Autumn and Buckwheat

The rainy season is upon us. It seems like I went to sleep one warm summer night and woke up to find fall. I'm going to go out on a limb, after being in Japan one month, and predict that fall and spring are the most wonderful times of year. Yes it rains furiously at times, but the temperature is perfect. The only downside is the shortening of days. It is dusk when I leave school at 5. Which makes biking home and running up asuwa mountain difficult. The photo is a couple of bikes parked outside the junior high school. These are not student's bikes, the students have a large covered parking area that fills up everyday. They must be teachers' or visitors' bikes. I just liked how they are keeping their seats dry.



The buckwheat fields are in bloom. The are so many fields along my train ride to school, that I look out the window into a sea of white. I came to Japan right as the rice was being harvested, and I meant to get a picture because the rice fields are also a sight to behold. Recently people have been burning the now barren plots, so it's common to see plumes of white smoke rising all around or be assaulted by the thick, smokey smell of burning vegetation.
Fukui is famous for making delicious soba noodles, and "soba" in Japanese means "buckwheat". They are also commonly sold in the U.S. and are full of protien. They are as easy to make as spegetthi and taste wonderful. In fact I remember a dish I used to make with just soba noodles, green beans and tofu. You cook the noodles and beans and cube the tofu then mix with a dressing made of soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and seasame oil. You eat it cold, and it is delicious. You could easily substitute or add ingredients. So for those of you who haven't tried soba noodles, I recommend it.

settling in

Things are starting to settle down here. I've figured out how to get around and where things are. (at least the basics). There's a train that runs near my house and stops right near the junior high school, so between that and my bike my transportation needs are for the most part figured out. (although the train costs about $3 each way.) Bryan lives about a mile away on the other side of Asuwa "Mountain" which is really more of a hill. There's a tunnel that takes you right through, which is kind of fun.
My house is is an older neighborhood so the houses and shops around me are in a traditional japanese style, and its literally right at the base of the mountain. I can walk a block down and come to a huge square red archway and a huge steep stone stairway leading up into the maze of paths that wind their way through the jungle to temples, old abandon looking playgrounds, great views of the city and even a zoo! (The picture is the first temple I came upon)
Downtown the buildings are huge, and you can find department stores, restaurants, the train station, convenient stores, and little shops. There's also a mall near my house that is huge, and has a Tully's coffee which I have already visited twice.

At school I'm getting into a routine, although my schedule alternates on even and odd weeks, and some of the other English teachers have a different schedule, so I'm never really sure when I have classes. The classes have been going well, the teacher's styles vary, some follow the textbook more, some are better at getting the students to interact and speak, it's been a mix. But I am learning a lot about what works and what doesn't. Students here can be so shy. Usually no one will raise their hand or volunteer for anything. So it would be interesting to teach in the U.S. after this experience. Also I've been staying after school every day to help a girl prepare for an English speech contest, so I haven't had much free time.

On sunday Bryan and I went to meet our "host family". We signed up for a program that connects JETs to Japanese families for cultural exchange. Our family consists of parents and two sons, one in high school and one in junior high. Only the father and older boy could meet us because the younger one had his sports festival that day. But they are great! They speak English really well, and Akira (host father -see photo) is a neurosurgeon in the ER of a small hospital. He told us if we ever need anything to call which is so nice. His wife is a radiologist in a different hospital. The older boy (Tsuchida) is planning to study in the U.S. next year. Tsuchida has some plans and had to leave but Akira took us to Tojinbo which is a beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean. We got to touch the sea of Japan! Then he took us out to eat at a restaurant. We had soba noodles (which Fukui is famous for) and tempura. It was delicious. He also bought us a traditional sweet treat. It's a rice biscuit with sweet black bean paste filling. We had great conversations with him, he's very nice and well educated, it's a great fit. I look forward to meeting the rest of the family.
That's all for now. Take care.

My New Magical Bike

Sports Day

This weekend at my junior high school there was a culture festival and a sports festival. I didn't have a camera with me for the cultural festival unfortunately, but it included performances by the students like singing, dancing, playing instruments, game show style competitions, and videos. It was fun, but boy was that gym hot.








Then on Sunday, camera in hand I was back for the sports day, which was unlike any sports day in the states. First there was an opening ceremony which included singing, flag raising, speeches, cheer performances, bowing, stretching and even a torch lighting.





































Then the events began. The students were divided into 3 teams, red, yellow and blue and have been practicing hard for the last two weeks. I was assigned to support the red team, and even got my own red bandanna to wear.







This teacher has got some real team spirit.













Among my favorite events were:
the big pants relay












Pole tipping:
where two teams each have a pole with a flag on top and both try to steal the other team's flag. Only boys in this event, no shirts, no shoes.










Hopping bunny, which is based on this Japanese myth in which a rabbit wants to get from one island to another and persuades some crocodiles to let it hop on their backs in exchange for counting to see if the crocodiles are more numerous than the other creatures in the sea. When the crocodiles realize that the rabbit tricked them and had no intention of counting them, they bite off his fur. Girls only in this event.





Good 'ol fashioned chicken fighting, where each team tries to steal the other's hats.












The final scores: go red!














Here's a video of the red teams cheer performance



It was great fun. But I was glad to have monday off. No more 7 day work weeks please!

This friday the teachers are having a party to celebrate a successful festival and to welcome me to Japan!

Daikon

Biking in Fukui

The bikes here are a trip. They are all the same. One speed crusiers. They are so low
to the ground that your legs never get straighter than 90 degrees. At least mine don't.
 They all have a low cross bar so they are extremely easy to get on and off of and
because they are so low you can easily put you foot down flat when you stop. They also
all have a roomy basket in front which I love - it's so convenient - and bell.
They also have this great locking system. You put your key into a slot near the rear
wheel and the bike rolls, take the key out and the rear wheel won't turn. All in all
they are great for a leisurely outing around town. But if you want to go above
about 2 miles per hour they are kind of a pain in the ass. literally. the roads and
sidewalks can be very bumpy. One of the great things though is just how many people
ride bikes. Perhaps the majority are students because they are not old enough to drive,
 but there's also a fair share of older men and women riding around. Many women wear
big hats or visors and long Cinderella style gloves to protect their skin from the sun.
 I think lighter skin is associated with higher class. I find myself among throngs of
other bikers and can hardly contain my excitement. In the states you would never cross
an intersection with a pack of other bikers around you, or find yourself in a line up
in the bike lane. (unless you were unfortunate enough to run into a pack of the spandex/
advertisement covered racing kind). But no, these are everyday people. I recently saw
two young women with short dresses, high heels and extremely fancy hairdos putting
their little purses into their bike baskets. I was giddy! It's like a bike revolution.
except no one here thinks it's revolutionary except me. so for any bikers who feel a
little lonely on the gas guzzling streets of America - picture yourself in Japan
surrounded by school children in uniforms riding their bikes next to you.
Or better yet come visit.