The One Day Bus Tour of Hokkaido

Today the Hokkai University treated the surrounding schools to a one day bus tour of two local attractions: The Yamaguchi Koen and the Nikka Whisky distillery. The Yamaguchi Koen is a grape/fruit farm where I think they also make wine. The Nikka Whisky distillery is an old (1934) distillery that brews Scottish style whisky.

For starters I had to get to the location where we were to depart. The place we all had to get to was the Gakuen Mae station which is on the Tohō subway line. I had two choices as to how I was going to get there; I could either ride my bike down to Shin-sapporo station and then ride the subway to Odori and then transfer to the Tohō (55-60min), or I could go via the JR Train to Sapporo Station then take the same Tohō subway down (40-45min). The later seemed the fastest and easiest. So I whipped out my JR time table and plotted the course. Here was my travel plan:

1. Departed house at 7:53 and biked up to Oasa JR Station （大麻駅）(~10min)
2. Got onto the 8:03 commuter train to Sapporo St.（札幌駅） (~20min)
3. Arrived at Sapporo St. at 8:22 and transferred to the Tohō subway line (5~7min)
4. Took the Tohō subway 3 stops to Gakuen Mae (~8-10min)
5. Got off at Gakuen Mae and walked to Hokkai University (Arriving at 8:46am)

Total time: 42-45 minutes. Not bad eh? (That’s like going from Vancouver, WA to LC by train & subway)

Total cost: ¥200~¥230 (*note I used June-chan’s JR Pass from Oasa to Sapporo -¥280)

So at the school I met up with my friends and was given a name badge with my name written in Katakana: “ジョシアウィラー.” We were escorted to a waiting room where I met other gaikokujin 外国人 (foreigners) from all over the world. Of the people I met: there was a group from ChinaJiangxi I think, there was someone from Southern Nigeria, Someone from Tanzania, and a couple from Iran. That was just a few people from the total group of a little over 60.

At around 9:20 we got on two large tour buses and left for the small sea town of Otaru. Otaru wasn’t our destination but it was near there. Otaru is a cool little town to visit. It’s very old and has a lot of little shops all around the place. Someone in our group said he biked there, but I don’t know if that’d be wise. For about ¥1000 you can take a JR Train to Otaru station which is in the heart of the town and explore. Someday I’ll do that and take pictures. The route we were taking took us through some of Otaru’s windy roads that hugged the coast line facing the Japan Sea (Nihon Kai 日本海). After following those windy roads, we went into a big tunnel which opened up into vast farmlands and acres of grape vines. It looked like we had some how stumbled into Hokkaido’s very own Sonoma Valley.

~Yamaguchi Koen~

Our destination was a place called Yamaguchi Koen (山口園) which I think was a wine vineyard but I’m not sure. They had lots of concord grapes that we were free to pick and eat at our leisure. There really wasn’t much of a plan then to just eat our fill of grapes then sit down for some lunch. The Grapes were great; they were mostly all wine grapes which differ from store bought grapes. Seeds galore! But they were very juicy!

After having our fill of grapes we sat for lunch. Lunch was a box of rice and either salmon and fish eggs or muscles and rice with a ginger slab. I grabbed both of them. I honestly can tell you that this was the first time I had eaten this kind of fish egg. It was alright… I don’t think I’ll be snacking on them anytime soon…

When lunch was over, the group gathered around and we just talked about whatever. In the distance we heard a bell ring and people chatting. The weather was great! Not a drop came down and the sun shined bright! It was a pretty cool day. Next to where we were sitting we heard some thumping going on… Two farm guys in these cool outfits were pounding rice into mochi. Mochi is made of glutinous rice, pounded into paste and molded into shape; however, unlike the Chinese variety, it is molded right after it is pounded. Because of it being so glutinous, Mochi is very sticky and somewhat tricky to eat.

To make mochi, you need to participate in Mochitsuki the traditional mochi-pounding ceremony in Japan. The ceremony goes something like this…

1. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and cooked.
2. It is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. The mochi must be kept wet to keep it from sticking to the mallet.
3. The sticky mass is then formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube).

This mochi was formed into a sphere, but the fun part was pounding that rice into a sticky blob. The guys who were showing us how to do it quickly asked the audience to participate. Volunteers were made to wear a mochi shirts and swing the big ole mallet at the rice blob while this old Japanese guy (who was missing his finger) turned and wetted the mochi rice. Of course yours truly wouldn’t pass up a chance to swing a cartoon like mallet at a rice blob as hard as he could… I put on the shirt and the old Japanese guy handed me the mallet. I’ll admit it was heavy, but with all the people looking around I had to give it my all.

The Master Mochi Man and I got a rhythm going with the pounding and the wetting. Every time I hit it the crowd cheered and the next time I swung harder till I could feel the rice being crushed. Many volunteers went and in time we had a fresh blob of mochi which was kneaded by “O-ne san” and distributed in little bowls where you could put sweet dressings on it.

Eating mochi is a little hard. Freshly pounded mochi is very very sticky. If you don’t eat it in small bits and fast it’ll stick to your mouth. Mochi is very good though… If you’ve never had it, you should. There is mochi mix in Asian stores where you can mix and bake it. It’s not like real mochi, but hey… if you wanted that you’d come here, right?

~Nikka Whiskey Distillery~

After mochi, we left Yamaguchi’s and headed toward Nikka’s Whisky Distillery. Nikka is a pretty famous whisky around these parts. According to the brochure:

Nikka Whisky’s two domestic distilleries in Yoichi Town, Hokkaido and Miyagikyo, Sendai, was founded by Masataka Taketsuru (1894-1979), the father of Japanese whisky. Masataka [left] was the first Japanese to study the techniques of whisky making in Scotland and bring them back to Japan. Masataka decided to build his first whisky distillery in Yoichi Town, Hokkaido. It had all the necessary conditions and a climate ideal for whisky making, with mist, clean air, and cool, clean water. The first distillery (the one we were at) was founded in 1934.

Out of the two distilleries, we were at Yoichi Distillery (Hokkaido Plan) i.e. the older one. The tour was pretty informative. Although the tour was in Japanese the guide pointed out that the Hokkaido location is the “home to Japan’s warmest, richest malt whiskies. The entire region is unspoiled, with the scenic Shakotan Peninsula to the west, the canal town Oraru to the east, and the Kiroro and Niseko ski resorts to the south.

The tour started out with the history of the plant which was pretty facinating. Afterwards the tour went into the processes of distilling malt whisky: (Note this is how to make whisky. If you don’t care skip down to the next section)

1. Building 1~ Raw Material: Large-grain, high-quality barley is germinated to produce malted barley.

2. Building 2~ Kilning: The malt is dried inside a kiln tower with burning piece of peat. This is the process that gives malt whisky its unique smoky flavor. (Peat is carbonized piles of wateredge plants like reeds and sedges)

3. Building 3~ Saccharifying: Warm water combined with the crushed malt activates enzymes in the malt that convert starches into sweet-tasting wort.

4. Building 4~ Fermentation: The addition of teasts to the wort converts the sugar content into alcohol.

5. Building 5~ Distillation: The alcohol is taken out with a potstill. The distillation is repeated twice, yielding a colorless, transparent liquid.

6. Building 6~ Maturation: The whisky is matured in an oak cask. The rich aroma and amber color develop over many years (average is 10 years).

Ok so… after the tour ended we were served a very small (1/10^th of a shot) of whisky to try out. The whisky served was very smoky and aged to about 10years. You could literally taste the oak barrel used to age it. I thought it was pretty good overall. (I.e. tasted like whisky)

Next was the gift shop like all good tours should end at, we were then escorted to some bar where you could buy whisky in small bottles or big bottles. I kind of thought they were too pricey though.

For Northwestern folks, it was like going to the Tillamook Cheese factory and getting the cheese sample. Then after you get the cheese you can buy a brick, right? But you know you could get that same brink at Safeway for ½ the price. Well, truth is… you can get that same 5^th of whisky at a Super Market or 7/11 for ½ the price as well over here. It was cool to see where and how they made it though.

After a while of shopping and drinking samples we departed back to Sapporo (Odori). We stopped halfway for a break, but then returned at around 4pm. It was pretty much 7 hours of what’s in the local surroundings. In retrospect, it was pretty cool for what it was: “a free tour of the local stuff.” While nothing was spectacular, I’m more aware of local fruits and wines, as well as, Nikka Whisky. I mean… when you guys think of Hokkaido, do you think of Whisky? Not really, but Nikka Whiskey exists and it’s here and the Japanese are very proud that they can make it as good as the Scottish can. I think Nikka’s founder, Masataka, learned to make whisky because whisky making is an art/process that can be perfected and even mastered (i.e. an art like tea making or flower arranging) only this process was from Scotland.

So I’m happy I got to go. It was a good experience overall. Some other time I want to explore Otaru some more, and also I found out about another bath house around that I got to try locally.

Ok it’s late…

~J out.

Hiraoka tyuo elementary school grade 3-3

Ok big post:

Instead of breaking this into two posts I wanted to write it as one big post. On September 20th and on the 27th (yesterday) a group of us LC students and other foreigners got the privilage to visit a Japanese elementary school (Sho-gaku). The experience was one I'll never forget. The school was loud and bustling and the kids were awesome. This is how it all went down...

The first trip...

In the afternoon of the 20th, our guide took us by taxi to a elementary school in Sapporo. We showed up at the door and were instantly met by the vice principal. The drill was that we were to take off our shoes and put on these slippers. Like always the slippers weren't big enough and they always slipped off.

After putting on these slippers, we were escorted like a gaijin parade through the school. Elementary kids from all over stared at us and some were eager to meet and greet us. They were all over us laughing and wanting to shake our hands. Sticking together, the VP took us to a big Office where the plaques on the wall displayed a long heritage of being an "outstanding school." This was the Principal's office, a fine place with two big sofas. It was obvious he hosted guests often here, however this time he was gone on some business trip. The VP's assistant was quick to serve us tea and we told the VP where we were from and why we were there. By then, I was quite familure with the "Gaijin Questionare." If you ever come to Japan there are simple questions Japanese people will ask you:

1. What is your name?
   
2. Are you from America? If so, Where in America? (they know Seattle "Ichiro", San Francisco, and L.A.)
3. How old are you?
   
4. How long are you staying?
   
5. Why have you come to Japan?
   

Roughly you get at least those questions. Sometimes you'll be asked more, but usually never less then that. So be prepared!

After the interview, the elementary school teachers came to bring us to their classes. They carefully called out our names in broken english and then escorted us to their room(s). Out of the five or so teachers, about 2 of them spoke a little english. Unfortunately my partner and I did not get either of them. It was still fun though.

The classroom design is not like an American design. If you think back to elementary school, you might recall that the classroom had a door and that it was a separate space then "the school." To change rooms you went out one door and into another. This school was different, the classrooms had three walls and one side was open. It looked like an oversized cubical building with separated spaces which we're designed to be class spaces, instead of classrooms. I later asked the VP about this design, he told me that this design was the "old Japan" style and that about 10 years ago the school was more like an American school with closed rooms. He said that when he was a teacher (15 years ago) he thought that the closed room style was good, but to loud. In Japan, decipline of elementary schoolers often doesn't happen. The schools are loud and the kids are often rambunkous. Open classes allow the sound to disperse into open air. My opinion was that it was really loud from the start to the end.

As we walked in the kids got really excited to see us. They looked at us with wide eyes and talked amongst themselves. The teacher motioned and told us in Japanese to introduce ourselves. My Partner and I were unsure whether to speak Japanese or English so in trying to represent America and make sense, we did it in both Japanese and English. When we spoke Japanese the kids were awe struck that we could speak their toung. However (as I later found out)... Japanese elementary kids are like American elementary kids, the Japanese we spoke was "adult" Japanese and the kids spoke kid Japanese. The teacher was very nice and ended up translating a lot of our Japanese into kid Japanese. It was fun language lesson for all of us involved.

After introducing ourselves we were to teach the kids an American/English song. We both agreed on teaching the kids Itsy Bitsy Spider because it had good hand motions and it was fun to hear the song in a Japanese accent. Teaching the kids was plenty of fun. After two or three attempts and a lyric guide the kids finally sang along with us and it was a bunch of fun.

In return they taught us a song they leaned "the number rock" or something. And then it was time for an interview. I can't say whether the interview came first or the song, it doesn't matter, as I write it is really just a big blur. The questions we were asked were written in English, Katakana, and then in Japanese. The kids asked nerviously what kind of music we liked, if we liked Japan, and some other ones. There were also questions that were undeciferable and it took a great effort to translate the question and then answer it. If ever there was a language gap it was there in that room with my electronic dictionary, the teacher, and a confused kid who didn't really know what he wanted to ask. Ahhh elementary kids they were so cute and I was hard pressed to leave when I did. They all said goodbye till next time and followed us down the hall.

The second trip...

The second trip went down like the first with the meet and greet at the door, the shoes, and the interviews. This time, however, the President was there to meet us instead of the VP and he asked around and was very happy to have us there. Out teachers arrived and escorted us again to the three walled rooms where the kids again gawked at us, except this time a lot of them sprung up in jeer and were so excited to see us they nearly blew up with joy. My parter and I sat and the class began with them singing us the "hello, hello, hello very glad to meet you" song. It was definately the best thing ever. Next they told us that they were going to teach US a song, a Japanese song, "Sakura, Sakura." Like our song, Sakura had hand motions simular to paddy cake, paddy cake baker's man. The first round they sang, the second round we sang, the third round they did the hand motions, the fourth round we repeated. The next 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds kids were eager to do the motions with me. It was uber fun to learn and play along with these kids who took it so seriously.

Next, my partner and I were to teach the kids an American game. My choice... Red Rover, Red Rover. That's right.. Some might say this was a mean choice to make Japanese kids have to say four "R" words, but I say if you teach them hard english words now they'll grow up with hard english words not being a problem to pronounce (or so was my dream).

Like the song, the teacher had game rules translated into Japanese. The teacher formed the class like troops in a battalion. In an instant these kids went from hooligans to orderly. As the kids sat in eagar anticipation; the teacher, my partner and I hashed out how this game was going to work.

Ok.. two lines, one line calls out "red rover, red rover send _____~san over." Got it? good.
Ok let's go!

The kids sprung up and formed two lines. My Partner played side A and I played side B. I huddled the group of kids around us and they shouted names at me. Using the boy scout leadership skills in me, I decided quickly on a kid and told them let's pick him ok? Ooo K! Back in the line I felt like I was on the front row of a battle field. We gathered our strength as we yelled out our battle cry, "weh-doh ba weh-doh ba sen-do HIRO~KUN!!! Ohh-baaaaa!" Like flash lightning Hiro~san ran at our line and broke though like an olympic runner in his last heat. We had failed, but our spirit was still intact. The other team huddled and repeated the chant calling out for Tanaka~san. Tanaka-san charged up and rushed the A side like a blazing wind, but the otherside tightend up and literally clotheslined Tanaka san to the floor. The boy hit the ground like a WWE wrestling match. The tears began to well and I thought it was all over, but the teacher knew better. The teacher squat down and said something to the boy, and like clockwork everything was better and he was back in the game like nothing had happend.... With the situation clear, our turn was next. We huddled once again and picked another kid. This time I coached them to stand strong and to not let them pass. My advice worked too, not one person for the entire game broke our line. Five or Six rounds went by before the teacher gave us the time's up one more round, our team got together and made our pick. We went and our player broke their line, they went and didn't break our line. We had won! and I was very proud of the little buggers... Good job team! maybe we should go pro?

Time to go and they said goodbye, except they also prepared a thank you card. The card was 7 green construction papers thick and full of thank you's in simple hiragana/katakana. It almost made me want to cry, but I held it in and deeply expressed my graditude by bowing low and saying "Arigatoo Gozaimasu" lots of times. They all ran up to us and shook our hands, it was cool, very cool.

Coming back we were greeted again by the principal who escorted us to his office. We sat down and began to chat again. In chatting, the principal told us that he or someone he knew was an origami master. To prove it we brought out a really awesome piece that is supposed to represent the universe and all things in it. I didn't really get it, but I thought it was cool enought to snap a pic of it.

As we left the kids watched and waved, we got our shoes on back to the taxis on our way to school. I began to read the thank you notes and felt really good that I participated in this little foreign relations exchange with the future generation of Japan.

~J out

Big Japanese News

I'm not sure if this made American News, but this is very big news in Japan.

From The Japan Times Online:

Abe made prime minister

*New* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Earlier in the day, Abe was elected prime minister with the majority vote held by the LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, in the House of Representatives. Abe secured 339 votes of the 476 cast in the Lower House, compared with 115 votes for Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan. In the House of Councilors, Abe received 136 of the 240 votes cast, while Ozawa [Candidate for The Democratic Party of Japan] got 85.

Newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe names his Cabinet, giving most of the posts to his close aides and people who actively supported him during the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election. The 52-year-old president of the ruling LDP is the youngest postwar prime minister and the first to be born after World War II.

Taro Aso, Abe's rival in the LDP presidential race, was reappointed foreign minister, where he will continue efforts to mend ties with China and South Korea.

The repeated visits by Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, to Yasukuni Shrine have chilled Japan's relations with the two Asian neighbors and they refused to hold summits with him.

Abe also increased the number of special advisers to the prime minister to five from two. Issues they will deal with include national security, Pyongyang's abductions, economic and fiscal policy, education reform and public relations.

If you want to read the whole stories and more about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe you can use this link: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060927a1.html

Big News thought you'd like to know.

~J

The Atsubetsu *Heated* Pool

On Wednesdays I don't have morning classes, so this wednesday I decided to check out the Atsubetsu Ward Pool (プール). The pool is near the Shin-Sapporo Station, McDonalds, and other Government Offices.

When I arrived I thought it looked like a fairly modern pool. It was 9:30am and the pool opened at 10:00am. They still let people in, but I just had to wait a bit to get dressed. As I waited, men and women in their 70's started showing up. With in 15-20 minutes there was nearly 25 of them all getting ready to swim. I decided to check out the schedule for Wednesday at 10:00am. Using my eletronic dictionary I deciphered the schedule to find out that 10am Wednesday's is elder exercise hour. I should of known.... water exercises.

The room was filled with women in their 70's looking at me with those curious "what's a young gaijin doing here?" None of them came up and asked me who I was or what I was (trying) to do. Instead most of them smiled and talked amongst themselves.

The locker room finally opened... I went in and got changed and went to the shower room. Next to the shower room is a toilet room. In order to use it though you had to put on those familure slippers that never seem to fit. The shower room was like any shower room only there are stalls and the shower head is the kind you pull out and shower down by hand. After taking a quick shower I went out to the pool. In this pool however, both men and women have to pass though the "shower gate." Unfortunately I don't have a pic of the shower gate, but hopefully I decribe this thing.

When you walk from the locker room to the pool both men and women's rooms unite at this short hallway with shower heads on either side. The drill is that both men and women have to pass through the gate. The gate is no more then two shower walls with many shower spouts and what apeared to be a motion detector. So as you pass through the gate the shower heads start spraying you down and then turn off as you leave. It was literally a human car wash and most likely the most bazzar thing I've seen at a pool.

The actual pool was pretty big. The room had about three different pools in it. The first was a Exercize pool where most of the group went. The second was a children's pool (kodomo pu-ru), And the third pool was a regular lap pool. However, due to the swimming classes going on, there was only one or two open lanes for lap swim. After going this far I was going to do it no matter what.

I made my way towards the water when the lifeguard caught me and the little Japanese dialog began, "Chooto Matte, Chooto Matte" she called out. "Hai, dooshita-n desu ka?" I replied, "Ano... eru-ringu to ringu mo motenai!" she commanded, "Soshite, booshi nai~ oyoogi nai!" she continued.

Translation: "Wait, Wait...." she called. "Yes.. what's the matter?" "You can't wear jewelery in the pool and if you don't have a swimming cap you can't swim." She motioned for me to wait as she quickly ran into a side room and removed a cap for me to wear. I went back and "debarbed" myself of all jewelery and then tucked my long hair into this small little cap. With the cap on I looked in the mirror and seriously didn't recognize myself. I should say that I didn't bring goggles either so when I was done swimming my eyes were bright red as you can see the pic. The Japanese really chlorinated their pool so my eyes buzzed for a while afterwards.

All in all, I swam laps for about a hour and a half. Afterwards I decided to leave back through the shower gate and then out. The total cost was in the range of 500-600 yen. I thought it was kinda spendy but it was a pretty hightech center. I might go back some other day, did I mention it was heated? Oh yeah that made a big difference plus I feel good about working out. Japan seems to be giving me a pretty good workout!

~J out

Classes begin

Today I registered for my *extra classes* today on top of Japanese class. The extra classes i'm taking is Japanese Society through film and Intro to Shinto & Christianity in Japan. Last week I was able to sample most of the classes offered to forigners and those two seemed like interesting choices. Mind you, these classes aren't really top-notch LC type classes by any means.

The Society class is mostly 3 hours of watching a Japanese movie and then discussing elements of Japanese Society represented in the film (i.e. Japanese motifs, themes, and devices). Yeah... It might pick up later on, but I can't say I'm totally sold on the class. The concept is good. Many movie inspired classes work if the teacher is trying to teach something. However I do not detect a "plan" from this teacher so I'm concerned there is really no "direction" or "point" this teacher wishes to teach us.

The Shinto Class is ok, but it doesn't compare to the first week or two of Japanese History at LC. Many foreigners and Japanese are taking this class because the subject is kinda interesting, but the teacher is even more interesting. The Class is taught by a Jason Barrows "Jason Sensei." My personal opinion of him I'll keep to myself, but his teaching style is very direct and perhaps "commanding" of his students particularlly these three female "assistants" who assist him in all various manners. He teaches the class using what he thinks he knows and what he thinks is important. It's not a teach and then discuss class and I felt the first day was a little starved of hard facts. I've heard many opinions of this teacher by many different people including my host mom and they vary from good to Not so good. If you're truely wondering about this class... let's just say one of the notes I jotted on the top of my note pad the first day was:

Shinto Class = Where's the facts?
(This class should read) Jason Sensei's interpretation and opinion class of Shinto stuff.

Well I'll keep ya'll posted on how this and the other class rate later on. Maybe it'll get better.

~J

To my readers:

Back channel I hear that my reader "fan-base" is growing. I just would like to just say thank you all for taking the one or two minutes a day to read my short posts about Japan. I apprecite the comments left (I read them ya know), e-mails, and stuff. If there's something I write that you want question/comment you can either post on the blog or do it backchannel by e-mailing me at wheejc@gmail.com or replying through the blog.

Again thanks for reading my blog.

~J out

KAMI-KAZE COLD!

Beware the Japanese KAMI-KAZE-KOLD...!

If you've been following along you know that i've been under a tough cold that refuses to go. It's been traveling from the boy (kei) to me, then on to the Dad (June-chan), and now it's plaguing the mom (Na-chan).

The Japanese word for this cold is *"Kaze" (かぜ). However, this is a special cold that seems to attack you hard and quick, therefore I'm nameing this one *KAMIKAZE!!!!!! ("kami" originates from Shinto and means "god") or "god cold."

So far everyone, but the cat has it and Na-chan has it so bad that she couldn't cook tonight. I had to make a "Ma-ku-do" run for both me and Kei. Some of Na-chan's friends brought over some food, but I wasn't into it and neither was Kei.

Once it passes we'll be immune, but man while it's around it sure takes all the energy outta you.

~J out

ーーBlog Notesーー
*Kaze also means wind, but is spelled 風

*Some of you might think "Kamikaze" refers to the Japanese Suicide Bombers from world war 2 and you are right. "Kamikaze" means a lot of things, but is orginally, an old word that dates back to the times of the Ghengis Khan. The story goes that when Ghengis Khan tried to invade Japan, a giant Typhoon hit Japan and killed most of Khan's invading army. A few years later, Khan tried a second time to invade Japan and yet another great Typhoon hit again and wiped out the second army. The Priests of their time took credit for raising the storms and called the two storms Kami (god) and Kaze (wind) or Great-wind from the gods. Many, many years later the Japanese Suicide Bombers used this word to describe their attack on America. Their point was that they were going to hit America like the great typhoons swiftly hit and wiped out Ghengis Khan's Great Army. History is great.... isn't it?

Hippies around the world

Maybe it makes no difference or maybe it makes all the difference in the world, but I never thought that I'd be sitting at the table with a Japanese family at 6pm on a sunday listening to Pink Floyd's "The great big gig in the sky."

Yeah... Pink Floyd rocks here too. We're all just hippies.

~J out

The Starbucks of Burgers

Having lived in America for years I've grown accustomed to certain combinations like: Burgers & Coke; Doughnuts and Bagels & Coffee; and Cookies with Mocha. Never in my life would I think of coffee and burgers being a good combo, yet Moss Burger, The Japanese Fine Burger and Coffee some how makes this combo work.

Doing my home work, I got hungry so I went towards the McDonalds where I found Moss Burger. At first I didn't know if it was a coffee shop or fast food joint. It was both. Half starbucks "hi-class" and half fast food Micky-D. Whooooa.

The lady at the counter welcomed me and politely asked what I wanted. Not sure I pointed at number 8 "hatchi ban onigaishimasu" it was some Japanese spicy burger, but I didn't know that. I think she asked if I wanted anything else, but I was so enamored by my surrounding that I spaced and just said, "iie, daijoobu desu" (that's all). It was somewhere on the spendy side, but I've learned that for the money here you get really good service.

To give you a clue... The lady took my money and then sat me down in a seat and served me water. I didn't even ask for water and she served me. whoa. It's hard to get used to being treated polite all the time in fast food places. I remember back in the states being rushed to order and pay and sometimes I'd get the wrong order. Where did you're customer service go America?

The food arrived and the burger looked small, but was filling. I sat enjoying the small cafe style of this relaxed place.

When I got up to leave, I began to take my basket and trash to the bins when that same girl ran out and took my basket and trash and then bowed deeply and thanked me for coming in and to come back soon. This and other simular experiences are frequent here and because of it, I just might come back just for the service.

~J out

The Big Centennial Memorial Tower

The Centennial Memorial Tower and Nopporo Forest ParkSo I couldn't help it.

Everyday I ride past this giant tower. It makes me think I'm more in Qo'noS (the Klingon Homeworld) then Sapporo, Japan, Earth. (don't ask me how I know that).

I had to figure out what this thing is all about... So after the flea mart trip, I headed over to this tower thing.

I didn't know what route to take, only that If I headed toward it on my bike, I'd get to it eventually. So on some unknown road I began to ride to this tall tower... the road became a dirt path and I was running my bike and me through bushes and bamboo heading somewhere on some path to nowhere. I kept riding and riding not knowing where I was headed. I felt that this tower was more like the pot of gold you find at the end of a rainbow.

Eventually I ran into a sign in all kanji pointing to the tower. I followed it.

the path went up and was very steep. I had to get off my bike and walk the bike up to another point, where I couldn't push the bike anymore. So I had to carry it the rest of the way.
I felt myself being transformed from a regular guy to some super monk trying to prove myself to some karate Master at the top of this mountain.

Eventually the trail opened up and it was my first view of the tower and the fields. It was a remarkable glory that is just undescribeable.

I had entered another relm of Japan. People were playing, throwing freezbee's, sitting in the grass, having fun. I took my bike and began to navigate this other paradise. I knew I was in Hokkaido, I knew I was in Sapporo, but it felt different.

It was a happy place, I liked it.

The tower itself was a monument to Hokkaido's entrence into the Japanese union (or empire). It was supposed to represent the people of Hokkaido not the people of Japan. It's message was clear, this tower is for the people of Hokkaido who, while continuing to make progress in medicine and industry, need to look back and be reminded of their roots as the people of Hokkaido.

The tower doubled as a great observitory. The stairs up weren't too bad and the observation deck was only 8 floors up. It was impressive to see so far out. To see the park and the city of Sapporo.

Going down the stairs I caught a pic of this groovy sign. The message is supposed to be no tagging, but I like this version better.

The rest of the park is beautiful. The park is like a giant wildlife park with small hiking trails that go around the park. The Park itself is called the Nopporo Forest Park. There's many different facilities and things to see in it. Some of the Facilities are the Centennial Tower, Vistor's Center, Historical Museum of Hokkaido, Historical Village, Archaeological Operations Center, and Forest House. Some other day I'll have to take a long trip in this park and look at all the cool stuff. At the park they have wild wildlife like flying squirls, Black Woodpeckers, and Chestnut-cheeked Starlings. Pretty cool eh?

I should point out that this massive park is about 4-6 minutes away by bike. Their wildflower selection is also pretty exotic with Chishima-azami a "tribble" looking plant that is all spiky, or the Zazenso that looks really bazzar.

Yeah.. the kids were catching butterflies and it was a happy place I'd like to take all of you too.

~J out

The Atsubetsu "Dream" Flea Market

Today I flipped through a Japanese "What's happening in Sapporo" and it mentioned a flea market (Read: Swap meet) happening near my house at the Atsubetsu Ward Office Parking Lot. (For those who know were I live, it's next to the Shin-Sapporo Station)

So off on my route.... taking the 12 down to the Micky-d's where I hung a left and went past the station to a parking lot full of Japanese people selling their wares.

I was home everybody

People swapping goods for goods and selling old stuff they didn't want to people (like me) that are uber proned to buying... ... ... junk. To list everything I saw is impossiable but I can tell you a short list of what these guys were selling:

there was:

Cds, Dvds, Shoes, Pants, Shirts, Sweaters, Ski gear, Super Famicoms, Nintendo Famicom, Games (from Famicom to N64-Playstation), Shinto stuff, keychains, "Cute" toes, qoo dolls, you name a Japanese thing it was likely to be there and for cheap.

Like being at an American Swapmeet, I devised the three walk-around system and went to each row looking for bargans. There was lots of stuff I could of bought (and most of it in the 50-100 yen range) but I didn't buy it. Instead I bought a sporty tee-shirt (bright yellow), a sweat shirt, a qoo doll, a couple of cds (incl. the Jap import of Rednex sex & violins) yeah. Good stuff.

Don't worry I got pics too.

By the way... when I saw that buddha with the fish I had to get it. Although I had to bargin an old Japanese woman for it, I thought it'd be a cool Josh to Dad gift!

Here's some more pics.



~J out

Happy Otanjoobi Dad

Hey man, have a great happy birthday.

here's my card from Japan!I'm on the hunt for a ridculously cool gift!
Watch out!

EDIT: 5:00pm
Ok ready for your gift man?

Drum roll

............................................................................................................................................................................

Here it isMay he bring you much good luck!
Happy Birthday man!

~J

Down and out for 3 count cont.

When you're sick there's nothing really you can do except sleep, drink tea, and watch t.v.

Someday I'll do one or two blog posts on Jap t.v. but I thought this was halarious when I saw it. Apparently the Suntory the company that makes Boss coffee roped Tommy Lee Jones into being their mascot. So after looking through you tube I found it.. check it out





~J

Down and out for the 3 count

I don't know what it is that I got, but it's bad. two days ago is when I noticed it. My voice began to change ache with every drink of water, food ate, word spoke. It didn't really hit hard though until yesterday morning. Yesterday I went to school and when I was talking to my friends I had that voice you get when the day earlier you drink too much whiskey. Ya know that low graspy voice. It hurt like heck when I talked. I was about to spit for home and take a break when our international councilor person caught me walking off and said, "hey you're supposed to meet the elementary school today." The way she phrased it made me think this was some sort of century old trick to make foreigners who can't speak good Japanese to do what they want.

Some other time I’ll do a post about it, but to wrap up.

Today I’m down and out my voice gone and ache like crazy. I played hookie at school and drinking tea. My nose drips like a leaky fossit and my head is cloudy. I hope Japanese colds die off as quick as American colds because I’m sick and tired already of being sick and tired. Plus the medicine that the host family is giving me is in Japanese so I don’t know what they’re giving me.

~Urgh J

Otaru and the fishing trip

2 days ago June-chan invited me to go fishing with him. Kei (his son) and his wife Na-chan usually don’t go fishing, so to have a partner was exciting for him (or so I thought). He asked me if I had ever gone fishing and I told him that my dad had taught me to fly fish, but never ocean fishing.

Before we left for Otaru we had to get bait. Near the edge of Atsubetsu-ku is a tackle and bait shop. For the most part of my stay here, most stores are pretty small and often don’t have what you’re looking for. This tackle store, however, was huge and had all sorts of fishing lures, bates, rods and poles (bamboo, wood, glass, graphite, etc.), outfits, rod holders, boots, waders, watches, knifes, tackle, and tackle boxes that would all blow your mind. I guess Hokkaido is a fishing place!

While June was getting the stuff to fish, I was meandering over all the Japanese fishing goods. It was obvious Japanese people take their fishing seriously. 20 minutes later June was ready, he had bought me a pole, bate, line, you name it. We were prepared for war against the fish. It was time to roll.

This was the first time I had been on the open road in Japan. Highways here are supposed to be convenient and this one didn’t fail. This highway only went from Sapporo to Otaru. What’s different (well I guess different from Portland) is that you have to pay a toll to get on and a toll to get off. In exchange for a small toll of 400 yen you get a clear two lane highway (fast and slow). The speed limit on the highway was 80 kph which if you do the math (80 x 6= 480 then drop the last digit) equates to 48 mph. That might seem pretty slow, but people usually do 100 kph (60mph) here plus Otaru is nearby so the trip was pretty short.

The weather for today in Otaru was mostly cloudy with a chance for rain. Maybe the weather man was asleep because once it started raining, the wind blew hard. When the wind blew hard, the rain came down harder. It all just made for a soggy adventure.

The first spot was a dud. So we moved to another which was also a dud. So we went to another and that was a dud. So the fishing trip became an exploration of Hokkaido’s vast coast. June says that when it’s clear the fish bite a lot and it’s a lot more tolerable. Standing out there, I felt like I was back in Portland, maybe somewhere along the Columbia. It felt good to feel wind and rain. Weird eh?

Fishing Japanese style is similar to fishing off of Huntington Beach. You can’t cast without a license, but you can drop hooks without a license. We did what was allowed and dropped bait laden hooks into the murky waters of the Japan Sea.

While our luck was wavering, June was intent on fishing. He wizzed through the gear setting it up like some Japanese master. June reminded me of a passage in Ernest Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea. Watching June was a sight to see. I was able to catch this photo of the Fishing Sensei in action. From watching him and other Japanese guys fish it looked like, through all the modernity that is slowly fading old Japanese traditions, this activity seems like it bonded the man with his roots. I guess this isn't mutually exclusive, all cultures probabally have some activity that has transended modernity and when one or more people do it they too are connecting with their past, it was all kinda spiritual in a way. Perhaps, I'm wrong and it's just that fishing is fun, and June was showing off his honed skills. Whatever the case, he made it fun to go out and fish in those harsh conditions.

Anyway, we were having fun moving from one spot to the next. The fishermen who were pretty experienced said the good fish were not biting their lines either so I guess it wasn't our day.

That didn't stop us from exploring Hokkaido. June-chan wanted to check out some places he'd never been before. I'm guessing that Kei isn't all into exploring new places or atleast going out fishing new spots with his dad, but me I was game. So for some unknown reason, him and I started traveling the Hokkaido countryside enjoying the scenery and taking in the fresh air of the less traveled part of Hokkaido.

From what I could tell, outside of Sapporo and Ebetsu is mostly countryside and farmlands. The coast is real simular to the pacific coast on the Oregon side (i.e. cold, misty rain, salty air, and fishing boats). Driving along we saw ships from all over. There was one ship that had three white guys hanging over the rail, I waved to them and said "goodmorning" they waved back and said "Dobroye utro" (good morning in Russian) I forgot that Otaru does a lot of fishing trade with Russia. I thought it was pretty cool to see a real mix of people here.

Eventually we drove all over and ended up at a beach. We got out and saw a lot of people kite boarding, windsurfing, and salmon fishing. The view from the beach was beautiful. The Hokkaido Mountain ranges were in the background and the Japanese Sea seemed like it streached for miles.

The beach sand was a dark brown. I couldn't tell you why, but it was pretty different from Oregon beaches. There were also many people camping out here. From what I could discern there weren't any state parks to pay or regulations for fishing. Here it seemed like if you wanted to camp, you brought a tent and some wood, and some food and then you set it up. Just looking around I say plenty of great camping spots too. Hokkaido is full of great mountainous hikes and camping spots. The family told me they often camp at either the beach or at this lake. Some day I'll go and check them out.

It wasn't long before we called it a day and headed back home. The host mom went and bought some salmon and made a really good salmon meal. While I know the day could of been better, I told June that this was one the greatest days I've had here.

~J out