Short Stories About Food March 30, 2008

Well I feel weird not writing for a while, so here are some “short stories”.

I went out to dinner the other night to a sushi restaurant. Apparently it was a really popular shop. It was kind of neat, actually. We sat at a sort of “bar” and you could see the chefs preparing the meals just over the counter. Now before I continue, I will explain the typical Japanese meal. It always starts with you cleaning your hands on a hot or cold wet towel. You always do this BEFORE the meal and you keep the towel nearby to wipe your hands on throughout the meal. Then you are served a variety of dishes. The portions can be large or small, but there is always a LOT of food either way. The Japanese eat an ungodly amount of food and they do it FAST. I have no idea how they consume so much food so fast. So anyway, we basically received a number of dishes. It started with some sort of unknown meat…I think it was from one of those snapping shell thing? Not sure, anyway, after that I had some small pieces of beef and some beef sushi (sushi means vinegar rice, NOT RAW MEAT). The beef here is very fatty and chewy. Mama and Papa ate various seafood dishes, of which I tried squid and eel. Eel tasted rather revolting. The squid was extremely chewy and I actually had to swallow it whole. It had no taste as far as I could tell. After that we had tempura, which was really good. I ate soramame beans, sweet potatoe, some strange vegetable (I believe it to be lotus root), and shrimp! I actually liked the shrimp. We were also served thin slices of ginger. Those were good too. I think that my host family is friends with the shop owner, because after the meal, I was ordered to get a picture with him….And then I was informed that he was single. Not sure what they were implying there….

You might have heard that Japan is a very expensive country to live in. As far as I can tell, it’s true. I go grocery shopping with my host mother nearly every day. A single apple costs around 150 yen, about $1.50 Canadian. A single mango is close to $5.oo. Food is so expensive, it’s ridiculous. Meat and fish seem to be around the same prices more or less. I think it is possible to find cheap clothes, but costs must add up with the amount of shoes required to live in Japan. I have FOUR PAIRS of shoes for school alone!

I went to cooking “school” with Mama the other day (she calls it school, but it’s more like a club). It was kind of interesting, aside from the awkwardness of not having ANY clue what was going on and sitting there cluelessly while they all laughed at jokes. They also spent FOREVER going over the menu and I almost fell asleep. I did get to help cook a bit though. Well, all I really did was stuff like pick leaves off of plants, cut things, etc. Unfortunately I didn’t like most of the food we cooked. There was a chicken and orange dressing salad, rice, seaweed soup, Japanese pickles, mochi wrapped in sakura leaves, and bamboo. I really only liked the salad. The pickles kind of tasted like paint. That was rather revolting.

 

Life as Usual March 28, 2008

Not much to say, just been living life as usual recently. So here`s some bullet points with interesting facts.

• Went to cooking school with Mama yesterday. I didn`t really like the food. We ate chicken salad with orange dressing (mmm), seaweed soup, rice, mochi wrapped in sakura leave, some sort of jelly
• This morning I ate aloe flavoured yogurt for breakfast
• I really lik Japanese baths
• I have only used chopsticks about 4 times since I`ve arrived
• Last night Papa made okonomiyaki for supper. It had the same sauce as the takoyaki, so I tried hard to eat it but couldn`t
• I should hopefully be getting internet on my laptop soon! I need to buy a LAN cable, which may or may not happen today
• I got my personal sea with my name in katakana on it
• I`m visiting Amy`s host family on the 1st
• We`re going to Osaka Aquarium on the 6th
• I just ate raw egg mixed with rice for lunch. It kind of tasted like metal keys.
• I have been stared and pointed at by Japanese children in the supermarket

Updates! March 27, 2008

Okay, so I updated (finally)!

I backdated the entries, so you can find them listed as March 22nd, 23rd, and 26th.

Enjoy!

P.S., just a notice, pictures are on my Facebook.

School Orientation March 26, 2008

So I’ve been sick with a cold lately, hence the lack of writing. But it’s okay because I haven’t been doing much anyway. On Monday I went with Mama to run some errands. I stopped at the post office and mailed some post cards and I went and got my photo taken and registered for my Gaijin card. I also cooked dinner! I wasn’t exactly sure if I was interpreting correctly, so it was kind of on the spot, but I made rosemary chicken. I’m pretty sure that’s the first real recipe I learned.

On Tuesday, I was super sick, so I basically laid on the couch consuming Kleenex all day. I made Montreal steak for Mama and Papa. They just loved it.

Today was orientation at school. I thought it would be a big school-wide event, but no, it was just me and Mama in a conference room with a bunch of scary ladies. It was even more scary because we were late and then we couldn’t find the room….Oops.

Anyway, basically I found out that I’m going to be in class 1-B (First year, Ichinensei, 10^th grade, whathaveyou) and that my class trip that’s being paid for is to go to Lake Biwa….There is one other exchange student who is in 2^nd year and is going to Korea!!! What the heck! How is that fair??

Anyway, we’re in the “international course”. We take 6 classes in Japanese, a couple electives (I chose calligraphy and Korean [ hoping they’ll let me go on the trip]), and have a few self-study and private Japanese lesson periods. School starts at 8:30am and ends around 4:00-4:30pm. There are 7 classes on weekdays and 4 classes on Saturday.

After discussing this, I was taken by two ladies (whose names I’ve forgotten) to get my school bag, shoes (I needed 3 pairs), and my winter uniform. I’m pretty sure my skirt goes down to my ankles. Yeah, that’ll get rolled.

After orientation, Mama and I went to a shopping center and bought socks for school, groceries, and cough drops for my cold.

That’s about it for today! I’ll spend the rest of the day lounging around, studying Japanese, and eating. After dinner I’ll watch TV while Mama cleans up and then I’ll take a bath and go to bed.

Still Alive March 26, 2008

Just want to let you all know that I`m still alive…Barely

I seem to have acquired a cold, but Mama is really (over) affectionate and has been checking my temperature every day. She bought me some cough drops today too. I think I`ve used up half their kleenex.

Had my orientaton today. It was scary. Turns out that my school trip is to Lake Biwa (In Japan) because I`m going into 1st grade…The other exchange student is going to Korea because they`re in 2nd grade!!! Ahhh, I`m so upset!

I`m taking caliigraphy and Korean as electives.

I`ll write more later and I promise to upload my other entries soon!

In Osaka March 24, 2008

Hey everyone!

I just want to say thanks to everyone who commented

I made it safely to Izumi. I`ve been here for a few days now. I have some looong entries typed up on my laptop, but since I`m currently using my family`s computer, it may be a little while until I get them up here (involves transfer via USB stick).

Overall, things are good. Amy is closeby and my host sister is away in Australia for 2 weeks. I start school April 8th.

I`ll try and upload my entries soon! Stay tuned!

Osaka-Jo March 23, 2008

I woke up at my usual time (6am), amazing how even though I have jetlag, I can still wake up at the exact same time every morning. Then again, I did train myself to do that starting in Tokyo. Anyway, I got dressed, etc. and went downstairs at around 8….only to find Gon, the dog. I guess Mama and Papa were still asleep. So I hung out in my room until 9:30, and then I went downstairs.

We ate breakfast, which was scrambled eggs, toast with orange marmalade, bacon, ham, yogurt, and strawberries. It was good. And oddly enough, we ate with knives and forks.

After breakfast we hung around for a while. I called mum. Around 11 or so, we left.

We stopped at this GIANT electronics store called Midori (green) to buy me a new camera. It was seriously like 4 floors. And it was really noisy and loud and crowded inside. The way it works is that you take a little card with the name of what you’re buying on it and pay for it. Then you go downstairs to the warehouse part and they give you what you’ve bought. It’s kind of like Ikea, I guess.

Anyway, I bought an Olympus so that my card and battery would work. It was around $230. And it’s pink. And apparently shock proof. Which is something I apparently need.

With camera in hand, we drove to Osaka to go to Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle). We drove around in circles for a while, trying to find a parking place. FINALLY, we found a place (after being kicked out of another) and we walked to the castle. The park area surrounding the castle is really neat. There are all sorts of people playing music, walking, having picnics, playing sports, showing off skills, etc.

 

 

We went into the castle, which is all re-done on the inside to be modern. You take the elevator up to the 5^th floor and then take the stairs up to the 8^th floor, where there is an observatory deck. Then you do the tour going downstairs a floor at a time. The exhibits had a bunch of paintings and murals. Interesting, but kind of repetitive. The coolest part was at the end when there was a giant tiger, flower, and fish taken from the castle’s outdoor walls which you could pose with and take a picture. You could also dress up in cool samurai clothes, etc.

After the tour, Mama bought me postcards. So I’ll be sending those out. We walked down the stairs and saw this growing crowd of people. Mama walked over and I said, “Nani? What is it?” and it turns out there was this guy with a pet MONKEY. Yeah. And the kids were all petting it. Turns out the monkey’s name was Ryuuji and he did tricks! Once enough people were gathered, the guy got his monkey to bow, sit in seiza position, ride around on a ball, jump over fences (really high ones!), and walk around and do back flips on stilts. Yeah, that monkey was pretty awesome.

After watching the monkey for like ½ an hour, Mama and I found Papa, who had bought some Takoyaki (squid inside pastry). I could smell it and already was dreading it. But I ate it. And gagged. Twice. It kind of tasted like the way a dirty, fishy river smells. And the squid was really chewy. I’m fairly certain I felt a suction cup. The only way I downed it was with giant mouthfuls of grape Fanta (I was smart and bought this before hand). After I downed the takoyaki, I tried dango, which are warm, chewy balls on a stick made from rice powder. They were really sweet and tasted…different. I didn’t finish. I ate about 5 tictacs to cover up the taste. So that was interesting.

After eating, we walked back to the car and went home. I slept the whole way. We got home and Papa and I immediately went to the couch, lay down, and went to sleep for 1 hour. Papa woke me up around 6pm and we drove to dinner, which was this little Italian joint called Evan’s. I had pasta with meat sauce and margarita pizza. It was really good.

After dinner we drove home and I used the computer for a bit. Then I took a bath and watched some TV in the bath. I find that I can’t really handle the heat of the bath, though. I feel like I’m going to pass out. So I took a quick bath and now I’m off to bed! Oyasuminasai!

Going to Osaka March 22, 2008

So I woke up at 5am and took a shower early, because I was planning on calling Thomas before breakfast. However, turned out that he was at junior choir (I should’ve known, but I forgot) and so I went to breakfast (typical rice, fruit, bun, grape juice) and then called him afterwards. Had a nice chat with him and then went upstairs to finish packing and then went back downstairs to gather in the foyer.
Everyone was there, and at around 9:30 the 12 of us taking the Shinkansen left. We walked for about 5 minutes or so and came to a train station. We took so many trains, I can’t even remember, but I think we got off at Shinjuku and then switched trains and then got off at Tokyo. The stations were really busy and scary!!! In Tokyo we were let loose to buy an obento (lunch box) and Amy and I almost got lost while looking for a bathroom. In Tokyo I found a really cute bakey and bought a doughnut and two taiyaki (fish cookies filled with red bean paste).
AND WE BOUGHT POKEMON BENTO BOXES!!! Then we all went upstairs to the platform and gathered to wait for the train.
The train ride was actually a lot shorter than I thought it would feel. It was really fast, but really smooth. There were also vending machines on the Shinkansen. And apparently you can turn the seats around? I don’t know, no one did it…
Eventually, me, Amy, Luke, and Andrew were the only ones left. We finally arrived at Shin-Osaka station and almost immediately were met by a crowd of host families. My host mother, Michiko (I call her Mama) was there waiting for me. I waved goodbye to Amy, but ironically enough we travelled together pretty much all of the way! Her host mother and Mama chatted the whole way (and I’m pretty sure they were using us as bragging rights) so I’m pretty sure they’re good friends. Actually, Mama used to go to Tezukayama (my host school) and Amy’s host sister, Minami, goes there now. As does Eri, my host sister. So it’s a big happy family and we didn’t even have to do anything! Also, apparently our two families are going together to Universal Studios Japan on May 12th.
After switching trains a bunch of times (Took a little over 1 hour) and saying goodbye to Amy at the previous stop, Mama and I got off the train. We were going to take the bus home, but it didn’t come until 18:00 and it was 15:30. So we took a taxi.
I live in a sort of subdivision, in a pretty nice house. I’m fairly certain my host parents are rich. The house is built into a hill and has a front lawn that is about 2×6 square feet. At home to greet us was the dog, Gon (aka Gon Gon or Gon-chan). He’s an ADORABLE shiba inu and he’s really small and fat and does tricks.
I went over some stuff (stupid action plan and quiz) and talked with Mama for a while. Then Papa came home and around 6 we went for dinner. We drove up the mountain (well, one of the many mountains) to a Japanese –style barbeque restaurant. Inside was very smokey, and it was traditional style, so you take off your shoes and then step onto a raised platform which has a big hole in the middle for the table and your legs. I ate sooo much meat. I also believe I ate cow tongue and uncooked chicken. Yeah, it was great. My eyes started hurting from the smoke, though. I also tried a tiny, tiny sip of green tea, but we randomly left and it was too hot to drink at the time.
Then we drove to a supermarket and randomly went grocery shopping. The carts here are little wheeled frames and you put the basket (normal sized, like ours) inside the frame and then drive it around.
Then we went home. I emailed mum and then was told to go have a bath (Japanese are very into that). I got Mama to show me how to use the bath and then I went at it. And OMG the bath has a TV in it!! Crazy. Also, it’s pretty cool, the water drains into the floor.
So I survived the bath experience and went upstairs to go to bed. I then had an interesting toilet experience, where I discovered that the toilet flushes itself (after searching for the flusher handle).
From what I can understand, we’re going to Osaka-jo (Osaka castle) tomorrow. Monday I’m going to get pictures taken for my Gaijin card. Apparently I’m also getting a bank account and a cell phone.

My host family seems nice enough. They’re really kind and make sure I’m taken care of. Eri is actually in Australia for 2 weeks right now. Lucky girl. The house is kind of scary though. It’s the kind of place where you’re afraid to touch anything because everything is arranged just right and is spotlessly clean.

Tokyo Day 4 March 21, 2008

This morning I actually let my alarm go off because for the first time I was in bed at 6am.

Went through the normal morning routine; breakfast was rice and fruit.

At 9am we had this manners lecture, which was pretty fun. We learned proper greetings, bows, how to eat with chopsticks, how to set your place at the table, etc. There was also a pretty funny skit and a chopstick game where we had to pick up Smarties and move them from one plate to another. It was hard!!

Then we did this stupid quiz thing that basically tested us on all our knowledge thus far. After that was lunch. But Amy and I skipped lunch, and instead we called out boyfriends and ate some snacks (I had melon ice cream, she had jello) in the “tea corner” on the first floor.

After lunch was our dreaded Japanese lesson, HOWEVER..! I had a new teacher today who was very genki (energetic)! I think I only yawned three times! No sleeping!

At 5:00 we went to supper, and I tried this chicken curry, but it was spicy!! I can’t handle the spice (it’s sad, really).

After supper was this all-exchanger meeting thing. We had to each present our action plans (these ridiculous plans on how we’re going to be good exchange students) and then they told us all how we were going to get to our host families. 12 of us are taking the train tomorrow, but only 4 of us (me, Amy, Andrew, Luke) are going to Shin Osaka station.

After THAT were the last of the interviews, which was me, Corinne, Amy, Hayden, Raph, and Matty. I was third, I think. Anyway, they told me a lot of stuff I already knew, but they also told me that

1. my school is PAYING FOR MY SCHOOL TRIP!!!

2. my host family is only hosting me for 3 months due to “personal reasons”

3. my host sister will go to the same school as me

4. it takes 45 minutes to get to my school

5. my host school has an orientation on the 26th and starts april 8th

6. i get japanese lessons at my school

They also asked me about ASSE, and I think they weren’t impressed (with good reason!). They also asked me to speak Japanese. Ahh, it was scary! I tried?

After that, Matty, Raph, Amy, and I walked around being noisy and having fun. Then Amy and I went to my room, but after maybe 1/2 an hour there was a knock on my door and everyone was there. We all went downstairs for pictures, which was fun until Matty dropped my camera and BROKE IT!!! Ahh!! I kind of freaked out, but I felt really bad. It can’t take normal pictures anymore, but I’m hoping what I’m seeing is just a screen malfunction rather than a camera malfunction….I won’t know until I get to Osaka, though.

So tomorrow is our last day! I’m excited to leave!

Tokyo Day 3 March 20, 2008

Let’s see, what did I do yesterday…?

Went to breakfast and ate my new staple of rice and fruit. I’m loving this new diet, by the way. Well, it’s really healthy, but I am going to gain about 127214384 pounds from eating so much rice. I still don’t understand how Japanese are so thin! They eat SO MUCH FOOD!!!

After breakfast we went to a cultural lecture. The lady giving the lecture was pretty hilarious. She taught us this random song about a pig, raccoon, fox, and cat and the sounds the make (different in Japanese).  Then we made origami boats. Well, actually I failed and one of the other ladies made it for me hahaha. After that we got into groups based on our boat color. I was orange and was with Amanda (Canadian, from Ottawa actually!!!), Thanh (Australia), Keith (Canadian, from Lindsey), and Piraya (Thailand). We had to do this weird personal bubble thing to fill out with things we wanted to do in Japan and then we did one of those stuck on an island scenarios. Not sure what any of it had to do with Japanese culture, but it was fun. Thanh’s really funny.

When that was over it was time for lunch. Amy and I have been having a hard time with homesickness though, so we skipped lunch. Instead we hung out in my room until 1.

At 1 we walked over to the center building again for the dreaded Japanese lesson. Amy dreads it because she’s bad at Japanese and the teacher doesn’t really help her. I dread it because my teacher is old and boring and I get extreme tiredness from jet lag around that time of day.

I was in a semi-coma state for most of the Japanese lesson.  When it finally ended at 4:30, there were angels singing. Amy and I debated over whether or not we wanted to go to dinner, and decided to go anyway (we haven’t been hungry lately…). I ate a bowl of rice and fruit. It was the first time I finished everything on my plate.

We had free time again in the evening, so  Amy and I hung out in my room until 9pm watching strange Japanese TV. We are having a hard time with jet lag, so it was a real challenge to stay up past 7:30. I haven’t talked to her yet this morning, but I still woke up at 2am. Actually I woke up at 1am, 2am, 4am, and 5am. I did manage to stay in bed until 6am, though. I’m proud of myself.

I’m sick of jet lag.

I’m sick of Tokyo.

I want to go home