The time has come

Swimming season has officially began. I went to my fav beach in Yamaguchi-ken yesterday which just happens to be in Tamagawa. The weather was clear, the water was clean and free of jellyfish, the tempurature is just right. I love that beach.

If you want to come and swim, dozo. Ellen? Kat? Lou? Pauline?

Yukata part I

In the spirit of the yukata party on Saturday I wore my yukata to school today. I think every Thursday I am going to wow my school by wearing a silly outfit. I was surprised at the amount of compliments I got. I thought for sure they would ask my why and a million questions. But in the end, even the idiot boys, said it suited me and I looked nice. So if you are yearning for a compliment give it a try.

Sweetness

In a race to become the best nation on Earth, did you ever notice how Japanese people always complain about how sweets from your home country, be it America, England, etc. are just too darn sweet?

This complaint eats at me like a tiny ant nibbling a huge wad of gum. Japanese pride themselves on having healthy cuisine, and they even feel that their sweets are healthier than ours. I am not talking about traditional Japanese desserts (that are really sweet if you ask me, sweet bean paste, sweet jelly etc) I am talking about cakes that were bought in a Japanese cake shop. For Christine's birthday we were devouring a strawberry shortcake bought from the bakery at the end of the road when our Japanese friends went on and on about how this cake was a little sweet but nothing compared to British or American cakes. All the while this conversation was taking place my teeth were aching because the cake was so sweet. This weekend I brought a trifle for dessert to my friends house which included Jell-o pudding. She said it was delicious and then of course threw in 'But it was so sweet!'.

First of all I would like to comment that, of course it is sweet, it is dessert. However our desserts are no sweeter than yours because certain recipes use a certain amount of ingredients to make them taste good. If we added more sugar to an American chocolate cake than a Japanese chocolate cake, it wouldn't taste good. I would also like to add that sugar is a key ingredient in most Japanese dishes, even savory ones. Hello sukiyaki?!?!

I am not sure why Japanese people comment on this. Are they just trying to prove to me that Japanese are healthier, skinnier and in better shape? Or maybe they are just stating the obvious like 'Atsui ne!' every five minutes on a hot day. Maybe eating dessert isn't for everyone. But I will tell you what, when I am eating a piece of cake, a cookie, or pudding, it damn well better be sweet because if it wasn't sweet than it would be salty and I think a salty piece of cake would be minge.

Epic Weekend

First I would like to say Happy Birthday to Christine. She had a birthday on Thursday. We had a nice party at the Watanabes full of cake and Anpanman. Christine's real Japanese love.

Friday there was a party at Gotcha, probably the last one. Full of Kat's usual games that always get the party started. Ellen, Kat and Loz looked lovely in their yukata. Jerry attempting to give me a hug and kiss goodbye while slipping in a Really? every few seconds. Some love connections were made consisting of gaijin girls and j-boys. 2 Japanese girls who would laugh at any word that came out of our mouths. Yummy taco rice. A failed trip to karaoke. And a wonderful finale to end the night enjoyed by all.

The next day we went camping at jakuchikyo to celebrate McGuire's b-day. Despite hang overs we all trouped it out to the mountains which turned out to be gorgeous. We stopped at the wrong campground first, but then were directed to the proper one that was situated next to a lovely, looong waterfall. We had an evening hike with chu-hais to start it off. Then the dancing sensation Sparkle Motion Woods was formed during dinner preparations. Following the meal of spaghetti the dance troupe performed a dance that could only be described as monumental. Then a dip in the river and DJs live request hour began. The next day we had a good hike, onsen and meal and departed. Great weather, great friends, great times.

How sad! I'm very sad!

I recieved this email from a 3 nensei girl the other day. I think it concerns me leaving in July.

You are kindness and beautiful.
It's like an angel.
Wishing I was a man...
Please come to Japan again!!

Should I be scared?

Amigos

While in Japan one often finds themselves being friends with people they would never dream of if they stayed in their own country or comfort zone. For example, becoming good friends with a 60 year old woman, or a 50 year old man with a family. My most recent friends are Filipino. Chris and I went out to lunch with them the other day and learned a lot about their profession and culture.

To be precise these Filipinos work at a hostess bar in Hagi. It is shocking because most of them either have some college education or have graduated from college. They come to Japan looking for money to send to their families, keep for themselves, or in Jay's case to get world experience. It seems as though they sign up with a program, maybe similar to the JET program and get placed in various cities to work at different bars (there are 2 in Hagi and Tonga in Ube is also organized through this company).

Sadly their complaints about their job are a lot larger than ours. We complain that we are bored and don't work much and we only get 15 days of nenkyu a year. When we arrive welcome parties are planned for us and we end up on the news. These people are ignored and worked to the bone. They get 2 days off a month and on those days they are to call their customers to keep them happy. They really rely on eachother and help eachother out when in trouble. There are many tricks to the trade they use the keep themselves safe and customers happy. In one night a girl will drink about 20-25 beers. After drinking 10 beers they are allowed to have a glass of Oolong-cha and then have to go back to drinking again. They all have to pass a singing test in order to be accepted into the program so they perform during karaoke. Many of us know how old Japanese men get when they are drunk. Usually mean and touchy feely. If a man is starting to get fresh they say 'Sawaru, sawaru 1000en' (touch touch 1000 yen) and that usually works to keep the men away. They also try reverse psychology. They said they will become the sukebe (pervert) first to keep the men in place. If the men get too violent and rough they will pinch their nipples really hard or grab their dicks with force. Of course the same men come to the bar night after night and then call the girls during the day. Sometimes to play a joke on their customers if they see them out during the day they will yell HI to them and try to embarrass them. Of course the girls will get ignored because the men don't want to be known for going to the hostess bar. I am not sure if anything really fishy goes on, it didn't seem like it. They said if they see a man outside the club they will go with 2 girls in order to be safe.

So these are Chris and my new friends. I equate it as being friends with a stripper. It sounds quite suspicious but deep down they are just normal people trying to make a little money.

How much have you learned?

Here is a list of items translated into English. My students had this as an activity in class today. Can you guess the Japanese?

1. rice ball
2. rice cracker
3. rice cake
4. carp streamer
5. sliced raw fish
6. Japanese chess
7. Chinese character
8. chopstick holder
9. rainy season
10. wind bell
11. flower arrangement
12. bean throwing ceremony
13. star festival
14. Japanese headband
15. portable shrine
16. outdoor hot spring
17. public bath
18. year end gift
19. New Years Eve
20. Indian summer
21. card show
22. Japanese wooden doll
23. cloth wrapper
24. Japanese badminton
25. red rice
26. Japanese cushion

Good Luck!