO0W2dgOgqzfdMdv2hXEm3eUUtVfaQ76SoW7eDjABUQM6tZv9Jfnqwp6n7hXMz7oz8s3Q/s1600/850_1611.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJiRZpmioaO_LaxaaQzv-RsEklTruHZL2NfHOuX7K25gwd0RfyaEOirIe6B79zdWD9aMyyRNZO0W2dgOgqzfdMdv2hXEm3eUUtVfaQ76SoW7eDjABUQM6tZv9Jfnqwp6n7hXMz7oz8s3Q/s400/850_1611.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599274261712258370" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I loop back through Akimiya Shrine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBD7929kDHzOJtCnwIg2O6JpI9JDnega6kyU53DenmtRejkZHnlOK7iaVQQ2cmF-GoB0hnRyxHWH7NZBJCDuqiaVZ1rb7KLovztlXqsCGcHMaqfUrOqCsenSJVEbWmhQ9OJU0o6I0aVns_/s1600/850_1613.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBD7929kDHzOJtCnwIg2O6JpI9JDnega6kyU53DenmtRejkZHnlOK7iaVQQ2cmF-GoB0hnRyxHWH7NZBJCDuqiaVZ1rb7KLovztlXqsCGcHMaqfUrOqCsenSJVEbWmhQ9OJU0o6I0aVns_/s400/850_1613.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599274454144579138" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I like to see this little pond there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlKAZyR3ODmx1Gm0DQJ_yBw8qrTkNNMSX-8ZL0ZfWHSSOVb7QDKxneULf3u1FK8k4gccIIRcq3PCJSOgVMAExdFneyYLFVsj5CgL2qVsRjNLQz0BnQLhlJBamncxCSpIbLqKIVkSvVP0B/s1600/850_1614.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlKAZyR3ODmx1Gm0DQJ_yBw8qrTkNNMSX-8ZL0ZfWHSSOVb7QDKxneULf3u1FK8k4gccIIRcq3PCJSOgVMAExdFneyYLFVsj5CgL2qVsRjNLQz0BnQLhlJBamncxCSpIbLqKIVkSvVP0B/s400/850_1614.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599274636990775490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's about an hour walk up and back - perfect for some exercise and fresh air. People from this area can be a little standoffish; maybe it's the mountains factor. Not many people initiate a greeting with me but if I say "konnichiwa" they're obligated to respond in return. I force a lot of people into interacting with me in this way - I play on their politeness :)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Psst - these are the good parts of my mountain walk. See Part 2 for the bad bits.</div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-36172867128605644352011-04-22T03:16:00.001-07:002011-04-22T03:50:54.214-07:00Tempura ThursdayYeah, we know Tempura Tuesday would sound better, but that's not how it went down. When we do tempura, we go all out. No use in stinking up the kitchen and making a mess with the oil if you're not going to get serious about it.<div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJCmB9t37UYGzjhfxzj16OIPelA_YM7nb8_8HaOun4Ct-0Xk6WgiTo43mUUUCAdIeZ5OqMZ-FGrJB_nDJ-5zpyUACWJUW-Ze0mGPcy9Hkgq1EIcW_yY5iTwg7IZ_VqnA6T1XTDztiPGda/s1600/850_1564.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJCmB9t37UYGzjhfxzj16OIPelA_YM7nb8_8HaOun4Ct-0Xk6WgiTo43mUUUCAdIeZ5OqMZ-FGrJB_nDJ-5zpyUACWJUW-Ze0mGPcy9Hkgq1EIcW_yY5iTwg7IZ_VqnA6T1XTDztiPGda/s400/850_1564.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598350906067354594" /></a><br />We've been calling the green leaves "sesame leaves", but some searching makes it sound like they're perilla or shiso in Japanese. Basically, it's Japanese basil. It seems like whenever we get tempura at restaurants this is always one of the bits you get.<br /><br />We laugh now at our horrible attempts at tempura before we came to Japan. We're no experts now but we know enough to use ice water when making the batter and not make it too thick. We're not making onion rings - although, in a sense, we are, aren't we? Yummy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWC5pyr32DDHPyNzmYKI2ID8LTONjCBtUtfTiGers3q0SN3e54j2jqFlyPOA64JjjPmuqaK00FjzE7jOMkNFl3D2BkvUTnrkd25olD6JnktHzi6VQ3CNNpgBeeHRjRst5IZV3aLtvGe5Q/s1600/850_1571.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWC5pyr32DDHPyNzmYKI2ID8LTONjCBtUtfTiGers3q0SN3e54j2jqFlyPOA64JjjPmuqaK00FjzE7jOMkNFl3D2BkvUTnrkd25olD6JnktHzi6VQ3CNNpgBeeHRjRst5IZV3aLtvGe5Q/s400/850_1571.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598353040699758882" /></a><br />We're obsessed with this tempura paper that we buy at the dollar store which soaks up the oil. Also at Daiso we buy oil filter papers so we can clean and reuse our oil. Brilliant.<br /><br />The sauce we make is just a basic tempura sauce, but it tastes like Japan to us now. I think it's <a href="http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/r/tentsuyu.htm">this recipe</a>. Japanese sauces are really sweet. We use a vegetarian dashi stock bouillon cube we get at the organic store the next town over.<div><br /></div><div>We're always kind of subconsciously hoarding ingredients that people have brought or sent us or that we've bought in a big city. But now that we're leaving much earlier than we thought we're pushed to try to use these things up over the next few weeks. I have an almost full bottle of blackstrap molasses, so in that vein, I made <a href="http://southernfood.about.com/od/molassescookies/r/blcookies9o.htm">ginger snaps</a> and these <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/gingerbread-scones/Detail.aspx">gingerbread scones</a> (with carob chips and orange flavored cranberries (<a href="http://reginapeluso.org/Home_Page.html">thanks Gina!</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDszX58WN7rRFLEUVG_8Gn4PC4yhuIoWal-861QeUJ2TFjZ8rVODSAridHkne0SMAHRL-TwSq2cpO7cnReOlVCPiExq63SAtTtQlmi-CACq-Be50pwFW3MK3IoZ9_Vap1CFQcmneoXhcX/s1600/850_1574.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDszX58WN7rRFLEUVG_8Gn4PC4yhuIoWal-861QeUJ2TFjZ8rVODSAridHkne0SMAHRL-TwSq2cpO7cnReOlVCPiExq63SAtTtQlmi-CACq-Be50pwFW3MK3IoZ9_Vap1CFQcmneoXhcX/s400/850_1574.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598356939339886882" /></a><br /><br /></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-23084817263590617832011-04-17T17:28:00.000-07:002011-04-17T19:35:44.853-07:00HomecationDue to a confluence of circumstances (none related to radiation) we will be leaving Japan at the end of May and moving back to our home town. We were expecting to stay another year but things changed quickly and we had to roll with it. Now that the decision is made and tickets purchased we're excited to enjoy our last 5 weeks in Japan seeing, doing, buying and eating things we haven't gotten to yet. Mostly though we're excited that we'll be home this summer. After being here for 16 months going home seems like a vacation - homecation?!<div><br /></div><div>We want to thank our family and friends back home for not forgetting about us. Check out the wall o' love now! We can't wait to hug you all soon.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGaw6LFHSJGMpLlP4izQUGYRWh0i3PmNol2Lh7ssyfQZFidVxfus4_g3xuoSC_oSXVHWnUUMUHbvhEPvc48JSeZLvr6gEMsNbugNT8eB8jK4E6VG2OaReA4xpug8Jmxk0k1XwT4OEAT_Y/s1600/850_1511.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGaw6LFHSJGMpLlP4izQUGYRWh0i3PmNol2Lh7ssyfQZFidVxfus4_g3xuoSC_oSXVHWnUUMUHbvhEPvc48JSeZLvr6gEMsNbugNT8eB8jK4E6VG2OaReA4xpug8Jmxk0k1XwT4OEAT_Y/s400/850_1511.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596742034137308146" /></a><br />It's getting warmer and we're almost ready to put the kerosene heaters away. Also, the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom. John got a few shots last weekend in Matsumoto.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAPF12bjdlXpY2hyphenhyphenMzHbywNEOp_Eanxu0TzUN08F1sliADTh0B9UsnLLQ0_aPe6uYaPdeMpTdCWHygV1QVvN0JK9ifNaPUs0adN1hsOn9LzN8bdk7erbElp2K5-W3dCw4t8negQt6qYG6/s1600/850_1545.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAPF12bjdlXpY2hyphenhyphenMzHbywNEOp_Eanxu0TzUN08F1sliADTh0B9UsnLLQ0_aPe6uYaPdeMpTdCWHygV1QVvN0JK9ifNaPUs0adN1hsOn9LzN8bdk7erbElp2K5-W3dCw4t8negQt6qYG6/s400/850_1545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596742380959947714" /></a><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTFxreBVywsGQybmUckYBDXWo98klUvKvWsnkDnx5Il5gCObmFn8npm05F4TVS8nVpmb1EWQNPWPyMOB8g4vYflZeDwypcPI2QBN7VrgcxlIhira1sI9vxs7irygSZJR4SQKCUUCQ7voz/s1600/850_1517.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTFxreBVywsGQybmUckYBDXWo98klUvKvWsnkDnx5Il5gCObmFn8npm05F4TVS8nVpmb1EWQNPWPyMOB8g4vYflZeDwypcPI2QBN7VrgcxlIhira1sI9vxs7irygSZJR4SQKCUUCQ7voz/s400/850_1517.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596743099957356418" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUuYHgREbn1CbwdmX2zCL-cQ5ZWOrLv2Sgnqge_khnSxmDRKBt-VY143reUGP4rj0giJ3ZIZ-xl4K-UyYi_yooU_HNtyv1Quy7q3XqzaSpK-5A4J1Pi0FjheKFhyphenhyphenboNIqaulx-DSSPp4F/s1600/850_1516.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUuYHgREbn1CbwdmX2zCL-cQ5ZWOrLv2Sgnqge_khnSxmDRKBt-VY143reUGP4rj0giJ3ZIZ-xl4K-UyYi_yooU_HNtyv1Quy7q3XqzaSpK-5A4J1Pi0FjheKFhyphenhyphenboNIqaulx-DSSPp4F/s400/850_1516.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596743275129751234" /></a></div><br />If you or anyone you know wants to apply for our jobs this is our company's website:<br />http://web.me.com/go_global_with_atoz/atozALT/Welcome.html<br />They're a great, small company. Our jobs are easy and close by (John recently changed jobs) and our 2 storey house is gorgeous, frankly. We're hoping they find some cool people to replace us to hang out with our awesome friends here.jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-75171782462028157882011-04-13T17:34:00.001-07:002011-04-14T02:58:14.956-07:00Flat MayaWe have the cutest, coolest and smartest niece and nephews ever. There, we've said it. We miss them bunches, especially when we skype them and they ask us awesome questions and sing us songs and make faces in the webcam and show us stuff they've made. We want to hug 'em not skype 'em!<div><br /></div><div>This post is about our one and only niece Maya. She's in 2nd grade. Her class did a cool project where they read a book called Flat Stanley (where Stanley gets flattened and starts mailing himself places in an envelope) and made their own flat selves to send places. It's part of the<a href="http://flatterworld.com/?nav=home"> Official Flat Stanley Project</a> - basically it's like the traveling gnome thing but with a literacy component. Maya made a full size cut out of herself and sent it to us in Japan. We showed her around our town and wrote up a little report on it.</div><div><br />First we took her to the little fox shrine. Awkward smile alert!<br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAkhuserkUZ0d_c-TR3NKbL36P9cePi5eH7Zgil2g6oo-ibxRQqQfTdV6oqjmWpwSrIzUKpeagVl2O49TZqNQlSYfopd7xO3_BXAfTrMCvZnlmuFXhNE8LDftu0OREQBinc0nRuVRVppq/s1600/850_1476.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAkhuserkUZ0d_c-TR3NKbL36P9cePi5eH7Zgil2g6oo-ibxRQqQfTdV6oqjmWpwSrIzUKpeagVl2O49TZqNQlSYfopd7xO3_BXAfTrMCvZnlmuFXhNE8LDftu0OREQBinc0nRuVRVppq/s400/850_1476.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595233877110991234" /></a><br />We stopped by one of the big shrines. It was windy and it was hard to get Flat Maya to stand still for a photo.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpccm7GdZzPkO-GlpegYWhgDcdEU7PSSkcUk848LA1V1pOEyaP3ewJOsI9zWh3o_OO6hZe23_6_xFWSF4SkTYSSUTEqHgiYhqv2co-NMC6Q-gutm636WsemUGCyXgvkQV1xJOrnQq3vn5/s1600/850_1478.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpccm7GdZzPkO-GlpegYWhgDcdEU7PSSkcUk848LA1V1pOEyaP3ewJOsI9zWh3o_OO6hZe23_6_xFWSF4SkTYSSUTEqHgiYhqv2co-NMC6Q-gutm636WsemUGCyXgvkQV1xJOrnQq3vn5/s400/850_1478.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595234185714555442" /></a><br />Of course we had to show her the Buddha.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hfzcUKXE8lCY8rtl_GWla1Yt7ubPWlLFlNMP-HT99CXMwTxoSykC2QkI42b_9959wdufNG-9XykDfVIv8sIelnCqaIe2bR7gQ1GJp63Ja0mAMzjcY1Eu4lAb4Y5muwHcPqqpRdORRHlR/s1600/850_1482.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hfzcUKXE8lCY8rtl_GWla1Yt7ubPWlLFlNMP-HT99CXMwTxoSykC2QkI42b_9959wdufNG-9XykDfVIv8sIelnCqaIe2bR7gQ1GJp63Ja0mAMzjcY1Eu4lAb4Y5muwHcPqqpRdORRHlR/s400/850_1482.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595234512554567314" /></a><br />There were some women visiting from Tokyo at the Buddha who were courageous enough to ask us about Flat Maya. We explained the best we could. Then one woman said she'd once known a foreigner named Kyle and was John's name Kyle? Yes, all of us white foreigners may look the same to you, but no - we don't all have the same name.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We sent the pictures and the Flat Maya back so they can put them on the map at school with all the other flats. What a fun geography project!</div><br />Attention Twins fans: We're sorry Nishioka broke his leg already. Don't forget about him yet though - he'll be back better than ever. We promise! One of our adult students tells us that the field is harder in the US than he's used to. They play on softer dirt over here. That explains it right?jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-24751704863476850202011-04-12T00:06:00.000-07:002011-04-22T03:54:48.718-07:00Teaching Special Needs Class<span class="Apple-style-span">I don't know if this is common in Japan or what, but they let me teach the kids with special needs. I get to create the curriculum, plan the classes, teach them (a Japanese teacher is there to help) and make the tests. They don't especially care what I teach them but we still have to test them - that's Japan for you. I teach them twice a week and most other students only have me once a week. Also, I cleaned with them every day last year. We're pretty tight.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I can hardly express how much I enjoy these kids. Last year there were 5 and this year there are only 4, but they're the same kids. The girl in particular is such a sweetie. When I first met her she was so terribly shy. She would hardly look through her thick glasses to glance up at me. It took her ages to even repeat an English word. How she has bloomed! She shouts out answers with the boys, runs around looking for hidden flashcards and otherwise participates just as enthusiastically. When I say hi to her in the halls she smiles a big goofy smile back at me (almost as goofy as mine) and says hi back. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">They don't tell me what makes the kids "special" and I clearly have no training in this sort of thing, which is pretty messed up actually. Luckily, they're all really bright and high functioning. We just focus more on speaking and listening than reading and writing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The special needs kids have it pretty good. They get to go on special field trips, plant stuff in the garden, bake treats they sell to us teachers and do other fun projects the other kids don't get to do. They all know each other really well and it's nice they get their own supportive group to be in. It's interesting to see how different cultures deal with differences. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">There are a few kids who probably should be in the special needs class who are integrated instead because their parents want them to be. Then, last year there were a few girls who had no special needs but simply didn't like being with the other kids so they let them be in the special needs class. Finally, there are about 10 kids who should attend our school but are <a href="http://japantakai.blogspot.com/2010/09/school-refusal.html">"hikikomori"</a> and stay home instead. I think my school may actually be more progressive than others. At one of John's old schools they relegated the special needs kids to a trailer out back and he hardly ever had classes with them. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">All I know is I have pretty severe patience problems so it's been good practice for me to teach these kids. As they say, I'm probably learning more from them than they are from me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-88795524831636830902011-04-09T04:14:00.000-07:002011-04-09T14:53:08.276-07:00Shodo - Japanese CalligraphyI've felt turned off by shodo until recently. It seemed so serious. Some of my students have been learning since kindergarten. Like all Japanese traditional arts there is a definite right and wrong way to do it and it takes years of practice to even get close to doing it right. This is one of those times when I realize how American I really am. It feels like the Japanese way takes all the fun out of everything. One of my friends did an ikebana class (Japanese flower arranging). She said they were given no freedom. It was the floral equivalent of paint by number and the closer to the teacher's model you got, the "better" you were doing. The Japanese way is to try to perfect the form and reproduce the masters' as closely as possible. The American way is that every individual is their own creative master and whatever you make is unique and great because it's yours. Yes, this creates people with undeservedly large egos and high self-esteem, but it also makes the creative arts a bit more accessible and fun. <div><br /></div><div>What changed my mind? I read the book <i>Lost Japan</i> by Alex Kerr. While he is fluent in Japanese and Chinese and definitely knows the kanji characters, he also talked about doing calligraphy in a bit looser way. He says the old zen masters would stay up late drinking sake and doing calligraphy. He himself plays with the rules, using different colored inks and whatnot. I got interested in doing shodo in this more Kerouacian zen way (I'm also reading Big Sur right now). I remembered seeing calligraphy stuff at Daiso (the dollar store) so I went over and bought up everything I needed for about $10. I'm just a beginner and just playing around so I don't need fancy stuff. I did some last night and it was fun and relaxing, as it should be. It takes all the cool parts of Japanese and leaves the boring memorizing. While they seem really esoteric and complicated, kanji are basically hieroglyphics so it's fun to read about each one's meaning while trying to reproduce them with the big ol' brushes.<div><br /></div><div> Plus I have such a cute place to do it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnyBJSAbsmxztCnJm7J3NgDmpZeP9Z2Jjd9603i0Atu19dWI_iDqMcLZ1PhHDtKjklFX8qzr1ZAXjCxJaO8kUMi75ahYtYjEXcAXEr8nvomXhXNbua_CkLfsMnahcISzX1TfIQdnBJf-R/s1600/850_1507.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnyBJSAbsmxztCnJm7J3NgDmpZeP9Z2Jjd9603i0Atu19dWI_iDqMcLZ1PhHDtKjklFX8qzr1ZAXjCxJaO8kUMi75ahYtYjEXcAXEr8nvomXhXNbua_CkLfsMnahcISzX1TfIQdnBJf-R/s400/850_1507.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593358251220831554" /></a><br />And I get to use that kanji book that's been collecting dust...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEYmZx3a2b-chwTREH5eiM81GlmIl44SGpn5K5uL2pFItsg9TwBnRYze69A5a2idXbd3ld4Wn7i-vw2iJDr9ZrxXCA-Kawts1ZVcd7Y3u-vdlmKfsD_XICBq4843tUCvSccow-69j_ZB-/s1600/850_1508.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEYmZx3a2b-chwTREH5eiM81GlmIl44SGpn5K5uL2pFItsg9TwBnRYze69A5a2idXbd3ld4Wn7i-vw2iJDr9ZrxXCA-Kawts1ZVcd7Y3u-vdlmKfsD_XICBq4843tUCvSccow-69j_ZB-/s400/850_1508.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593358485863354242" /></a><br /></div></div><div>By the way, we're happy to report that John has perfected his black bean veggie burger. Yes, we can get black beans here. They're just expensive and dry so we have to soak them overnight and cook them for hours. It's based on this <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2008/05/a_bean_burger_worth_biting_int.html">recipe</a> but he tweaks it by adding carrots, broccoli and olive oil. For my part, I made <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/light-wheat-hamburger-buns-258471">homemade burger buns</a> the other week and was pretty pleased with how they turned out.</div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMEnLnOOM5mL3HpoHYoueNLN174ILc8PK5eiieNo1ZkM6FiM4DBbyQ3wtZVOQdUDUJr8C-yxz0E2YWzB3_8pR1oErPkrZzmVemvjwNdIF3ixSasLl6S-wh4TKshc8j5di3Z3Rwo3RzQeJ/s1600/850_1472.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMEnLnOOM5mL3HpoHYoueNLN174ILc8PK5eiieNo1ZkM6FiM4DBbyQ3wtZVOQdUDUJr8C-yxz0E2YWzB3_8pR1oErPkrZzmVemvjwNdIF3ixSasLl6S-wh4TKshc8j5di3Z3Rwo3RzQeJ/s400/850_1472.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593383070763761026" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-39751591323080408382011-04-07T14:26:00.000-07:002011-04-08T18:51:26.199-07:00Tenugui - Japanese towels<div style="text-align: center;">At school we wear thin cotton towels on our heads during "cleaning time". This is the one I've been using. It was left for me by my predecessor. Apparently it's the traditional Japanese design.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ7SBz83z-HoTmwW6xgZN8IV7nNJIVfunHRe9c1NLYMQXTmDnYKmfL02fgk6bcfh5GZGIYOq10WqxI_Q4W-Jh3a_Ipcydyjgf26Jkti8_E9dSSB5gTMo3eHQNZHklpnNkbTxHS1gF1Oc6/s1600/850_1486.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ7SBz83z-HoTmwW6xgZN8IV7nNJIVfunHRe9c1NLYMQXTmDnYKmfL02fgk6bcfh5GZGIYOq10WqxI_Q4W-Jh3a_Ipcydyjgf26Jkti8_E9dSSB5gTMo3eHQNZHklpnNkbTxHS1gF1Oc6/s400/850_1486.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592956373076784130" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This is the one John wears -also left by his predecessor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjURlPHXK9JOhOEIOss5v3CO6fkFxPgb983XpMd7GZzWZY-YxWNwLAsH8Yv804azxujWhFl4uCLR59LccVptJbVLS_8KCn37HpSB6MWzTuRnaCPIttfLjLR67JfCxp0lL6IBbwQju-XVvR/s1600/850_1503.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjURlPHXK9JOhOEIOss5v3CO6fkFxPgb983XpMd7GZzWZY-YxWNwLAsH8Yv804azxujWhFl4uCLR59LccVptJbVLS_8KCn37HpSB6MWzTuRnaCPIttfLjLR67JfCxp0lL6IBbwQju-XVvR/s400/850_1503.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347224011637506" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I noticed that my teachers carry around a small towel to dry their hands since our bathrooms have no paper towels or hand driers. So, I bought this one at Daiso last year for hand drying. By the way, that sounds like a really cool environmentally conscious practice and it is, but it's also pretty annoying to carry around a slightly damp towel in your pocket/purse/desk drawer all the time.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-zMly3UpwL0mS5uERb9lcUmFKfVNf2_hu8mEpUhO206Q_xZAwVzWv03dPzbBLhG6QHP5u9BMGMiSohELVrV8536FG16N2V-mPverWEnkxc7dyZ6P-1Pc1WOBv_xr6mGAi_Zuvm3jZoJz/s1600/850_1488.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-zMly3UpwL0mS5uERb9lcUmFKfVNf2_hu8mEpUhO206Q_xZAwVzWv03dPzbBLhG6QHP5u9BMGMiSohELVrV8536FG16N2V-mPverWEnkxc7dyZ6P-1Pc1WOBv_xr6mGAi_Zuvm3jZoJz/s400/850_1488.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592956522055416178" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">We bought this one to commemorate the Onbashira festival last Spring. It's more of a terry cloth towel texture. We've been hanging it on our wall.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_vtr6k3ne1gaz6BvNDOgWyuACvt8ysdybE962eIPkx5fKsmTmMC43wwyTkxkSYHTn3wEGEB3CTaDbvQVFzS6vXKSnaHo9c08JA6EujLMVwnGaufLs6IKmQSXYyCB7ulPOEo03B6Qosfg/s1600/850_1500.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_vtr6k3ne1gaz6BvNDOgWyuACvt8ysdybE962eIPkx5fKsmTmMC43wwyTkxkSYHTn3wEGEB3CTaDbvQVFzS6vXKSnaHo9c08JA6EujLMVwnGaufLs6IKmQSXYyCB7ulPOEo03B6Qosfg/s400/850_1500.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347923496480642" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Everyone brings a cloth placemat to eat their lunch on. Ours look like this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zEWj1K1youmszridfSeXUdSYkEhi894TotrR-olTpwQQbg8dPzurikQ1qcsQtmVEIqg2ZfVV94u4kC1HKBGuBMe1cKzKGD-Uwp_elaQ1eyoU_g_7G1q416OOXBWCK8R-qNozEUB3YTT6/s1600/850_1502.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zEWj1K1youmszridfSeXUdSYkEhi894TotrR-olTpwQQbg8dPzurikQ1qcsQtmVEIqg2ZfVV94u4kC1HKBGuBMe1cKzKGD-Uwp_elaQ1eyoU_g_7G1q416OOXBWCK8R-qNozEUB3YTT6/s400/850_1502.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593348263443542898" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I use this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furoshiki">furoshiki</a> for my lunch - as a napkin or to wrap fruit in.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5yDglLgiOz5jJcuELdGGKQ1Mj4HeuskDlVBVdCX0SPRXRbJYTRgIjyARV-DJDCgAxayvAJOVLquJjxVvdR0FfrX5jjQVyzKRfiiuqAfQE3_fOHuoten8M7HE1UOugzNeDpzDJumkNveG/s1600/850_1501.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5yDglLgiOz5jJcuELdGGKQ1Mj4HeuskDlVBVdCX0SPRXRbJYTRgIjyARV-DJDCgAxayvAJOVLquJjxVvdR0FfrX5jjQVyzKRfiiuqAfQE3_fOHuoten8M7HE1UOugzNeDpzDJumkNveG/s400/850_1501.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593348702049254162" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Back to traditional tenugui: When teachers leave at the end of the year, they give a small present to all the remaining teachers. I know the tenugui is a really common gift in Japan, but I also got the sense they thought I could use an updated cleaning time look because I received four. (I also received a set of chopsticks, lots of French pastries, other sweets and a calendar. Oh and our neighbor dropped off a mystery food offering.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I've started using this one for cleaning time.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqaEW35O0v9oXu7QGgk0p95N2ugNUpfeqRgugQmeKy_SHG7mwgr3H8HWOCOVmSesTjrC41YUjLrpAAVBadshNgX-l5Dq4nRUqDlYgGLJ__Twvdsw8zyhPcArTBzcIcJDDe-6YyRMlbSml/s1600/850_1490.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqaEW35O0v9oXu7QGgk0p95N2ugNUpfeqRgugQmeKy_SHG7mwgr3H8HWOCOVmSesTjrC41YUjLrpAAVBadshNgX-l5Dq4nRUqDlYgGLJ__Twvdsw8zyhPcArTBzcIcJDDe-6YyRMlbSml/s400/850_1490.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592956727546079410" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This one is too pretty to use at all. Gorgeous, right?</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aRjRKraagSEeLHATvnU5mWrqopr_kUpC8ySW5KeaAV8TW-LVr4ZUozdg6f1izXB-w5ofWabYBtG5EKKGHL7hn3m9B2BkNW-p27YeJbY5sOPhgfnkWO6jM4yaUVj59kITS9kD2a3mVaQd/s1600/850_1492.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aRjRKraagSEeLHATvnU5mWrqopr_kUpC8ySW5KeaAV8TW-LVr4ZUozdg6f1izXB-w5ofWabYBtG5EKKGHL7hn3m9B2BkNW-p27YeJbY5sOPhgfnkWO6jM4yaUVj59kITS9kD2a3mVaQd/s400/850_1492.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592956862635167938" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This one's not really my jam. It has bunnies.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJb5I3Jq40JDFO-E41Gz6Tz4opstC4_ptI6Y8pOLkH27yRNSv2vjw8AtMlrEjbxphJgt5r_hLvj61iEEzqKHNdcRu33OH2u55Qfu3f_004L1UfgxKBRn8pp-IwnJLBsrk3V0-mVWjun9/s1600/850_1495.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJb5I3Jq40JDFO-E41Gz6Tz4opstC4_ptI6Y8pOLkH27yRNSv2vjw8AtMlrEjbxphJgt5r_hLvj61iEEzqKHNdcRu33OH2u55Qfu3f_004L1UfgxKBRn8pp-IwnJLBsrk3V0-mVWjun9/s400/850_1495.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592957275358206178" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This doily type one is a small square meant for drying hands only. It's from the building engineer/maintenance man guy. He retired. I'm going to miss that guy. We planted leeks together last year and he was always trimming the weeds by our house. Wow, this towel is fancy though! </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQep6pRlv7bQzLjeeMyDsv9-3Wasukj-cKzQVy7F-g4394bJ37JLI8rK1o1IEU1EkkT19PpLs9tv_7rvJNeWRUqXGZ0sBpjy_NIhwircHR6-c2BW11qL6XizqDcPpRQLsEFmMYSNZRmtDK/s1600/850_1498.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQep6pRlv7bQzLjeeMyDsv9-3Wasukj-cKzQVy7F-g4394bJ37JLI8rK1o1IEU1EkkT19PpLs9tv_7rvJNeWRUqXGZ0sBpjy_NIhwircHR6-c2BW11qL6XizqDcPpRQLsEFmMYSNZRmtDK/s400/850_1498.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592957008918242770" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tenugui are a perfect example of something that a) we hadn't heard about before we came here b) are now totally necessary to our lives in Japan but c) will seem strange and superfluous when we bring them home eventually.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">** Update: A couple hours after posting this our doorbell rang. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It was our new neighbor with the traditional gift you give to your neighbors if you've just moved in. Oh boy. It's more of a dish towel texture though and we can always use those. We actually had kind of a normal conversation - names, where we work, where we're from, etc. Hooray!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEc6pCM3owDYNw_d2PFQ5lR-EYj2UObeO5HOV0IvA6y3uy0CPL4diaHeO-0WUz7LzFhSQSk217H9VjzSHaW7MFfP5DIn3f-k6w_7wsHdMsg4i_2xsTjD75CCzfCkYNb2zHnac7-5kr1Ln/s1600/850_1510.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEc6pCM3owDYNw_d2PFQ5lR-EYj2UObeO5HOV0IvA6y3uy0CPL4diaHeO-0WUz7LzFhSQSk217H9VjzSHaW7MFfP5DIn3f-k6w_7wsHdMsg4i_2xsTjD75CCzfCkYNb2zHnac7-5kr1Ln/s400/850_1510.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593394012761636530" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-85837220730431265512011-04-03T16:46:00.000-07:002011-04-03T16:48:45.181-07:00Korea takes Engrish to a whole new levelCheck out this North Face knock-off.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0gKP4G5CplKOnDr_HgJkmyciQzAuv9jhFcRMcEMsx3TwH08ZBxsYQD967mLGYsh9vNEabkFPu-Qa53Z9SNDmxuTpzjAQ3OnLGqs1VyajcmKhJJY_RKw8OJ-vDz8GJA7iPTS1BcsUcG0H/s1600/850_1466.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0gKP4G5CplKOnDr_HgJkmyciQzAuv9jhFcRMcEMsx3TwH08ZBxsYQD967mLGYsh9vNEabkFPu-Qa53Z9SNDmxuTpzjAQ3OnLGqs1VyajcmKhJJY_RKw8OJ-vDz8GJA7iPTS1BcsUcG0H/s400/850_1466.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591508180315333042" /></a><br />From what we hear there's also a Red Face. Wow.jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-7179171349751563622011-04-01T19:17:00.000-07:002011-04-03T14:59:29.810-07:004 Fun things we did in Busan1) <b>Korean bath/spa</b>. We love the onsens (hot springs) of Japan. I've experienced public bathing in Morocco, Turkey, Hungary and now Japan. I have to say that the Korean experience is the best of all these. You wash yourself, dip in the hot pools (some with different herbs, etc.) and then there are the jjimjilbang (saunas). I consistently said this word wrong while in Korea. They have saunas that are hot, cold and themed. The best part is that after the hot pools you change into little shirt/short combos and meet up your friends of the opposite gender. That's right - you can canoodle with your honey in the jjimjilbangs. We liked the spas so much we went to two - Hurshimchung and Spa Land.<div><br /></div><div>2) <b>DVD bangs.</b> You rent a dvd and watch it in a little room with a big screen and large couch/bed. No doubt canoodling happens here too. Koreans live with their parents into their 30s oftentimes, like a lot of the world. It was a good way for us to break up a long day of sightseeing and fun to see the shy young Korean couples sneak up there.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) <b>Bars.</b> Our friend took us to a few really fun bars in Busan. By far the best one was a German bar with a Bulgarian band playing K-pop, Russian and American hits. We had pizza to round out the multi-cultural experience. It was Sunday night and the place was rocking with drunk Korean hikers, especially men, dancing their hearts out. Fun times. Here's the band doing "Hot Stuff".</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MFNOfgo6X7Q?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MFNOfgo6X7Q?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object></div><div><br /></div><div>4) <b>Hiking.</b> We took the cable car up the mountain and then hiked up to the Seokbul-sa temple. The temple was beautiful and very worth the walk. The best part, though, was interacting with the awesome (and often drunk on soju) Korean hikers. We enjoyed watching these guys play foot volleyball or is it soccer tennis?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyk8l2V2ELYq8GdzQp88zcV3OsrdJg4aV7xRuGwqn03fXPk1hx7HqXNOwoFDxviinKcOl7qVggeCV39r7KMSzwhwaSNGQkfckQGtxIiqJ85j28Ee713sUMVcg_p16LHONLD-q_9sATG1t/s1600/850_1426.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyk8l2V2ELYq8GdzQp88zcV3OsrdJg4aV7xRuGwqn03fXPk1hx7HqXNOwoFDxviinKcOl7qVggeCV39r7KMSzwhwaSNGQkfckQGtxIiqJ85j28Ee713sUMVcg_p16LHONLD-q_9sATG1t/s400/850_1426.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590810433879549730"></a>Interacting with outgoing, inebriated older Korean guys was one of the highlights of Korea, actually. The ladies were good fun too. Korean folks were louder, more brash and more likely to be yelling at each other or hitting each other playfully than their Japanese counterparts. Just like in Japan though, they get geared up to go hiking.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRGo0EpNa4eJQkNx1vYlZcSOMPeUMu1KuVkDdQARiazQBOBhLyGVSl24Cg7bw3nS2hyZpNYVn9C3PMwbtVHoFeH1IPK94EQHakDSUmfzKMZnFu5hfIH4NnpQYshytJP-qf47khTSypdwH/s1600/850_1351.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRGo0EpNa4eJQkNx1vYlZcSOMPeUMu1KuVkDdQARiazQBOBhLyGVSl24Cg7bw3nS2hyZpNYVn9C3PMwbtVHoFeH1IPK94EQHakDSUmfzKMZnFu5hfIH4NnpQYshytJP-qf47khTSypdwH/s400/850_1351.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590812961684465618"></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-63983424208703231532011-04-01T00:53:00.000-07:002011-04-01T19:56:59.709-07:00Blissful BusanWe had the best time in Busan. The #1 reason was our hostess - a pal we met in Argentina 2 years ago who let us couchsurf with her. Korean apartments (or at least our friend's) are awesome because 1) teachers don't pay for them 2) they have HEATED floors (ongol) and 3) they have raised beds - we slept off the floor! <div><br /></div><div>She whisked us around Busan in cabs, trains and subways. We met her fun friends, went to a bar that was quite literally in a cave, drank bamboo wine and soju, saw the beaches, hiked to a temple, went to a jimjilbang (Korean spa) and learned all about Korea through her eyes. Thanks for everything, Annika!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtjGVo5vOFW8b1v_eTlTUa_keBowE2TS9LBvaGnlf_cxjZHEIRkcvUAtXspxWMBQTQz-kpHpHwWcOICzsi6ohxSYzue6oqxu0w4b4NdKJNAX2uw6D1fJIaSvdjFYonigw0zYwgdydYofv/s1600/850_1265.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtjGVo5vOFW8b1v_eTlTUa_keBowE2TS9LBvaGnlf_cxjZHEIRkcvUAtXspxWMBQTQz-kpHpHwWcOICzsi6ohxSYzue6oqxu0w4b4NdKJNAX2uw6D1fJIaSvdjFYonigw0zYwgdydYofv/s400/850_1265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590529987244390338" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAYSxCa-2aUOnuxW_mEr-Ls61RxP5yitI1vJugFbRHt6NRnT3ZNsr48JxeI31BkN4uYwitEKVFDzhhB_LNMUTMjcND8zhxasCExPw7OWNx2dnPYFNUvM26vKYFtbHUUArVvol_9tLSGte/s1600/850_1325.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAYSxCa-2aUOnuxW_mEr-Ls61RxP5yitI1vJugFbRHt6NRnT3ZNsr48JxeI31BkN4uYwitEKVFDzhhB_LNMUTMjcND8zhxasCExPw7OWNx2dnPYFNUvM26vKYFtbHUUArVvol_9tLSGte/s400/850_1325.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590530897924432722" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4enCCulGskyDYL9NQNCFX_3gr3aC2iggYX0TogyhFhpfqR8npNsQ2Oyz1sBGz95mkqWmfigF95voaFMYL9v5yfnYf7BRvoTLWjpiEYbOoh5YecNHHAvwA7U_cuKoMJRSptgNC3O_i6bZ/s1600/850_1336.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4enCCulGskyDYL9NQNCFX_3gr3aC2iggYX0TogyhFhpfqR8npNsQ2Oyz1sBGz95mkqWmfigF95voaFMYL9v5yfnYf7BRvoTLWjpiEYbOoh5YecNHHAvwA7U_cuKoMJRSptgNC3O_i6bZ/s400/850_1336.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590803369274334738" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAzn2xyCXIPCZ6MkVYVSK6rbfLYIwCvvX0scbfGperkWb6FwJ_-_dLBrYeAsWYN3ZFVYYlACnJjXtFbg-5CgjKwgbGDmhFwmqKj6aamUwyU8Vo07fCcEfvbTbfJzhlB-pa2zYCbKn1Zjw/s1600/850_1358.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAzn2xyCXIPCZ6MkVYVSK6rbfLYIwCvvX0scbfGperkWb6FwJ_-_dLBrYeAsWYN3ZFVYYlACnJjXtFbg-5CgjKwgbGDmhFwmqKj6aamUwyU8Vo07fCcEfvbTbfJzhlB-pa2zYCbKn1Zjw/s400/850_1358.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590803717706635250" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyVTbPs8CvKb-1LjtlxGHy_LDtbcSZy0UJOSrBQau1Bql8XZxC1ttxJNzid3cDn4QzdHNEevKr9qef8CTYFceZBGE5cx2Sil6jxGbG0ccYDVRLV7IBk2XadTlUifF0S2Sswls7ryYblhv/s1600/850_1369.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyVTbPs8CvKb-1LjtlxGHy_LDtbcSZy0UJOSrBQau1Bql8XZxC1ttxJNzid3cDn4QzdHNEevKr9qef8CTYFceZBGE5cx2Sil6jxGbG0ccYDVRLV7IBk2XadTlUifF0S2Sswls7ryYblhv/s400/850_1369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590803952911961858" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgho3ao2i23-VpPcRPXwLNtapZ4c0sWJKhGQdtPqcIvnNNh81BT1nJtR91Ma23R3wgEn-LPDsp5Rw4r0ktXeEh69sftCTt5ElGwX5n55DELoSBE-M1v4oH8x_L_S5CftC6OcaDkS56tSJOJ/s1600/850_1415.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgho3ao2i23-VpPcRPXwLNtapZ4c0sWJKhGQdtPqcIvnNNh81BT1nJtR91Ma23R3wgEn-LPDsp5Rw4r0ktXeEh69sftCTt5ElGwX5n55DELoSBE-M1v4oH8x_L_S5CftC6OcaDkS56tSJOJ/s400/850_1415.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590804089617237346" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZOTWX22BwhT5T86FWFxYhOn7G3HApIZS5KtM-ExvxwXsR5YmZhC5BlFGkNY63xFH93_yxIyVYt4N8Jt0UITyNcnDdpv7JCRxgU1Pj7sqrUqPWOH7aHVGuSBc9R-F5dTEuprs9y2y3axY/s1600/850_1384.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZOTWX22BwhT5T86FWFxYhOn7G3HApIZS5KtM-ExvxwXsR5YmZhC5BlFGkNY63xFH93_yxIyVYt4N8Jt0UITyNcnDdpv7JCRxgU1Pj7sqrUqPWOH7aHVGuSBc9R-F5dTEuprs9y2y3axY/s400/850_1384.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590804556903509570" /></a><br /><br />Busan is one of the most topographically interesting cities we've been to. It's on the ocean and has mountains sprinkled throughout the city - best of all worlds! You can see from the map how their subway has to circumnavigate all those mountains.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF4tFIAC26FFE739HP3ArUAUMyntlo1clN2k9tza5g2zu9LBufDPdjulNbHi5FxkiwQd98ijTaflgT8S2DtgaESoQukDOuxJqcPXM2tWLQoUcAFhKAMozslzG7jRMAhyphenhyphen97yQvXMr0ILFS/s1600/Busan+Subway.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF4tFIAC26FFE739HP3ArUAUMyntlo1clN2k9tza5g2zu9LBufDPdjulNbHi5FxkiwQd98ijTaflgT8S2DtgaESoQukDOuxJqcPXM2tWLQoUcAFhKAMozslzG7jRMAhyphenhyphen97yQvXMr0ILFS/s400/Busan+Subway.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590814418249467442" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-24122232997418731852011-04-01T00:13:00.000-07:002011-04-01T00:53:33.444-07:00Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in BusanBuddhist temples in Korea seemed different than those in Japan. A bit more raucous maybe. People moved more quickly, brushed up against each other, spoke a little louder. We enjoyed it immensely. There was a lot of scaffolding up though, maybe because of Buddha's birthday next month?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cuDQUVe7aMSJ6HwA26t87-7P2Sph13mkVVdcUV_sTxmS2zC8QgAiZHFosyyU3yXqxIGe-QsnMG_wO1anh-B_PIpi4eaP-n3DxcZYjih0uZoD6eYiBq-86J7txdcZoRQMXq2VFuZXR0SZ/s1600/850_1287.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cuDQUVe7aMSJ6HwA26t87-7P2Sph13mkVVdcUV_sTxmS2zC8QgAiZHFosyyU3yXqxIGe-QsnMG_wO1anh-B_PIpi4eaP-n3DxcZYjih0uZoD6eYiBq-86J7txdcZoRQMXq2VFuZXR0SZ/s400/850_1287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590512555570914226" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxzRNdoxwQ9-JoVbUdduO3Edveshr1-EES5TfIFlaxQqfHsCN726nLSipJvZwHR3DL3q2tlsWJhwQJR8ByAgShZuG2wGngjqEcV1-VW6GaZxLujkeWTQjPJt2-OxwSpjhcolWybtkxoSl/s1600/850_1306.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxzRNdoxwQ9-JoVbUdduO3Edveshr1-EES5TfIFlaxQqfHsCN726nLSipJvZwHR3DL3q2tlsWJhwQJR8ByAgShZuG2wGngjqEcV1-VW6GaZxLujkeWTQjPJt2-OxwSpjhcolWybtkxoSl/s400/850_1306.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590516258060393314" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtR6mkO4jVAgIX9diyVsTHzjcWGra8nDfCmuAtc2AubfkDxRqeav277VZ-N5dMo1KmV18yHxFrBWcJrrqUGUw-CwlbeWb-q3Teo8qxbWWQZLzAv1b3ldKRlKUd5HD1tLWnWUAtMrX6aah/s1600/850_1291.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtR6mkO4jVAgIX9diyVsTHzjcWGra8nDfCmuAtc2AubfkDxRqeav277VZ-N5dMo1KmV18yHxFrBWcJrrqUGUw-CwlbeWb-q3Teo8qxbWWQZLzAv1b3ldKRlKUd5HD1tLWnWUAtMrX6aah/s400/850_1291.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590515281905090978" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiJR1MyFFHtbehTibTFhtVwbqQ1WLW76I0uCwrGewLWcznWJCYZ0ajcyi9jIavqzBgO6Qzrb839svXDA-baUhUDECUpG8zEGgeBLAAgibFfXQUKkMw4xRysXT5sSBV9Qs5A7h4NtCX5ZB/s1600/850_1293.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiJR1MyFFHtbehTibTFhtVwbqQ1WLW76I0uCwrGewLWcznWJCYZ0ajcyi9jIavqzBgO6Qzrb839svXDA-baUhUDECUpG8zEGgeBLAAgibFfXQUKkMw4xRysXT5sSBV9Qs5A7h4NtCX5ZB/s400/850_1293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590517114251749986" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7PYICoW3FM9qdf9-D5DFssT-JWu3Z_3oEzFQWC2BJlmBz2zf7934OUGtWGF8iZLI_X_2I8GhxuJdXgsehV36MXQ12aRzM8xa0ltNZCd_JDnOsLPRB8_1BM15EorxvTzVAG-nKl7R525P/s1600/850_1284.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7PYICoW3FM9qdf9-D5DFssT-JWu3Z_3oEzFQWC2BJlmBz2zf7934OUGtWGF8iZLI_X_2I8GhxuJdXgsehV36MXQ12aRzM8xa0ltNZCd_JDnOsLPRB8_1BM15EorxvTzVAG-nKl7R525P/s400/850_1284.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590515653615017122" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kc0FTh6O3_XzX9sz6unOl7625NaK1hbnnuUiWUWkzsqcicxOQBZ4NYH1CYD5Phrta_8l4MAgNmgCTQWmkOUeadcgFw0fon2utB5NZFV3S2pzzfmsFsrLaRkU4p3XQurcbcrwiZFtOOMZ/s1600/850_1296.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kc0FTh6O3_XzX9sz6unOl7625NaK1hbnnuUiWUWkzsqcicxOQBZ4NYH1CYD5Phrta_8l4MAgNmgCTQWmkOUeadcgFw0fon2utB5NZFV3S2pzzfmsFsrLaRkU4p3XQurcbcrwiZFtOOMZ/s400/850_1296.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590516066388104306" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZYix9b3eUdaCpzI4N1vrT-P33k9BonpoLOcp5Ned9aO-T7u-gxqYP4Rj1NNDkr2fKhyjLXJ-VR1LCmzsJenmv2htdgyamj5vyfaMRVdke4VfL2aOv2gJBLdRY0orbK0PjTo1WBBQ5lRt/s1600/850_1311.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZYix9b3eUdaCpzI4N1vrT-P33k9BonpoLOcp5Ned9aO-T7u-gxqYP4Rj1NNDkr2fKhyjLXJ-VR1LCmzsJenmv2htdgyamj5vyfaMRVdke4VfL2aOv2gJBLdRY0orbK0PjTo1WBBQ5lRt/s400/850_1311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590516433007619490" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphs3kIG2rLZ8hToXEtsarw2qYYmNiSenwI-GcPZvBO3bjSv5OZcAkjm4Yuk89hK7uN0AHUacMa6tkHJAtBTpAA3gsU5WT4hIOKDZ22X8j-8h0CgbSYfbKWrocVMeVtahag5SK96GVLYyK/s1600/850_1294.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphs3kIG2rLZ8hToXEtsarw2qYYmNiSenwI-GcPZvBO3bjSv5OZcAkjm4Yuk89hK7uN0AHUacMa6tkHJAtBTpAA3gsU5WT4hIOKDZ22X8j-8h0CgbSYfbKWrocVMeVtahag5SK96GVLYyK/s400/850_1294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590516873378729490" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-56594220639729133232011-04-01T00:05:00.000-07:002011-04-01T00:12:19.908-07:00Seoulful graffiti<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs23y7Z-OCOfOgFt0omR1Y5uQW6hUpbiw-lUiLutwDV2E5RzEwMY8CKeRNR0Mf5_PhORr2FX4-VJjMF5h0SmGb7kfw5SZ2pBYCs6Er32s-ChNFuRRSznh6AfDUOevkkBq6E7us7Xqs1Kyr/s1600/850_1225.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs23y7Z-OCOfOgFt0omR1Y5uQW6hUpbiw-lUiLutwDV2E5RzEwMY8CKeRNR0Mf5_PhORr2FX4-VJjMF5h0SmGb7kfw5SZ2pBYCs6Er32s-ChNFuRRSznh6AfDUOevkkBq6E7us7Xqs1Kyr/s400/850_1225.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590508992622405922" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86czLeCo4N4C2MovkL1wPxlyW6bX2UH1VUSZ4WGo2kzKA4TKV2N3L3Pt2hi8cN67iuOHqAl2FHu1TPmy4WDPZlk3Q9nmIMhNaKDP2xrs625XO5qjuSFNHLNYTyS7EsMnHvdDnFAkUZxOq/s1600/850_1224.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86czLeCo4N4C2MovkL1wPxlyW6bX2UH1VUSZ4WGo2kzKA4TKV2N3L3Pt2hi8cN67iuOHqAl2FHu1TPmy4WDPZlk3Q9nmIMhNaKDP2xrs625XO5qjuSFNHLNYTyS7EsMnHvdDnFAkUZxOq/s400/850_1224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590508889055171154" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vYMWUvmo99F6zZTlb1Og7RuuI9Wn7XN_5METDlGSGSOpoQ36cKqHFsKOFNh1xaP1dB98iHr-pW_L2rfFEdf9JDkrYoPjm0vyyJSnJFsMEBs6RLn9A0DEkhyphenhyphenjt-LHUz7aUrLD7o_D3pSK/s1600/850_1222.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vYMWUvmo99F6zZTlb1Og7RuuI9Wn7XN_5METDlGSGSOpoQ36cKqHFsKOFNh1xaP1dB98iHr-pW_L2rfFEdf9JDkrYoPjm0vyyJSnJFsMEBs6RLn9A0DEkhyphenhyphenjt-LHUz7aUrLD7o_D3pSK/s400/850_1222.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590508677976315618" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi529X95hmG12vZbUc1orRz81JHcWAHWh_wuWEYTH4vGWFvjKBUl2Z_f4d3Dl_8tOoFZNtGYAI7WYGXeFzZZgddWYy3z2MnEFVfe9033ChuP8h3vlZLkUTB3WZgPl5L_pE56amVeJ9RWlOl/s1600/850_1226.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi529X95hmG12vZbUc1orRz81JHcWAHWh_wuWEYTH4vGWFvjKBUl2Z_f4d3Dl_8tOoFZNtGYAI7WYGXeFzZZgddWYy3z2MnEFVfe9033ChuP8h3vlZLkUTB3WZgPl5L_pE56amVeJ9RWlOl/s400/850_1226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590508578907964994" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRU9yjJzNcMxX1kn0-Y8dMuIflmBKZO7Cj3Sfg6p-0P_3ala5dpdrDm4DWKonhN19SZfJHLJrpKQZP5g9V00WNdx3wSpKk01KdGe7s7dhQS_4XE98G1EkbN_Xgwy54rODqvKIzaAOfay9/s1600/850_1221.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRU9yjJzNcMxX1kn0-Y8dMuIflmBKZO7Cj3Sfg6p-0P_3ala5dpdrDm4DWKonhN19SZfJHLJrpKQZP5g9V00WNdx3wSpKk01KdGe7s7dhQS_4XE98G1EkbN_Xgwy54rODqvKIzaAOfay9/s400/850_1221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590508005009317298" /></a>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-54852670383434217692011-03-31T23:33:00.000-07:002011-03-31T23:55:44.870-07:00Seoul ZooLike most people, we have a love/hate relationship with zoos. No one wants to see animals caged up, but everyone likes to see animals. We're big dorks for exotic animals though so we tend to fall on the love side. The Seoul Zoo is hardly in the city - it's a very long subway ride out there. The day we went was cold and gray and there was hardly anyone there. That didn't stop us. We had high hopes - pandas?! Alas, there are no pandas at the Seoul Zoo. Not surprising, perhaps since the entry fee was less than $3. We did see chimpanzees playing with college students who were studying them and zookeepers feeding hunks of meat to lions. There were also plenty of spry Korean seniors walking with their friends around the grounds. Here's what else we saw.<div><br />Axolotls - It was our first time to see this animal live and there were an inordinate amount of them. All the way from Mexico!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZiuFsoGCqkhsZQrgkwLmKEL4pC-BcYHcSHxEXIGc_Up-H-em1D3DeqioOJV4Lhn2HwLPdwETE9JUy9PvfeeDWCUa4ndXQ3bOhCsZiYXhGpKKKq3nP9Jw7GzcLdOyXhOZbKT68UMhdJMD/s1600/850_1173.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZiuFsoGCqkhsZQrgkwLmKEL4pC-BcYHcSHxEXIGc_Up-H-em1D3DeqioOJV4Lhn2HwLPdwETE9JUy9PvfeeDWCUa4ndXQ3bOhCsZiYXhGpKKKq3nP9Jw7GzcLdOyXhOZbKT68UMhdJMD/s400/850_1173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590501414244124562" /></a><br />This turtle cracked us up. It was as if the animals were lonely since they were all eager to make eye contact with us, from the lions and monkeys to this guy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1guvmbK1Ne_TMR185M5-p6KEbYG9rJ6e83WZsafn3HM8vMdurYvuT3V8dy0Na8PYZJPCptcQ8EKz9_UjAxL_YjLs726SjlzQpKC6rgmtsmeVm2dn4SzMKID4-qGg5hQd9snL9ojDWixBM/s1600/850_1185.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1guvmbK1Ne_TMR185M5-p6KEbYG9rJ6e83WZsafn3HM8vMdurYvuT3V8dy0Na8PYZJPCptcQ8EKz9_UjAxL_YjLs726SjlzQpKC6rgmtsmeVm2dn4SzMKID4-qGg5hQd9snL9ojDWixBM/s400/850_1185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590501877438367842" /></a><br />The greenhouse was full of elderly Korean folks painting and photographing flowers like these.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvngTq6M0yxU3-dK70k89UxEiXIFcBOCez0AFTGtS8tOb9U3fGmwbw4W9MXR_4JJ_glNBUeNtVvNSuYK6WOXlu0DQUjPMGFzKxyDJqtKhTw4_OZfDoD27VffTmzgQAoNEIqX4JsN142t-e/s1600/850_1193.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvngTq6M0yxU3-dK70k89UxEiXIFcBOCez0AFTGtS8tOb9U3fGmwbw4W9MXR_4JJ_glNBUeNtVvNSuYK6WOXlu0DQUjPMGFzKxyDJqtKhTw4_OZfDoD27VffTmzgQAoNEIqX4JsN142t-e/s320/850_1193.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590502583998550354" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8HLRNrSFEKrkv66PMENAe0wH8FOG_1AO75PCW8TGf-HLqlkvKILbvmaZJt6UXpTLYrjN2QY67C1sUPWIHcpTETPG2DW6PB6Z-oV_5-FjhPoOuq_ajHujONZfpK59yWItVw9PWtQRthY9/s1600/850_1206.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8HLRNrSFEKrkv66PMENAe0wH8FOG_1AO75PCW8TGf-HLqlkvKILbvmaZJt6UXpTLYrjN2QY67C1sUPWIHcpTETPG2DW6PB6Z-oV_5-FjhPoOuq_ajHujONZfpK59yWItVw9PWtQRthY9/s320/850_1206.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590502887327007250" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknuHUsrzUIqtCEwEV4cylxgddMVfOqqwzAwHh_1ejQ2HJmN1Yj2mZoIxeQgLfxgjmxvILMOt6n6dXG562a2sVdMvWWc3peL-TPlZTEeww8Rhg3RmarZ8TqZABKUF_xYQcqptB_iQ4X635/s1600/850_1210.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknuHUsrzUIqtCEwEV4cylxgddMVfOqqwzAwHh_1ejQ2HJmN1Yj2mZoIxeQgLfxgjmxvILMOt6n6dXG562a2sVdMvWWc3peL-TPlZTEeww8Rhg3RmarZ8TqZABKUF_xYQcqptB_iQ4X635/s320/850_1210.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590503040572250930" /></a><br />Finally, our apologies if you're sick of hearing about giraffes, but the Seoul Zoo has 6 of them! A 1/2 dozen! Have you ever seen 6 giraffes together, nuzzling necks and everything? We sure hadn't.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/438J8I0YSnA?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/438J8I0YSnA?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8054811347049592597.post-19000937630176412062011-03-24T17:18:00.000-07:002011-03-30T20:41:01.583-07:00Korean food for vegetariansWe really wanted to try Korean food, but we don't eat meat and Josie doesn't love seafood. We found that if we ignored that kimchi has shrimp or anchovies and were willing to pick out some ham, we could indeed eat Korean food. We were surprised that we liked basically everything we tried. It helps that we like kimchi.<br /><br />This is gim-bahp - essentially Korean sushi. We picked the ham (spam?) out of it and it was pretty good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Cxom4QlwquB9wQ0BjV8CBtG1UDmhjCKo2gEv2G_2UHp1j8LCBCdyJh2sjN4hJ7lo-ckwBK3093EZrahuTAYAWLm4CiIAGFwAlxikkZFKjvmGoOOIVrMT_X_l9bfKMNffJ4W3w743-EYk/s1600/850_1029.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Cxom4QlwquB9wQ0BjV8CBtG1UDmhjCKo2gEv2G_2UHp1j8LCBCdyJh2sjN4hJ7lo-ckwBK3093EZrahuTAYAWLm4CiIAGFwAlxikkZFKjvmGoOOIVrMT_X_l9bfKMNffJ4W3w743-EYk/s400/850_1029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590079380673448722" /></a><br />The famed bibimbap (rice, egg, vegetables in a hot pot):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKaXxAyf1f0cDSHDKHQJHt4UqQ2DmnU70kljBdPDWvpqvowta3P2JjkYHJckRKwPaRA-K0eu14VW9JWt1OLBJ7hX-L2SfYqkp5_jfmDAZErslfHvIxLbUhVwQrw57iO1UNNrppT15i3GN/s1600/850_1035.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKaXxAyf1f0cDSHDKHQJHt4UqQ2DmnU70kljBdPDWvpqvowta3P2JjkYHJckRKwPaRA-K0eu14VW9JWt1OLBJ7hX-L2SfYqkp5_jfmDAZErslfHvIxLbUhVwQrw57iO1UNNrppT15i3GN/s400/850_1035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590080158528528642" /></a><br />A spicy soft tofu stew:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWM4hqxQifHdZZBkzgUUS1zp6EWoiv9NWexLBZ-ZH3g30Gic1TBo2n3BFbPl7C0XWYQGooB6eNJTOvZWTVf89KGS392h9iaqjkmUP1W86F1vIlAwexftAIp2cKddqDrzhoTJfKy0EnJb5/s1600/850_1034.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWM4hqxQifHdZZBkzgUUS1zp6EWoiv9NWexLBZ-ZH3g30Gic1TBo2n3BFbPl7C0XWYQGooB6eNJTOvZWTVf89KGS392h9iaqjkmUP1W86F1vIlAwexftAIp2cKddqDrzhoTJfKy0EnJb5/s400/850_1034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590080310202155986" /></a><br />This is one of the Korean beers. It's not delicious but the label reminded us of toothpaste.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-zfSJuYAN4jUDrFYJjFjEGwnCgKGwsuq_VoNIqTBJ4xLeyUJJKeH_pIxSJ6UBIAp4VJ0e5JFfcXqDo0xnHvGZqwRHy1JM0qGx388PiKoKcAoHZfNxCK74egyROEG7zvZct1aEJ_g17-0/s1600/850_1248.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-zfSJuYAN4jUDrFYJjFjEGwnCgKGwsuq_VoNIqTBJ4xLeyUJJKeH_pIxSJ6UBIAp4VJ0e5JFfcXqDo0xnHvGZqwRHy1JM0qGx388PiKoKcAoHZfNxCK74egyROEG7zvZct1aEJ_g17-0/s400/850_1248.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590080528884868946" /></a><br />Greasy street food - really hit the spot, actually.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDCEXDwwWIhljIa1IjFrfaCEndLQC3hPS2v9oNvgvyIUkt6RuVezqS4-DyECXLQkcwgl4mTPmZ0YH7zXUT570Ebt6OA8z8QH8xB28Q9OwXPVk96S2FNNQo_zLQZ492ArfuwlN9tY-bPIY/s1600/850_1435.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDCEXDwwWIhljIa1IjFrfaCEndLQC3hPS2v9oNvgvyIUkt6RuVezqS4-DyECXLQkcwgl4mTPmZ0YH7zXUT570Ebt6OA8z8QH8xB28Q9OwXPVk96S2FNNQo_zLQZ492ArfuwlN9tY-bPIY/s400/850_1435.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590080905906291666" /></a><br />We did not eat these bugs but they were a very popular snack.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoQWG3PAzpR9S8xM4hl71rEtlT9bMQzADovBu_YCxVh0-TK7rPAuMPPh0iWwn9OLL76xbDHnPvQZq1ns09kimKKBOdgo8uub_XkyJj4xO0iSlPzJ4g0rUMeCQncYte0-TQ_7rq3EAfZ3H/s1600/850_1280.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoQWG3PAzpR9S8xM4hl71rEtlT9bMQzADovBu_YCxVh0-TK7rPAuMPPh0iWwn9OLL76xbDHnPvQZq1ns09kimKKBOdgo8uub_XkyJj4xO0iSlPzJ4g0rUMeCQncYte0-TQ_7rq3EAfZ3H/s400/850_1280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590081268510677298" /></a><br />Kimchi at the market.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOTtUGkwml0rguCEOEqExxEuyj2RKQTVyWgblst9mcahu0dRm7_7Arcm_JjVeS90NYZ1PR8WlEJg2PLW8Q1RV1dtImF18n0edKcZ5TTWtBSzwscDtNJhq9s8nYmG7_KRvS6RIDiO9wv08/s1600/850_1457.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOTtUGkwml0rguCEOEqExxEuyj2RKQTVyWgblst9mcahu0dRm7_7Arcm_JjVeS90NYZ1PR8WlEJg2PLW8Q1RV1dtImF18n0edKcZ5TTWtBSzwscDtNJhq9s8nYmG7_KRvS6RIDiO9wv08/s400/850_1457.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590081451943475954" /></a>They had some good sweet street food like a hard candy, waffles, roasted chestnuts, etc. Twice in Busan we ate at <a href="http://lovinghut.us/">The Loving Hut</a>. We're pretty sure it's owned by a cult whose leader is called The Supreme Master. Aside from that, they had lovely vegan Korean food for really affordable prices. Korean food is spicy, which was a welcome change from Japanese food which is meant for much more subtle palates than ours. It's not our favorite cuisine, by any means, but we were surprised by how much we liked it, especially given that we couldn't eat Korean barbecue or some of the other more famous meat/seafood dishes.jo-zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16939173647032224072noreply@blogger.com1