More Nebuta Videos!

I wanted to share one more of my videos from the festival, but it wouldn't let me upload it to blogger - so I put it on YouTube!

One More Nebuta Festival Video

~Kristen

Nebuta Festival

So I haven't posted in awhile, and that just isn't okay.  So many things have happened!  Travis and I went back to Canada for a bit - GOT MARRIED... and you know, other crazy stuff.

This past weekend we managed to hit one of the festivals that I promised myself we would attend while we were living in Japan.  The Nebuta Festival in Aomori-city, Aomori-prefecture.  Touted as the best festival (and parade) in Northern Japan I was expecting a lot when we went.  We were definitely not disappointed!  Delicious street food, wonderful music, and two full hours of some of the largest and most detailed floats I have ever seen in my life.

According to Wikipedia (August 5th Ed.) the Nebuta Festival is Japanese summer festival. "Nebuta" refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called haneto (ハネト) dance around in time with the chant Rasserā (ラッセラー). In the local dialect, participation in the festival is inquired using the verb haneru (ハネル, ex. "今日もハネル?" or "Are you going to haneru today?"), which was derived from the Japanese spelling of the haneto costume and the verb haneru (跳ねる, "bounce").

Travis took some amazing pictures, and I got a few videos that should help us remember the event fondly.

 

Towadako Fireworks Festival

The Lake Towada Fireworks festival was so much fun this year.  Of course, the fireworks were amazing, but even more fun was just spending the day at the beach.  A beautiful sunny day, with only a few clouds in the sky it was like we didn't have a care in the world. 

As always, my resident photographer got some great shots!

Remembering March 11, 2011

The Japanese remember March 11, 2011. The 4th largest earthquake in recorded history, and a tsunami that reached 133 feet. View it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS-sWdAQsYg&feature=share

Japanglish

In Korea we referred to it as Konglish, in Japan I've heard it referred to as many things, but mostly by the term "Japanglish".  It means the integration of the English language into the native language.  Konglish is Korean "English", and Japanglish is Japanese "English".  I saying English in quotation marks because most terms use English words, but are not used in any way that a native English speaker would use them.

In Korea, the most popular example was "Hand Phone".  Both words are common known English words, however if someone in Saskatoon ever asked to borrow a Handphone you would probably ask them to repeat or explain themselves.  In Korea they are simply asking to borrow your cellphone.  Easy to see the connection, right?   You probably guessed it before I even told you what it 'meant'. 

In Japan, I've found it isn't usually a single word that gets used as Japanglish, but entire phrases or sentences.  The best example I have found so far is the tag for a pair of overalls that I found at a Japanese clothing store called Avail.

 

What I originally assumed was this was written in Japanese and then translated into English using Google Translate (or some other online translation site that is notoriously bad for its exact translations without thoughts to grammar, sentence structure, or overall tone.)  because someone thought the overalls would be "cooler" that way.

But if you believe that theory to be true... then the Japanese really do want me to value these overalls as I would value a boyfriend?

Something to think about...

Misawa High School Presentation and Homestay

Last weekend Misawa English School and Misawa High School got together to organize a Homestay program for the first grade Misawa High School students.  First grade High School here in Japan is 10th grade back home - so 16 year olds.  The idea was to give the students an idea of American culture by having them live along side some American families for a few days.  (My boys got a cross between American and Canadian culture - bonus for them. lol)

Before they were to go and live with an American homestay family for 2 days, the students were asked to break into groups and give a presentation on different aspects of Japanese culture for their American families.  As a teacher with Misawa English School, I helped a group of the students with their presentation.  My group presented on Setsbun, Japanese Bean Throwing.

This is my group.  I think they did a really good job describing Setsbun for the audience, but you can decide for yourself!

You can hear my voice giving away the answers to the other teachers at the end so that someone would answer the questions, and helping the last boy with his pronunciation.

Four of the Misawa English School teachers had students coming to stay with them (Travis and I got two boys, named Katsuke and Keisune).  We all got together at one teacher's house for games and dinner.  We thought it would be easier for the students to have friends around, and it would be easier for us as well.

 It's a little blurry, but they were learning to make pizza dough.

 Learning to play Guitar Hero - even with ALL the video games they have in Japan, apparently there is no Japanese equivalent to this game.  They weren't very good at it, but they seemed to enjoy it!

 Eating the Pizza.  We also cooked up 2 boxes of Spaghetti noodles, I made a meat sauce, and we had a vegetarian pasta sauce as well.  6 boys, 2 girls, 4 teachers, and they ate it ALL.  I had forgotten how much teenage boys can eat!!!

 Compared to the boys these girls sure were quiet!  I think they were intimidated - the girls outnumber the boys in the classroom, but it just so happened that 3 of the teachers got boys, and only 1 got girls.  (Plus, I think universally 16 year old girls don't really know what to do around crazy 16 year old boys! lol)

Dessert was the incredible unhealthy, but completely popular choice of Gushers and Fruit by the Foot.  (Because giving these guys more sugar seemed like a good idea at the time?)

 Yeah... SEEMED.

After dinner three of the teachers took their students bowling.  Travis was finished work for the day as well, so he was able to come.  It was Friday night, which means that it was Laser Bowling night at the base bowling alley.  Both of my boys told me later it was their favorite part of the Homestay.  Unfortunately, I don't have a single picture from the bowling alley.

Saturday was a blur of pancakes, shopping on base (a place they had never been to - because you need a person with a Military ID to sign you on here), Baskin Robbins and seeing the sites.  I think they had a blast - I know I did.  However, I definitely needed a nap by the end of those 2 days, they completely wore me out!

This is the only picture I got of the boys - and by this time Travis was back at work, so I never got one of all four of us.  They were going back to school (Yes, school on a Saturday!) so they are in their school uniforms.

Tea

I have recently rediscovered my love of tea.  Black tea, green tea, but mostly just any sort of loose leaf tea.  I lost my love in the hot days of summer - owing mostly to the fact that the idea of drinking something hot in 40 degrees with 100% humidity seems like the worst idea ever imagined.

But today, with the growing onset of my first winter cold setting in, the idea of some creme earl grey and a little sugar was my motivation to get out of bed.  With winter beginning to set in, getting out of bed needs that little bit of motivation.  My hardwood floors, once wonderful in their easy clean up and and clean lines have become uninsulated cold conductors, reminding me that I'm no longer in my cozy bed.  So now here I sit at my computer with a festive box of Christmas kleenex, grandma slippers, and a cup of sweetened Creme earl grey.  I may be getting sick - but I'm going to make myself as comfortable as I can while I sneeze my weekend away.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming!  Japanese Col. Sanders says it's so!

Oraise in Fall

Back home you never really get to enjoy watching the leaves change colour before they fall.  I don't know if it just gets to cold to quickly, or if Saskatchewan trees are just defective - but I remember kicking green leaves down the street.  Here, if you drive about an hour and a half you can go where there are multicolour trees overhanging a beautiful babbling brook.  

We were maybe a week or two too late to get the full "Fall foliage" experience, but their was still enough colour to enjoy or little hike along the water.

Fall in Misawa is rather uneventful - but if you take a bit of a trip you get learn what fall is really suppose to look like.  All of the photos are from the Oraise Gorge, along side Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture.

Cool Breezes, Falling Leaves, and Quiet Contemplation

I managed to go (almost) the entirety of October without posting.  For shame!  I shall slap my own wrist and send myself to bed early.  [Oh the decadence!] 

Winter must be coming because the laundry basket now contains bunnyhugs, and sweaters.  A trip to the Cafe Mokuteki now requires more thought - do I still want that latte iced, or maybe today I should get it hot.  Showers and baths have become more fun again, no longer just a way to become clean but a relaxing and steam filled way to warm up and wind down.  Gone are the days of standing under cold water wishing for an escape from the ever oppressive humidity. 

My cards and pictures no longer crinkle in the heat, giving in to the pressures of the humid air and refusing to remain sturdy and straight.  A crochet hook and yarn now sits on the coffee table, waiting to be used.  Gone are the days that bread must be kept in the refrigerator, and blankets in the linen closet.  In a land so far north, the sun has started to set before 5:00 making evenings seem longer.

The leaves have begun to change colour and fall, people from southern States have began discussing the coming snows in earnest, always with a mixture of fear and excitement.  Will driving be safe?  Can we survive in weather below freezing?  Exactly how much snow do we need to get before they will shutdown the base and call it a snow day?

Fall for me has always been a time for quiet contemplation.  It was one year ago yesterday that I left Korea to venture forward into a relatively uncertain future.  A decision that I made in the pursuit of love and happiness - and new adventures.    I have found all three tucked away in this tiny little city so far away from where I started. 

Bring on Fall - and all the new adventures that will arrive with the cooler air and the changing leaves.

Halloween

I've become a bit of a Halloween scrooge through the last few years.  I really enjoyed living in Korea over two Halloweens, I didn't have to dress up, or be pressured into watching horror films late at night.  Some people go all out with their costumes planning and sewing (or ordering online) months in advance.  I am not one of those girls.  So when the head teacher at Misawa English school announced they were planning a costume party for the kids the weekend before Halloween I was not thrilled.  After some encouragement from a friend and fellow teacher at the school I made an effort (albeit a SMALL one) to procure a costume and a bit of holiday cheer. 

These are teachers at the Halloween party.  My costume consisted of a pair of bunny ears from the 100 Yen store (dollar store anyone?), some eyeliner and lipstick used in ways other than their intended purpose, and a rather fluffy cotton ball tail.

One thing I had failed to take into account during my Halloween Scroogery [Look Ma, a new word was born today!] was how much kids LOVE Halloween.  Even ones who aren't really sure what the holiday is, why the are celebrating, and why it requires dressing up.  ...Lets be honest, I don't think the Canadian/American kids are really sure why they do it either - they just know it leads to candy!

I ended up enjoying myself tremendously, simply because I got to celebrate the holiday through their eyes.  We had a pinata, cookies to decorate, and English Halloween word guessing games.

Some kids decorated their cookies to eat later....

...and some kids just ate their icing right then and there.

From now on I'm spending every Halloween with children.  I'll take them trick-or-treating, I'll hand out candy, and I'll hand them back to their parents once the sugar high starts to set in!

Hope everyone had a fun and festive Halloween!

Sushi

I thought that I'd post the pictures I took from the last time Travis and I went out for sushi.  People seem to be confused as to why I would WANT to eat sushi - or why we like it!  It's delicious, and this is why:

 The best sushi always comes with excellent sides.  Like above, we got pickled ginger (YUMMO!) and wasabi that was so fresh they grated it in front of us, and gave us a bit of the root!

 This is the assorted set that we enjoy the most.   It's nice to be able to have a little bit of everything.  I don't remember exactly what everything is - but I know their is salmon, tuna, shrimp, yellow fin, crab, and scallops there.  (I have to admit, I always give my scallops to Travis, just not my favorite!)

If you get one of the bigger sets you get more (go figure!) as well as some specialty sashimi, like this raw shrimp sashimi that Travis got that still had it's head and some of the legs.  

 As an added bonus - you get to eat with chopsticks!  Dinner is always more fun with chopsticks!!!

Misawa Air Show

This past Saturday Misawa Air Base hosted an Air Show, opening up the base to the Japanese to come and demonstrate both the USAF (United States Air Force) and JASDAF (Japanese Air Self-Defense Force).  These are some of the pictures we got from the event.

JASDF fighter

 This is the Miss Veedol  it was her last flight before her retirement.  The Miss Veedol was the first plane to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean.  The flight left from Sabishiro beach outside Misawa - and traveled for 41 hours across the pacific ocean where the pilot and copilot crash landed in the middle of Washington state.  (The plane had to crash land, because they jetisoned the landing gear after take off to drop some of the weight from the plane).  Obviously it has been recreated and reattached since October of  1931!

 USAF demonstrating formation flying with the F-16's

Learning from Wilton

Through the month of August I took a Wilton cake decorating class on base.  I figured I loved to bake - and I love being creative with my cards and scrapbooking... so why not?

What I discovered was that scrapbooking and card making may be creative, but not necessarily artistic.  My artistic talent is little to nonexistent. 

We started learning what each of the icing tips did, and what shapes they made.  I decorated some sugar cookies, but they were so pathetic I didn't even think to take pictures.  The cookies looked better without icing!  The next class we were told to bring a cake, and she would show us how to layer it, fill it, and ice it.  If their was time we would learn "3 dimensional icing"

So the cake turned out well, filling it and layering it was easy... but covering it was a pain, and my 3D artwork on top inspired this coversation:

Kristen: "Check out the cake I finished in class today"
Travis:  "Looks great"
Kristen: "Do you know what that is on top?"
Travis: "uhhhhhh....."
Kristen: "Take a guess, I know it sucks - what is it?"
Travis: "It looks like the mushroom from Super Mario??"
Kristen: *laughs* "It's suppose to be a cupcake, but that is awesome!"

...we referred to it as the mushroom until the cake was gone.  I personally thought it looked like spaghetti worms in a cup, so the mushrooms from super mario was definitely a step up!

It was a tasty cake though!  Don't judge a book by it's cover!  Chocolate fudge two layer 8" cake.  Filled with Almond mousse, and covered in chocolate icing.

The next class we were learning how to make icing flowers, and decorate cupcakes.  I improved ten-fold over the 3 dimensional icing lesson that I failed so miserably.

First a large spiral of white icing.  (let it be noted that this is where Travis and I later determined that I should have stopped.)

Then I piped on some leaves - I think the leaves turned out fairly well actually!

And then.... I practiced the flowers on top of the cupcakes.  Destroying them, and making them look ridiculous!

When it was all said and done though, I got the practice I needed, and they still tasted fine.  Even if they did look like a cross between a bad 80's wedding and something from Cakewrecks.com!

Vanilla bean cupcakes filled with strawberry preserves, topped with an almond flavoured icing.

For the last class we brought a cake and were allowed to decorate it in any way that we wanted, utilizing the lessons we had learned from our instructor.

I'm actually fairly proud of this cake.  The icing was completely smooth until I had to drive home with it in the passenger seat.  Seriously, how do professionals do that???  It was a dense vanilla bean 4 layer cake with kahlua cream filling.  It was iced with chocolate icing, and the polka dots are flavoured vanilla, chocolate, and kahlua.  I avoided drawing any pictures and stuck to basic shapes - a move that I think made me look like I was more talented that I actually am.

It was a fun class, and I may take level two in October... we'll see!  (I passed level one and they told me I could - I have a certificate to prove it!)

The Misawa End of Summer Festival

Their is nothing better than celebrating the end of summer than a giant festival that includes floats, drums, costumes, and entertainment.

 The day began with a parade.  Most of Misawa came out to watch the parade.  The people performing in the parade danced down the streets in traditional Kimono's, shoes, and hats to music being piped in from speakers that were installed up and down the street.

 In the evening their was a float competition.  I never did fully learn what was going on - but from what I gathered the best looking float that could go up and down, and spin around faster than all of the other floats was going to be the winner.

 This float was done by the United Nations club that gathers here in Misawa.  Made up of mostly Americans and Japanese they work on learning the cultures of others - and teaching their own culture to the rest of the club.

 Thse guys were my favorites!

 After the floats were finished this Japanese drum club came in to perform.  They had drummers as young as about 8 years old.