In March my neighbour's wife planned a surprise party for his birthday. She decided to have it at this well-known Mongolian restaurant near where we live.
When you first approach the restaurant it is a little disconcerting as it appears to be not only empty or closed, but not well kept. However, that is the shop below the restaurant. Apparently the owners are actual Mongolians and so they decided to set up the restaurant as a traditional Mongolian "tent". It was a clothed dome with intricate fabrics throughout; once inside the shady outside was quickly, and thankfully, forgotten.
There were traditional Mongolian outfits lining the walls of the tent and we soon found out that they intended for us all to wear them!
(Jon and Mai dressed up in traditional Mongolian outfits)
The food was really interesting and from what I heard from the others, quite delicious (it was mostly lamb and other non-chicken meats and therefore taboo for Jon). They had a unique selection of drinks, one of which included "horse milk" (whatever that really entails!--I did try it, though. It was really... sweet, yet salty).
(Sample of the food that was served)
Afterwards we all sang songs in Mongolian while they passed around a communal horn shaped cup for each person to take a drink from. There were other groups not with the party in the restaurant but we all got along really well together.
(Mongolian song with communal horn cup)
In fact, at one point, the owners insisted that the birthday boy dress up like a warrior lord and two others (one from our group and one poor, unsuspecting Japanese guy) dress up as what appears to be his servant boys.
(Andrew, decked out in the warrior lord outfit, busting a move)
(Dante and the random Japanese guy in the "servant" outfits")
Finally, it was time to move the celebrations downtown but not before a group of Japanese girls asked to take their picture with me in exchange for some free baseball game tickets.
To say that a lot has been happening would be a grave understatement; however, I must confess, and with some embarrassment, that the true reason behind my nonexistent posting is nought but my own fault.
With the seemingly limitless posting opportunities one would surmise "getting started" would be a simple task. Sadly, it has been incredibly daunting and has left me postulating where to "begin" for days.
March marked the end of the fiscal year in Japan which is also tied into their school year (unlike Western countries where the school year typically ends near June). Not only were there exams and final classes, but there were good-bye parties and subsequent welcoming parties. And that's not forgetting the class-match! So, to commemorate (and consolidate posts!) this entry will be dedicated to the end-of-the-year events.
About twice a year (once near the beginning and then again near the end) the whole school participates in a "class-match". At my school, this meant that the girls and the boys were involved in different sports "show-downs" depending upon their grade.
I was in charge of the 1st year girls' basketball tournament. Now, for those of you under the impression that Japanese girls are docile, petite, polite, or even submissive you have obviously never seen them play basketball! The ferocity with which they attacked the ball was astonishing and, at times, down right scary.
(This video fails to convey the true intensity of the match)
Meanwhile, the boys were more controlled (I never thought I would say that!) and demonstrated their abilities in either Judo or Kendo. One of my teachers explained that lessons in Judo or Kendo are required by law for students in Junior and Senior High as part of their Physical education curriculum.
(Two First year boys fence off in a Kendo match)
After I finally learned how the point system works, I was extremely impressed!
(Two First year boys having a Judo match)
The class-match went on for two days and the ending ceremony coincided with the unofficial "end-of-term". That night there were several parties for the teachers of each grade level to celebrate a job well done for the year.
As I am part of the first year teachers I attended their "enkai" ("party"). We went to a "nabe" restaurant ("nabe" is Japanese for "pot" and that's a fairly apt description). Essentially there is some form of meat (usually chicken) and then vegetables. There are many variations depending on where in Japan you are eating it!
The food was delicious, especially as the restaurant owners not only cooked in front of us, but they also joined us for a drink or two!
(Preparing the "nabe")
This was the first (and for some teachers the last) time I really got to speak with my colleagues. All of their professional "walls" were dropped and we were free to joke and speak mangled Japanese or English. Even though things returned to normal the following Monday at school, it was good for me to know that they are interesting human beings and not just (what seems like) workaholics.
(Lena & Jon Standing by Ume blossoms and a statue just outside the Dazaifu shrine)
Close to where I live there is a Shinto shrine called, Dazaifu tenmangu. At this time of year the "ume" or plum trees blossom and the area is decorated by their white and pink buds. My ALT friends from Hawaii, Lauren and Lena, decided we should take a day trip to see the trees as this only occurs for about one week each year.
(Ume or Plum tree in bloom)
Although the shrine is hardly a half an hour drive from my house, as none of us drive, we had to take the train system there. This involved multiple transfers and, at first, heading in the complete opposite direction! It was so complicated, in fact, that at one point we got lost and had to ask for directions. Sadly, the people that we spoke to were even more lost than we were, although they didn't inform us of this at the time...
(Lots of people heading toward the Dazaifu tenmangu)
Regardless of the slight hiccup at the beginning we, eventually, made it. As it was a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon there were hoards of people, young and old, making their way to enjoy the sights.
(The Dazaifu Shrine)
The original shrine dates back to as early as 905, however certain portions were demolished, destroyed and then reconstructed.
(A pond near the Shrine, there were fake turtles on the small island in the middle)
We were lucky in that there were numerous ladies dressed in traditional kimonos (which made for perfect picture opportunities!) Also, I was really excited when we were able to witness a traditional Shinto wedding. The couple could not have asked for a more lovely day.
(Lena & Jon with ladies in kimonos)
(Shinto wedding. The bride is wearing the white and red outfit and the groom is wearing the black and grey robes and dress/pants)
The Dazaifu Shrine is a place to worship the god of scholarship, Tenjin. As it was the peak of exam time in Japan, students from all over the country were praying for good results on their tests.
(Students of all ages praying for good test results)
As it is the year of the cow, there were many different charms for good fortune in the New Year. There was even a statue that you could rub in order to receive good luck!
(Charm celebrating the year of the cow)
(Lauren & Jon rubbing the cow statue for good luck!)
Also, as with most Shinto shrines, worshippers could draw a fortune, either good or bad, and then tie it to this wall of strings. The belief is that if you receive a good fortune, tying it to the string will help it to occur and if you had a bad one, tying it to the string keeps it from following you home.
(A Lady tying her fortune to the wall of strings)
Apparently, when you first go to enter the main area of the shrine it is important to wash your hands; however, we did not know this and only found out as we were leaving...oops!
(Shrine visitors washing their hands before entering the main complex)
Finally we decided to settle down in a grassy area and enjoy a picnic (thanks to Subway sandwiches). It was great sitting outside in the sun, and even though there were a lot of people, it was still so tranquil and serene. A very calming experience. Obviously my presence as the only non-Asian in the immediate area did cause quite a stir, resulting in everyone having a good stare as they passed me. Lena and Lauren (who are Japanese by heritage, but American by everything else) had a good time laughing at my attempts to feed the natives candy.
(Lauren & Lena setting up for the picnic)
Finally, we finished with a trip to the Kyushu National Museum. We went to the main exhibit which was a detailed history of Japan in the context of its Asian influences (anywhere from Vietnam to the Mongols!) and also to the Okinawa and Kyushu art exhibit. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take any pictures but it was a history lesson during which I was wide awake!
(A serene view leading up to the Kyushu National Museum)
It was a very culturally insightful day and one that I won't forget. And, don't worry, getting home was much easier!!
Just like in Canada and the US, Japanese students and teachers have a winter vacation but unlike their Western counterparts, the Japan winter holiday is based around the New Year. This year, the holiday ran from the 27th of December until the 8th of January.
With all this time off, my friend Alana (who is an ALT with the JET programme in Kochi prefecture) and I thought it would be a good idea to do some travelling. As we both had close friends teaching English in Seoul, it seemed like the logical choice (it also helped that the Yen was incredibly strong to the Won at the time--nothing better than making a profit in a money exchange!)
As Alana lives in a different prefecture without an international airport we had to schedule our trip around her being able to make it to Fukuoka. From the 27th until the 31st of December we spent our time exploring the downtown area (Hakata-Tenjin) and shopping/eating out until our feet and stomachs nearly exploded.
After some... bureaucratic difficulties, we were able to leave Fukuoka for Seoul on December 31st. The flight was amazing; not only were the flight attendants supermodels, but they also spoke Korean, Japanese and English (and probably Chinese!) with effortless fluency. The in-air time of the flight is extremely short--so short that immediately after take-off the flight attendants were dashing around, trying to serve the meal and clear it up before we landed.
In total the flight was a mere 51 minutes. An hour if you factor in taxing around the airport!
(Alana and I in the Fukuoka airport, relieved we were able to make our flight to Seoul)
Alana's friend Erin met us at the Incheon International airport and escorted us (via some very fancy subway systems--including bum warming seats!) to her apartment. The first night was fairly uneventful, due to our being tired and not getting there until suppertime anyway. We did venture out for some food (quelle surprise), which was an experience. In that, none of us had any idea what the waitress/bar-maid(??) was saying.
After some confusion and items on the menu that apparently you are not ACTUALLY able to order, we ended up with this absolutely delicious traditional Korean meal. Tragically, because it was all in Korea, I have no idea what it is called. However, I will say that it was spicy. Very spicy.
(Our spicy meal was... very spicy)
The next day we pottered around Seoul, trying to take it all in (a city of 20+ million people is ... slightly overwhelming...). Eventually we made our way to the Gyeongbokgung (the Gyeongbok palace, of which there are actually 5 in one compound).
(The entrance to the over 500 building palace)
(The private meeting place of the king which used to be obscured by large walls and was only accessible to the upper echelon of the king's court)
It was exquisite. Truly. In the middle of this extremely busy, metropolitan city is this sanctuary of past times. Although a lot of it has been reconstructed (due to damage caused by Japanese invasions), the feeling and serenity of the palaces remain intact.
After that we spent a couple of days purely shopping. It seemed to us that Korea was the warehouse of Asia; underground markets and non-descript vendors littered the streets. It was hard to walk half an inch without hearing a sales pitch or being led by the arm to view some more tantalizing merchandise.
While we all suffered casualties to our wallets, it was a worth-while experience in haggling/acquiring new things.
One of the most interesting discoveries is that Korea has essentially no copyright laws and so their dvds and books are all significantly cheaper than in the Western hemisphere. Indeed, we even found textbooks from our university years at a mere 25% of the cost that we paid...
Another interesting thing about Korean malls is that they are rated based on their foodcourts. We went to this fancy looking mall, and decided to take a break and find something to eat. There was an escalator leading up to the food court floor at the top of the building and waiting for us were two ladie on either side of the exit. The moment we became visible they started screaming. And yelling. And pointing. Trying to get us to go to their restaurant. Well, this happened with every unsuspecting person that came up the escalator and eventually, I guess some not-so-nice things were said and the two ladies actually had to be separated by a security guard. I wish this was not a true story. But it is.
(One of the scary ladies, being scary)
On Saturday, the 3rd of January, we gathered our courage and went out clubbing. It was looking like it might be a sketchy situation (gauging from the area we are in, which was close to "hooker hill") however, we eventually came across the foreigner-club part of time (coincidentally, just down from "hooker-hill"). In the end it turned out alright and we actually had a good time. It turns out that Asian bars are very similar to Western bars, only everyone stays out (except for the military people who have a curfew) until 5:30am, when the subway starts to run again.
The next day, when we awoke at suppertime, we met my friend Caroline for dinner. We had Mexican food, not so exciting. After that, Alana and I stayed at Caroline's apartment which was totally awesome and had a great view!
On our last full day in Seoul, we went to the largest mall in Korea, the Coex Mall, and we (shopped) visited the amazing Aquarium they have. I myself am not that much into fish (especially not reptiles) however, I will vouch for this place and say that it was well worth every penny! My favourite part, besides the otters, was the panoramic fish tank that included sharks as well as their.... food. I felt inspired enough to work for the Discovery channel.
(Beautiful)
(Scary)
But soon enough that desire passed and we continued on our merry way. We completed our trip with an evening of fine dining at the local Vietnamese noodle restaurant.
Overall, baring a few blips of awkwardness here and there, I would say that the vacation was a complete success and I look forward to visiting other places around Korea in the future.
P.S. Koreans have this thing where they like to hawk phlegm and then spit it out. So while you might feel inclined to purchase nice shoes while you are there, my suggestion would be to keep them safely packed away until you leave.
This blog was created in order to provide your inquisitive minds with the latest details of my adventures in ASIA. I hope to update frequently with pictures, however, I am often without access to the internet or a computer and so entries may become sporadic.
But first, please allow me to explain how this all came about.
In November 2007 I was faced with the challenge of finding something to do with myself after I finished my B.Sc. And so, I applied for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET). A cooperation effort between the governments of English speaking countries and Japan to place native English-speakers in locations around Japan. The goal is to improve intercultural relationships and enhance the learning experiences of Japanese youth from Elementary school through High School (and beyond?!). (For more information on the JET programme, please visit: http://www.jetprogramme.org/)
While I made it to the interview process, I was not selected (nor rejected!) for the final applicants list. Instead I was placed on the wait-list. Generally, contracts are issued in late July/early August and so once September arrived, I assumed my hope of East-Asia living was over. However, mid-October I received an email offering me a position, if I was still interested. After some deliberation, and subsequent circus tricks to jump through all the beaurocratic red-tape, I left Canada for Japan on December 3rd, 2008.
My travel schedule was a wee bit daunting. Halifax to Montreal, Montreal to Toronto, Toronto to Vancover and then Vancover to Narita Tokyo. After a night in a hotel I went to the domestic airport, Haneda Tokyo, and made my final flight to Fukuoka, my new home.
(Fukuoka Prefecture indicated in pink)
Fukuoka prefecture (similar to province or state) is in Southern Japan, on the island of Kyushu. I live in Shime-machi (Shime Town) in Kasuya-gun (Kasuya County) which is in the greater area of the capital city, Fukuoka city. My apartment (more on this later!) is 15 minutes from the JR station (Japanese Railways) which connects to the rest of the country. From there, the downtown centres of Tenjin and Hakata are only another 15 minutes. Fukuoka city has a population of around 2.5+ million people and is the closest point to many Asia countires, in particular South Korea. Because of this it is an international and commerical hub for most major Asia cities. (For more information on Fukuoka, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukuoka_Prefecture)
(Fukuoka City indicated in darker purple/blue)
Well, that is all I have for now. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them. I will try my best to respond as soon as possible.
(Jon and Mai dressed up in traditional Mongolian outfits)
(Sample of the food that was served)
(Andrew, decked out in the warrior lord outfit, busting a move)
(Dante and the random Japanese guy in the "servant" outfits")
(Group photo!)
