The Stars Shine, the Mona Lisa Smiles

*Photo notes at the bottom...*

Last Sunday, Dr. Hammatori took Shipshewana and I to a couple of spots in Nishio.

First was the mysterious building.

This is a huge building with what looks like an observatory on it, which has meddled with my curiosity ever since I came to Nishio. Finally a few months ago I thought to ask the doctor about it (Eureka!). Of course Dr. Hammatori knows everyone and about everything in Nishio.

The mysterious sand-colored-rock and green-copper-topped building belongs to his friend, another doctor in town and coincidentally the owner of the hospital that the gap guys from the UK (i.e. Shipshewana and Minority) volunteer at. And it is in fact... an observatory! But with no telescope. Zannen, ne. Too bad, huh. But still curious, we went Sunday to check it out.

So here's the story, though a little anticlimactic. The doctor's great-grandfather was an amateur astronomy enthusiast, and built the building and the observatory. But, he died before he could have the telescope installed. :\ really tragic.

He also was an avid reader, and he and his son accumulated QUITE a collection of books--medical, and everything else. They had a fancy system installed for the library... well, I guess I lot of university libraries have these, but UIndy isn't quite high tech enough... it's the system where, when you walk into room, it just looks like another wall, but then you select the row you need, and the wall automatically opens to that row of books... you get it, right? so automatic library system... kind of amazing for a home library. So TONS of books, right? Enough to make any decent English major quiver with excitement (even if all the books are indeed in Japanese). There were medical books from Edo Period (circa 1603 - 1868), and even an original copy from before Edo (!). We were enthralled.

It was the doctor's building caretaker who was showing us around, a retired engineer (who also happens to be Dr. Hammatori's friend ^_^ of course). He said we could take a book if we wanted to. =O The row he had opened up in the big library room was art. So Shipshe and I both took a couple of books of Japanese art. :D I also found one, half in English, about the temple Kiyomizu in Kyoto. (The most culturally important city in Japan, hugely old, and not too far west of us.) Excited. We enjoyed coffee with the caretaker after that, and then we had to go.

Second was the museum of red paintings.



Dr. Hammatori also wanted to take us to this small museum/showroom in Nishio. The artist’s name is Goroh Saitoh, and is, well, famous as far as I can tell. He uses red in all of his paintings. His trademark. The museum was wonderful, and even more so because so many of the pieces’ themes were of places I could recognize from Mikawa Bay (this area we live in). Wonderful. Nishio matcha... festivals… rivers.. trains...

But that’s not the half of it. There’s the Mona Lisa, too. The Mona Lisa is, of course, in the Louvre, and no one is allowed to paint it. Before, the only person that ever copied it was Monet. But Saitoh-san was allowed to copy. So now, only two people have ever copied it :D It's funny, it looks out of place sitting among the high-saturated reds of the Mikawa Bay scenes.

Saitoh-san was a really interesting guy and he showed us lots of things, like the professional sumo wrestler’s costume he created for the wrestler to wear during the opening ceremonies of the tournaments. And he had a costume that the participants in this incredible festival near us in Hazu city—the Fire Festival—wear, I think so he could look at it while he painted scenes of the festival. I tried it on :D And he and his father also collect antiques, so he showed us tons of those, and lots of pictures, and told us about this Asian artists event they had at the world trade center. He painted the poster art for the world trade center event, too, and let us have a copy of the poster. Really interesting guy. Such a good time visiting with him and his museum.


An art saturation day. I hope you can enjoy some of the photos. They show a little of our little hometown, and the sites and people of this area too ^_^.

PHOTO NOTES:

1 - The Mona Lisa randomly displayed on a telephone pole somewhere in Japan. I think of Kira when I see this. I feel like I've been to the corner, but I must've missed the Mona Lisa hanging there. I didn't post a picture of his real copy of the Mona Lisa.. I like this one better ^_^

2 - A view of the mysterious building from Dr. Hammatori's condo in the new and very tall Zelk Tower in the middle of Nishio.

3 - Enthralled over one of the medical books. This is the reprint of the book from the Edo period.

4 - A fuzzy view of one of the main pieces in the showroom. We're standing in front of it in a later photo. This is rice. In the forefront is hands making a ball of motchi (rice cake.. a sweet thing). Follow the fields of rice to the top for a history of rice and Japan, and hidden awesome things like the Mona Lisa (in that first wooden shed building on the right), Super Mario! (behind the second barn on the right above the first), and historical figures and stuff ^_^.

Also, this one and the next one really show how his paintings/silkscreens are similar to the woodblock prints of old... scenes of common places and common people of Japan. So captivating, huh?

5 - Dr. Hammatori's favorite. A boy hitting a golf ball off of a boat in the Furigawa River, where it hits Kira and the ocean. Also note the red train at the top! Meitestu is the train line around here, and the regular local trains are red! Very much a part of our lives ^_^

6 - Shipshe, the artist Goroh Saitoh, and me in front of the rice painting.

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Winter is a little fun, too

Winter in Central Japan! Who's excited! In Nishio, it's not very exciting. It's not very cold, it's not very warm. There's no snow.

But if you travel just a couple of hours north of us... there are mountains suitable for skiing ^_^. Some of us went last weekend! It was fun overall... but I have found that I am not my father's daughter. Not on snowy mountains. He loves skiing. I can't quite get the hang of it >_< (here meaning takes out tiny children with pink skis during stopping attempts >_<). But yeah, it was still a fun day (and the pink skis girl was ok..). It was fun watching my friends have fun ^_^ And the view from the top was beautiful. BTW.. we were at Mt. Gozaisho in Mie prefecture. Which has the longest gondola in Asia. If you're into gondola length measurements. And, shall I name everyone? Well, from left to right we have Minority, Shipshewana, that girl, Stitch, and Dr. Hammatori. ^_^ yes those are all pseudonyms.

Oh and we saw monkeys. Can you see the pink face just right of center?? Every fall was totally worth it. (!)

After, we left there, we went over to Nabana no Sato (also in Mie prefecture), which is usually a flower park. Ok actually, it's simply an all-the-time, sure-bet icha icha couples spot. Definitely made for dates. The first time I went, it was by myself.. not the best idea.. but the flowers were still beautiful.


Anyway, in the winter, they do illumination! It's incredible! This picture is me and Stitch in a huge tunnel of lights. Dazzling. Stitch is a teacher here in Nishio, too. ^_^

This is a pond! With the wedding chapel on the far side.



But I don't guess the pictures do it justice.

That's winter for now!

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America the Beautiful

Well I've been home in Indiana the past 2 and a half weeks, and I have only about half a week more here. It's been an emotional roller coaster. It's so good to see everyone. I can't hardly wait to get back to Japan. Just saying hello after a year, a few hours of conversation, then saying a goodbye for the next year.. over and over is a bit wearying. And adjusting to America, etc. is uncomfortable.

I can't bring myself to wear shoes in the house, and even some places out--like at my parents' church--I feel very instinctively like we should take off our shoes.

Driving with people is uncomfortable... everyone just drives faster in Japan and on the wrong side and all that too... I'm afraid I've become a bit of a paranoid backseat driver... my poor sister >_<

Well, Christmas was wonderful ^_^ I don't want to miss Christmas ever again. ^_^ My uncle drove my grandparents up here for Christmas. They were able to visit with my aunt and her family (along with a new little great-grandchild up there ^_^) up near Chicago, and then come down here for Christmas Day. It was wonderful. We've never ever been around them at Christmas, so it was a sort of once-in-a-life time, golden Christmas. ^_^ Beautiful.

My grandfather fought in the Korean War, and while he was over there, he had a short one-week shore leave in Japan. He actually stayed for a night in Nagoya :O awesome. But his real leave was in Tokyo. It was so cool talking about Japan with him :D Best memory with my grandfather. definitely.

Of course Japan is quite different now. He asked if I rode in rickshaws. No, I never have.. they're sort of more expensive, touristy things. He laughed... when he was there, they were so so common, and cheaper than a taxi. He rode them a lot. ^_^

He also said that while they were there, they took a train across the west of Japan, and went by Hiroshima... so this would be well under 10 years after they dropped the bomb... he said it was a wasteland. I can't imagine it.

I was also able to spend New Year's Day in St. Louis with some friends ^_^ Caught a crowded 4 a.m. Greyhound out there. Did some shopping, watched some butterflies... a lovely reprieve from this Siberian winter. It's not Nishio weather, that's for sure. Being with friends is so good. If not highly emotional. I'm afraid it's making me difficult to be around. >_<

Well, this week, I have some required shopping to take care of... some for me, some for others. And a few more friends to meet up with ^_^ I'm so happy to see eveyone. It's so wonderful.


The picture is our monument in the center of Indianapolis. It's all decorated for Christmas. ^_^

A new Post! Ruth cooks in Japan!

New post. wow.

Well, this is just a random post to break the ice that's been growing thicker over the past... 6 months.

Japanese cooking. As you might expect, it's easier to cook Japanese food in Japan than it is to cook my mom's food. I have realized that a lot of the stuff I'm used to--maybe chili or Mexican food or baked anything or something else--is either impossible to cook here (for example for lack of an oven...) or very expensive (for example the through-the-roof cost of the taco party my friend had not too long ago).

So, when in Rome... cook some Italian food maybe. When you decide to move to Japan, learn to cook Japanese food while you're there. Or else survive off of cup-a-ramen the whole time. That was pretty much my first couple of weeks... ok maybe month. My co-worker said I was going to turn into a noodle but, it didnt happen, I just became, plump.

Anyway, tonight, I'm eating fried shijimi rice and tamagoyaki ^_^

Fried Shijimi Rice.... this means rice cooked in my friend the rice cooker mixed with shijimi, which is a tiny shellfish, and then stir-fried.. using a seasoning packet. ^_^ Easy right? I'm eating shijimi a lot lately in attempt to consume more iron.... because my body is showing signs of it's absence. >_<

Tamagoyaki.... tamago is egg. Yaki means.. cooked somehow.. in this case fried. Put them together and.. yeah fried eggs. But not the traditional American scrambled eggs. You may have had a bit of tamagoyaki before as sushi. The eggs are mixed with some Japanese seasonings (namely soy sauce, dashi--fish stock, mirin) and sugar, and fried and rolled. It's really easy. Most of Japanese food it. It's nice that it's possible to make delicious food and not be my mom. ^_^ rolling the egg just right is a little hard for me right now though :\ I suppose I'll be able to get the hang of it one day...

Here's the recipe for tamagoyaki my friend wrote out for me in simple Japanese:



....I'll post it in English later! Now to go cook dinner! :D


The photo is from Himeji Castle-- in the west of Japan. It's so beautiful. It's a world heritage site and was somehow spared the air raids of WWII, so it's one of the oldest (maybe the oldest?) castle in Japan. So glad it made it. It's awesome. I went to see it with some students on a one-day bus trip recently. ^_^

Haunts and Fire

Almost five months now! Feels like 10 years and only a week at the same time! It seems impossible that my sister was actually here in Nishio... I don't know what I would do if someone from back home came here again... might cause a rip in the time-space continuim.

So now that almost five months have past, I've really begun settling in. I still haven't bought a trash can, or replaced my cardboard-box laundry basket, but those are uh... next on the list. :) The initial newness and nerves and all that of moving to Japan are gone now. I've begun to think of this place as my neighborhood with my own frequent haunts.

I guess our frequent haunts are

- Shubakamana--the Indian restaurant just down the street from MEC (mm mm!biggest and best nan ever!);

- C-dome--short for Carnival dome... it looks like a giant metallic bubble and its the place we karaoke at the most;

- Medisite--bookstore/video and music rental shop close to home.. bookstores are good.. when Rachel was here, we found that somehow bookstores were still so so comfortable, even though we were in a completely strange place;

- Home Expo--sort of a Wal-mart of home goods and simular stuff where I can buy a new cooking pot and a bike tire repair kit;

- Nishio station!--I love that place, complete with trains that take me anywhere AND back to my home again, and my favorite ￥100 store on the third floor (like a dollar store..) :);

- the tennis courts by Mount Yatsuomote and the Yahagi River--we go here every Monday and play tennis.. it looks nice even in the middle of winter :);

- Kappazushi!--great cheap sushi, and when you order something special they send it to you on a little shinkansen train :);

- Itsumo--shopping center complete with my grocery store and the best takoyaki (yummy balls of.... well, breaded octopus I guess.. just had some today! yum!) around here and a good clothes store and sports depot.. which I really like to go to for some reason.. the name means everyday or always, if your curious;

- the Nishio historical park--this has the rebuilt Nishio castle lookout tower, castle gate, little museum, a couple of shrines.. a couple of other buildings and a garden... nice to chill in;

- and the Nishio Rose Garden! complete with foot bath! nothing like going in the middle of winter to soak your toes in a nice hot outdoor bath in the middle of a rose garden, where roses bloom all winter somehow.

Yeah, those are the places I go the most. I still haven't found a proper place to people watch or anything. Just the mall in Okazaki, about 30 minutes away by train. I don't go there so often.

Lately, I've been meeting a lot of foreigners in Nishio and the area. There's some cool people around here! :) It's sort of fun when we all get together, and all our different accents are flying in a hundred different directions :) very cool. Two students from England.. fresh out of high school.. are spending 6 months here volunteering in health care; they leave next week :( so tonight we are having a big karaoke farewell (at C-dome!). I think it'll be fun :) Everybody will be there :) I went to Tokyo Disneyland a couple of weeks ago with a couple of friends here! So much fun!

Well, sorry if this is a boring post. I just need to start posting again :/ :)

The picture is from the Fire Festival (or himatsuri 火祭) in a nearby town called Hazu, right beside the sea. We went with a couple of friends who live there. They build two HUGE bonfires, with a tree in the middle of each, which are holy. Two teams race to climb up ladders, into the fire to pull out their team's tree. One team from the east side of town, the other from the west, and if the west (i think) wins, then that means there will be a bad harvest, and if the east side wins, it will all be ok.... i think the east side won. The guys douse themselves with water and wear clothes made from the banners of last years festival, which are white and covered in blue/black writing... so they look like calico cats! that's what they call them, the neko, which means cats. So cool!

Adjustments

So... I’ve been here for 2 full months now... it feels longer because it’s been so packed with newness, etc. Well, it’s been a good two months. To be cliché, it’s been a good two months. And of course, I’m still adjusting to some things. So, here are a few:

- sorting my trash. Here, you sort all your trash between burnable garbage, plastics, and recyclables (glass and aluminum), put them in different specially marked bags that you buy at the supermarket, and then set them out to be picked up on the designated days of each. The guys tell me just try a little, but everyone mixes. Just don’t leave anything in your garbage with your address on it, or they’ll come pounding on your door to yell at you. Seriously.

- driving. I actually drove a car for the first time last weekend! Ah! Not only do they drive on the wrong :) side of the road, but I hadn’t driven anything in 2 months, and my car back home was a manual. :/ So I was kinda nervous. But then I started getting used to it. Not as bad as I thought it could be... of course, right hand turns is the worst. And I think I freaked out the people riding with me because I was turning when some people and a dog were crossing the road. I’ve been riding my bike everywhere, though, and I think that’s helped me get used to the right side of the road...

- karasu, crows. They are creepy. They are everywhere. They get in the garbage. They’re smart. They make the creepiest noises ever. I shudder when I walk nearby.

- cockroaches. I caught one and kept in a jar and named it Bob. I taught him English and then indoctrinated him with my no-cockroaches-in-the-house propaganda. I just let him loose last Friday to go forth and spread these new mind-opening ideas of liberation. I also made it clear that rebels will squeezed in a kleenax and flushed into the watery abyss. So, we’ll see how it goes.

- Nihongo. Japanese language. I study. And watch TV. And try to talk with people. Of course opportunities to try to talk and to read surround me. It takes me like two whole minutes just to try to ask, What did you do today? But I’m trying. And I am getting better. I can read a little, too. It’s SUCH a great feeling to be able to read. Oh my word. It’s quite a peculiar sensation to be having class with my 5th grade student and asking him, Oh what it this? And him answering, Oh, it’s.... See? It’s written write here. And then I just say, Oh, I see. I can’t read. So much relief in being able to read.

- boy bands. You thought the 5-piece dancing-singing boy bands died with Nsync and the Backstreet Boys when we were in high school, but you were wrong. And it scares me that I might actually like them. A little ok? I’m not obsessed ok? Really. Ok? Arashi is my favorite :) But I like Tohoshinki, too... and they have a lot more talent.

- speaking s. l. o. w. l. y. It’s pretty tiring. But it’s not so bad. I’m not complaining.. I’m just still trying to get used to it, that’s all.

- defining words without a vocabulary. Or a big one. Defining words like ‘interesting’ without using any word above a.. maybe second grade reading level is a little difficult. Of course, direct translation is sometimes advantageous, but in the case of 'interesting,' the Japanese word for it and 'fun' are the same, so it's still confusing. Or my favorite so far is trying to explain the difference between ‘hope’ and ‘wish.’ Uh-huh. I dare you to try. Remember to use small words.

- taking care of myself. If I don’t cook, there is no food. If I don’t shop, there is no food. If I don’t clean, I get dust bunnies in my shoes. I picked up a Japanese cookbook in Nagoya awhile ago… I’m going to try to cook something as soon as I figure what daishi powder looks like in the store. I cooked the most AMAZING breakfast for myself this morning... I fried an apple and scrambled some eggs. The apple was from the apple orchard we went to a couple of weeks ago. It was SO good. I know it’s super simple, but I was proud.

- coins. In America, we usually reserve coins for vending machines and the penny jar, which sits on our shelf until we know some kid doing Jar Wars for a charity and then we give it to him. Here, coins are a staple that comes in the equivalents of as much as one and five dollars, plus all the other little coins. So, I’m getting used to paying for my lunch and stuff in coins. My wallet is usually full of coins.

- trains. I love them. When I’m out with my student Mika-san and the shinkansen, bullet train goes by... I turn five for a couple of seconds. Taking the train can be a little nerve-wracking. I haven’t tried taking it by myself yet. I went to Nagoya—big city about the size of Chicago about an hour north of us—last Saturday (and went to the castle there.. fabulous!) with a student, and we took the train so I could get used to it. I think I’m getting the hang of it… it’s so nice going with someone who knows Japanese though :/ But I want to try to take it by myself this winter break.

- Attention! Gaijin-wa o-hashi-o sukate tabete imasu! Foreigner eating with chopsticks! You’d think some people want to yell this every time you pick up a pair. Often, the first time you take a bite, it’s to the proclamations of Sugoii, ne! Awesome, huh! It only just started to bug me, I’m sure I’ll get used to it...

- shy boys. I don’t understand it yet. I can’t say all the boys are shy. But most of the ones I have met are. It’s just really different from back home.

Well that’s a start :) Most everything is different here somehow... It’s good though! For the most part. Of course I miss some things about home. And Christmas is making me a little sad. It's pretty much all commercial here.

The picture at the top is from a nearby city called Gamagori. There is a long bridge that connects the land to an island called takeshima (literally bamboo island.. though I'm told there isn't actually any bamboo on it...), which is completely a shrine. Women who want to have a baby pray here. Also, it's a popular date sopt, but the legend is that dating couples that go there that eventually get married, will end up having divorces! We saw many couples :) I wanted to jump in front of them and yell No! Go back now while you have a chance! :)