I have been trying to put a faculty band together for the past few weeks. There are many talented teachers at the school and I think it would be neat to get together and perform at some school functions or at some of the many venues around Tokyo. Last night was our third practice and we got a lot done. Celio (the school's Brazilian soccer coach) brought over his recording equipment and drum machine and we were able to record one of Brad's songs (Brad is a 2nd grade teacher) and also record a take of a song Brad Rachel, Justyna and I sing called "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once" (I recommend the movie to anyone who likes music and movies). Hopefully, with a little hard work and luck, we will be able to perform many shows in the spring once we get our repoitoire down.
Really getting into it!
The drum machine
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Drinkable Signs of Atumn
Japan, the country with the most vending machines per-capita in the world, does something very unique every year when fall arrives. In addition to the official "start wearing long-sleeves" day, and the official "close the window day" (every office has one), Japan has an official day when all the vending machines begin to offer hot drinks instead of just the cold drinks that are offered during the summer and spring. Just like everything else in this country which prizes uniformity above all, the switch from cold aloe ball drink to hot corn soup beverage happens virtually over night! So, when I went to get a coke during my break today, oblivious to the changing leaves and cool bite in the air, I was unaware of the arrival of the fall until I saw the red strip underneasth the bottow row of drinks in the vending machine. Usually blue (signifying "cold"), the switch to a red strip meant that now hot milk tea, canned coffee, barley tea, and corn soup beverage are now available! Fall has officially arrived in Japan!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Story of Oden
Now that the air has become crisp in the mornings here in Tokyo, I am starting to see the steaming cauldrons of Oden at every konbini (convienience store) I go to. Oden is a very simple stew that Japanese people eat in the fall and winter. It consists of a varied assortment of items that float in a fish broth and stew there for days. 
The way to eat Oden involved grabbing the floating thingy with chopsticks and dipping in in hot mustard. Oden really refers to the floating things, but there are many many types. Cabbage rolls, fish cakes, sausages, eggs, tofu chunks, fried tofu puffs, konyaku (gelatinized root vegetable), there are literally hundreds of kinds of Oden. My favorite is the cabbage roll one.
So far this year I have made Oden 4 times already. I usually make a fish broth by going to our local fish store (a guy and his elderly parents) who give me bunch of fish heads and scrap pieces for very cheap. I make a broth by cooking those fish parts with onions, soy sauce, mirin (cooking sake), sugar and a dash of sesame oil. After the broth is done, I put in the floaty guys (whichever oden I can get my hands on). Most come pre-made at the supermarket accross the street, but others--like the cabbage rolls and "treasure bags" (tofu pouches stuffed with pork), take some time to make.
Here is my Oden that I made last night!
Most ingredients are available in the States at your local asian food store, especially during this time of year, so I encourage you all to try and make some. Justyna says it reminds her of polish stews, which of course have cabbage rolls that are quite similar. If you would like a tutorial on how to make Oden, check out this amazing online cooking show! Despite what the title may suggest, this is not a show about how to cook dog! The dog is the host of the cooking show!
Check it out!
The way to eat Oden involved grabbing the floating thingy with chopsticks and dipping in in hot mustard. Oden really refers to the floating things, but there are many many types. Cabbage rolls, fish cakes, sausages, eggs, tofu chunks, fried tofu puffs, konyaku (gelatinized root vegetable), there are literally hundreds of kinds of Oden. My favorite is the cabbage roll one. So far this year I have made Oden 4 times already. I usually make a fish broth by going to our local fish store (a guy and his elderly parents) who give me bunch of fish heads and scrap pieces for very cheap. I make a broth by cooking those fish parts with onions, soy sauce, mirin (cooking sake), sugar and a dash of sesame oil. After the broth is done, I put in the floaty guys (whichever oden I can get my hands on). Most come pre-made at the supermarket accross the street, but others--like the cabbage rolls and "treasure bags" (tofu pouches stuffed with pork), take some time to make.
Here is my Oden that I made last night!
Most ingredients are available in the States at your local asian food store, especially during this time of year, so I encourage you all to try and make some. Justyna says it reminds her of polish stews, which of course have cabbage rolls that are quite similar. If you would like a tutorial on how to make Oden, check out this amazing online cooking show! Despite what the title may suggest, this is not a show about how to cook dog! The dog is the host of the cooking show!
Check it out!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My New Gaijin Hero
Being a Gaijin in Japan is a very strange experience. Some days you feel like Leonardo DeCaprio must feel when he walks into the Cannes film festival: popular, sexually objectified, uber-cool. Japanese women want you and Japanese men want to drink with you. Other days you feel like Sammy Davis Jr. must have felt when he entertained down in the Mississippi clubs: unsure if the good-ol'-boys are laughing with you or at you. Children stare at you in a way that is normally reserved for zoo animals or pets.
As exotic members of the fringe, gaijin can get away with many things that normal Japanese can't, but gaijin can be discriminated against and talked down to in subtle ways as well. For example, although I love my dry-cleaning lady to death, she always addresses me as though I am a 12-year-old boy. When I ask her what time I can pick up my cloths, she always says: "Oh my, you can speak Japanese so well, aren't you a clever boy!" This type of patronizing treatment wears on you after a while. After 7 years of attempting to perfect my Japanese, the kind of recognition someone like me really wants is no recognition. Blending in means I have achieved my goal. But Gaijin will always be recognized in one way or another. For me I am content with this arrangement. I can play along and endure the occasional condescension or discrimination if it means I can camp for free, get special treatment at bars/restaurants, summon all the firemen from the entire ward without any repercussions, etc. Nonetheless, like all gaijin, I have some resentment in the back of my mind.
It is because of this latent disgruntlement that gaijin always love it when they hear about one of their kind "sticking it to the man" in Japan. "Did you hear about John's scam where he photo-copied his friend's train pass and used the subway free of charge for a year?! What a concept!" "Hey, did you hear about Mary? She puts all five categories of garbage in the same unofficial bag and just throws it in the neighborhood bin! She never gets caught, its so cool!"...These types of comments are often heard at gaijin gatherings. Entire mythologies are built around gaijin heroes who beat the Japanese system through their own gaijin cunning. I remember a story that was circulating back in Kagoshima when I was teaching down there. Apparently this British English teacher a few years earlier was stopped for speeding (50 kmph over speed limit) and he avoided getting a ticket by telling the officer: "Nihon wo taberu..." which means: "I eat Japan...." I guess the officer thought that, judging by this bizarre statement, the British guy was so bad at Japanese that it wasn't worth the headache of going through the paperwork to write him a ticket! That British teacher, for beating the system in such a charming way, was immortalized as a local hero for years after that within the Kagoshima gaijin community.
...Which brings me to my most recent gaijin hero: "The Naked Briton"
Yesterday, a British tourist stuck it to the man in a very creative way: He swam naked in the moat of the the Japanese Imperial Palace!!! (see article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1071811/Pictured-Naked-Briton-arrested-going-swim-Tokyos-sacred-Imperial-Palace-moat.html )
I have often thought what it would be like to swim in that dark, cold moat, but I never thought I would see a gaijin actually doing it! The authorities reported that they were "checking the mental status" of the Naked Briton, but every gaijin knows that he is probably just a stable, healthy gaijin who wanted to go for a dip. Needless to say, he will no doubt be immortalized as a hero of the gaijin community for years to come. Gaijin need these kinds of heroes to remind them that they are not alone in feeling the urge to throw a wrench into the "efficient system" of Japan, a system that both elevates and belittles us foreigners simultaneously. Way to go "Naked Briton"!
As exotic members of the fringe, gaijin can get away with many things that normal Japanese can't, but gaijin can be discriminated against and talked down to in subtle ways as well. For example, although I love my dry-cleaning lady to death, she always addresses me as though I am a 12-year-old boy. When I ask her what time I can pick up my cloths, she always says: "Oh my, you can speak Japanese so well, aren't you a clever boy!" This type of patronizing treatment wears on you after a while. After 7 years of attempting to perfect my Japanese, the kind of recognition someone like me really wants is no recognition. Blending in means I have achieved my goal. But Gaijin will always be recognized in one way or another. For me I am content with this arrangement. I can play along and endure the occasional condescension or discrimination if it means I can camp for free, get special treatment at bars/restaurants, summon all the firemen from the entire ward without any repercussions, etc. Nonetheless, like all gaijin, I have some resentment in the back of my mind.
It is because of this latent disgruntlement that gaijin always love it when they hear about one of their kind "sticking it to the man" in Japan. "Did you hear about John's scam where he photo-copied his friend's train pass and used the subway free of charge for a year?! What a concept!" "Hey, did you hear about Mary? She puts all five categories of garbage in the same unofficial bag and just throws it in the neighborhood bin! She never gets caught, its so cool!"...These types of comments are often heard at gaijin gatherings. Entire mythologies are built around gaijin heroes who beat the Japanese system through their own gaijin cunning. I remember a story that was circulating back in Kagoshima when I was teaching down there. Apparently this British English teacher a few years earlier was stopped for speeding (50 kmph over speed limit) and he avoided getting a ticket by telling the officer: "Nihon wo taberu..." which means: "I eat Japan...." I guess the officer thought that, judging by this bizarre statement, the British guy was so bad at Japanese that it wasn't worth the headache of going through the paperwork to write him a ticket! That British teacher, for beating the system in such a charming way, was immortalized as a local hero for years after that within the Kagoshima gaijin community.
...Which brings me to my most recent gaijin hero: "The Naked Briton"
Yesterday, a British tourist stuck it to the man in a very creative way: He swam naked in the moat of the the Japanese Imperial Palace!!! (see article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1071811/Pictured-Naked-Briton-arrested-going-swim-Tokyos-sacred-Imperial-Palace-moat.html )
I have often thought what it would be like to swim in that dark, cold moat, but I never thought I would see a gaijin actually doing it! The authorities reported that they were "checking the mental status" of the Naked Briton, but every gaijin knows that he is probably just a stable, healthy gaijin who wanted to go for a dip. Needless to say, he will no doubt be immortalized as a hero of the gaijin community for years to come. Gaijin need these kinds of heroes to remind them that they are not alone in feeling the urge to throw a wrench into the "efficient system" of Japan, a system that both elevates and belittles us foreigners simultaneously. Way to go "Naked Briton"!
Monday, October 6, 2008
No Reservations
Two weekends ago the new teachers and Regis ventured out into the unknown. We rented the school's van and headed south to the Izu peninsula. We had no reservations at a hotel and no real plan. Our only goal was to find a beach. I had been to the southern part of the the Izu peninsula (Shimoda) as a kid and I remembered how beautiful it was. So this time we headed for the western part of the peninsula where there aren't many roads or train lines, expecting the beaches there to be even more spectacular and untouched.
The day started off rainy as Justyna and I traveled around suburban Tokyo picking up Regis (at the station), Brenden, Brad, Rachel, and Trisha (an elementary teacher who was new last year). By the time we were all loaded up, it was still only 8:30 or so. After a confusing stop at Starbucks during which a caramel frapuccino (grande size) was somehow lost in translation, we finally got on the road. Justyna turned out to be one of the fastest drivers the TOmei expressway has ever seen. I was trying to tune into the presidential debates on my I-phone and I lost track of the road. We missed our exit.
The sky was still overcast when we pulled into McDonald's at around 10:45. We were all a bit peckish and many of us wanted to try the "moon-viewing burger" which is this new, limited-edition burger from McDonalds (September is "moon-viewing" season in Japan). The burger consists of a hamburger paddie with an egg on top of it, cheese, bacon, and special sauce. It kind of tastes like those lazy Sunday evenings when you decide to cook breakfast at night.
After that pitstop we made good time down the peninsula. It was chilly and cold as we ascended the central mountains of the Izu, but when we got to the west side it became warm and sunny. We quickly found a nice cove with a sandy beach and went for a swim. I invented what I call a "Kentuckiana Cooler" (cardboard box lined with two trashbags, filled with ice) and so cold beverages were plentiful as we swam.
We notices that there was an expensive campsite beside the beach so we set up our tents a few meters outside the campsite and it magically became free! Gaijin know these things. It was probably "against the rules" to swim after the close of swimming season and the campfire we created was probably also not kosher, but the rule of thumb here is: Do it and play dumb if the authorities show up (see articles entitled: "Kajiiiiiii!").
Well, the authorities did show up, during the middle of our inebriated rendition of "Hey Jude." Everyone was singing at the top of their' lungs, Brad was on his African drum, and many people were percussing with sticks and bottles. Two bashful police officers suddenly became visible in the firelight. We all played dumb with impressive skill. It was almost as though playing dumb was second nature to us all. No one let on that any of us spoke Japanese, and we peppered them with positive comments about Japan and life as a gaijin--classic strategy. "We love Japan!,".... "We are teachers in Tokyo!" .... "We love Tokyo!".... "Japanese beaches are so nice!," we were working the cops like a squad of veteran gypsies! At the end of our crescendo of English positivity, the police told us that the fire was a "bit bright" (bright fires are apparently a big problem in this part of Japan), they told us to be careful and left (the typical response of the authorities to this kind of play-dumb strategy).
The next day was wonderful. I woke up early and started a fire. The ocean was still misty and everyone on the beach was still asleep. Justyna woke up soon after and we boiled some water for my french press. The coffee that morning was one of the best cups I've had in a long time.
The drive home was an adventure. We took these narrow roads up some of the highest mountains on the peninsula. There were also some interesting engineering marvels to behold. For example, there was a corkscrew-shaped highway connector that took you straight up a sheer cliff! Regis was fascinated by this and it is the only video he has posted of the entire trip!
NEW FOOTAGE OF THE TRIP BY REGIS!!
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