Great Quote
Mood:  vegas lucky
Here's a quote that i just received from a good friend.
I am adopting it as my motto!

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming,' WOW, what a ride!'"

GO FAST AND THE WRINKLES WON'T SHOW!

Kyoto again
Wednesday, June 23rd Ginkakuji Temple, Kiyomizu....and more

Students in Japan in their 3rd year of junior high school traditionally take a school trip with their teachers. It's 3 days and two nights to somewhere special in Japan. Bill lived for a few years on a military base south of Hiroshima when he was around 13 years old. He remembered Ginkakuji Temple from just such a field trip. It was such a pleasure to discover that this temple is just as beautiful as he remembered it from his childhood. After experiencing typhoon winds and rain on Monday, we were treated with exceptionally fine weather this day. Overcast skies kept our skin from burning and a cool breeze made for a very comfortable day for a walking tour. We started out again from the JR station and easily caught a bus (40 minutes ride) to this temple. The grounds were green and lush. I thought that the tiny maple leaves were the prettiest. The temple is done in real gold leaf which is incredible in the sunlight. From the temple we walked down hill to the Kyoto Museum for World Peace. We decided to only spend a few minutes viewing a powerful photo exhibit on war all over the world. While there a newspaper cameraman took our photo so we are probably going to have our picture in the paper somewhere in Japan! We then hiked down and found Nijo Castle, but we got there right at 4pm - closed. It's very frustrating that we have only about 6-7 hours time per day to tour in Kyoto. The carpets are rolled up and things close down around 4pm. I have been in Kyoto many times and was sadly disappointed when, not only the sightseeing places, but the shops and some restaurants also close so early. When it takes 40 minutes one way on a bus this limits the places you can view in a day. From Nijo we caught another bus to Gion and hiked up through a Shinto shrine that led us to an incredible stone path. I really wanted Nola and Bill to visit my favorite sight, Kiyomizu Temple. The view from there is quite spectacular as the sun goes down and the lights of the city come on. I had forgotten that i had been there in the fall when the days were much shorter. Kiyomizu stays open till 6pm and we were hustled out way before the sun was ready to set. Ah, well, the grounds were gorgeous and we got some good touristy pictures.

I am constantly amazed at the variety of people we meet while traveling around Japan. As we were gently nudged by security off the temple grounds we ran into a group from Sri Lanka. They were with a Japanese woman benefactor who was sponsoring them on their trip to Japan. One of the men was a Theravada Buddhist monk. Of course he invited me to visit them in Sri Lanka next month. I felt like such a world traveler when i casually said, "So sorry, I'll be in Tanzania." Wow, sometimes i have to pinch myself it seems so unreal the places and possibilities for traveling and visiting such incredible people.

Himeji & Osaka Jo
Tuesday, June 22nd

OK, so this is one of my major blunders. Last week I had researched some fun activities going on in our area while Bill and Nola were going to be here. There was a Yukata Matsuri Festival happening on this day and i circled it in my Kansai Time-Out English language magazine. The bold print at the top of the article said something about Osaka Jinga (shrine). The article described people parading up and down the boulevard close to Himeji Castle. They would be displaying their summer yukata (light kimono) and there would be 800 food and entertainment booths set up. That sounds like fun! Still thinking Osaka because that was in bold letters, i planned a morning trip to Himeji Castle and then over to Osaka to see Osaka Castle and then we could eat and enjoy the Festival that evening.

You'd think i would have gotten a clue when we arrived at Himeji and saw a ton of booths being set up along the street leading to the castle. Dave and Connie joined us for a very impressive tour of the inside of the castle. I would highly recommend this one. All the explanations were in English and were very informative. The view from the top of the castle is really impressive. It's hard to imagine how large an area this castle complex encompassed way back when. On our way back to the train station we had a great yakitori from one of the booths for our lunch break but most of the booths were still being constructed. Ah, well, we thought, we'll hit the REAL festival when we get to Osaka. WRONG. We didn't figure out till we got to Osaka that we had just left the festival in Himeji and that Osaka Jinga is in Himeji. Oops. Duh. Phooey.

We got to Osaka-jo too late to get inside but enjoyed the grounds and took some cool photos of the cat lady and ate a not so good okonomiyaki at a booth close to the castle mote. I could just kick myself. We would have enjoyed watching the "fashion show" and sampling food from all those booths and probably seen Himeji lit up at night but it was too late and too expensive to get back on the train and travel an hour back there to enjoy it. Luckily, everyone was happy with our day anyway and i think that i was the most disappointed. Resolved: I WILL read the directions better next time.

Nola and Bill and Kyoto and typhoon!
Mood:  caffeinated
Monday, June 21st

I had heard the typhoon was coming on Monday, and the forecasting around here is extremely accurate. Despite these warnings we headed for Kyoto anyway. When we reached the Kyoto JR station we headed up to the top to get a birds-eye view of the city. Our umbrellas were blown inside out and it was a bit unpleasant up there, but we still got a great peak at the city despite getting a little damp. Hopping a bus we quickly arrived at Sanjusangendo as the rain began to fall. The 33 spaces that house over a thousand gilded Buddha's are such a powerful sight. They are guarded by an assortment of male and female figures. It was wonderful to be able to take the time to read about each figure. Surprisingly most of them are based on Hindu entities. A feeling of unity and oneness came over me while i studied these statues with physical traits that range from India, China, Africa and all over Asia. Buddhism has incorporated the art and beliefs of many cultures. It is truly beautiful to see it all come together in this inspiring temple. It gives me hope that one day the world will come to see that we are all one.
Sorry, i get a bit emotional and philosophical after experiencing these ancient, holy places.

Also at Sanjusan Temple is information about another interesting practice - archery. An archer in 1686 shot arrows non-stop for 24 hours at this temple. He shot 13,053 arrows and hit the target 8,133 times. He was only 18 years old. The hallway was 120 meters (131 yards) long and he shot 544 arrows/hour. That's 9 arrows every minute! I can't help but think that this was a form of meditation. The concentration must have been intense.

When we finally made it out the other side of this wonderful temple it was pouring rain. Some kids were daring each other to run half way out into a courtyard and back again. In a matter of seconds they were drenched through and through. We dashed to a taxi and headed for the Kyoto Crafts Center. When you get handed a typhoon in Kyoto - go shopping! This place has 6 floors of crafts from all over Japan and pretty reasonably priced - from lacquerware to pottery, paintings, woodblock prints, kimono and more. It was easy to kill a few hours here. While browsing a few floors i kept noticing a certain group of people wearing name tags. I finally asked an especially happy looking man with a name tag on his chest that read Papau New Guinea what kind of group he was with. He joyfully answered that he was with a group of about 40 high school instructors from around the world. They were guests of the Japan Foundation and were studying peace and non-violence. This was the first of 3 groups that will be doing this tour which includes visits to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and many other places in Japan. I noticed other teachers from Bangladesh, India, Sudan, Canada, Britain, and Iran. Nola and I were reduced to tears as these teachers told us about how eager they were to get back to their classrooms and teach their students about peace. THERE ARE GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD!

The Crafts Center receptionist generously offered to get us on a bus that delivers guests to their hotels. She found a hotel close to the shopping center that we wanted to visit next so we managed a free ride to the hotel and then walked a block to the next shopping experience. The rain was still falling but definitely slowing down. The clouds above us were racing by with very high winds. This typhoon is going to rush right by us while we shop! Yahoo. For a pretty challenging weather day we managed to see a lot and we managed to buy a fair share of souvenir gifts.

Tired and happy we caught the train back home - in bed before midnight to begin again tomorrow morning. Whee.

NARA
Mood:  chatty
Sunday, June 20th
Sunday is our first touristy day. I am so happy to be taking Bill and Nola to Nara. I've been waiting for a chance to explore this most beautiful and ancient site with some special friends. Even a more wonderful treat is that my friends Miki and Atsuo met us in Osaka. It's only about a 40-minute train ride from Osaka (it looks farther on the map!).

When we arrived in Nara we headed over to the tourist information booth to get some maps. While waiting in line i noticed a tall young man wearing a Mexico t-shirt making arrangements for an English language guide. They have English-speaking volunteers who are on call and come when needed. After a very short conversation we'd invited him to join us, and he managed to cancel his guide before she'd left her home.

We spent an enjoyable day visiting different temples and shrines and viewing the great Daibutsu and other artwork. I would have never chosen to go into the art museum, but i'm glad that we visited. We learned a lot about the culture and history by studying some of the displays. It was very hot, but it sure beats the rain. The typhoon will be heading our way shortly, so we feel like we are living on borrowed time. In fact by the end of the afternoon we did experience a few raindrops but they were rather welcome for their cooling effect.

The famous deer of Nara are just like begging puppies with antlers. We got our fair share of tourist photos of these gentle, beautiful creatures. Another famous site seen in Nara is the human pulled rickshaw. Boy, are these guys and girls in shape. They must have legs of steel. I just couldn't bring myself to have them pull my heavy body around although when they were jogging along with two people in the cart it seemed effortless.

Now a little bit about our new found friend. I love that we keep meeting such interesting people from around the world. Vladamiro is from Mexico City. He is a college student majoring in math and is the Champion Go player in his country. JAL airlines flew him here to compete in an international Go championship just outside of Tokyo. Wow, we are spending the day with a world famous Go player! Vladamiro was very humble telling us that there are only 50 Go players in Mexico, but still i think that he must be pretty good to earn this trip.

Go is a traditional Japanese game whose history stretches back about 3,000 years. It is a territorial game played with black and white stones. There are Go parlors all over Japan, and it seems especially popular with retired men. There is lots of strategy and it takes years to become even somewhat proficient at the game. If you want to know more about it check out this website.
GO Game

By the way, this morning we ran into a Frenchman on a fully loaded bicycle. He was on a trip around the world and had been traveling for over 5 years. Interesting character.

Most funny memory for today:
I bought some fish food to feed the Koi carp this afternoon. The food feels like Styrofoam and is in the shape of a small loaf of French bread. I passed it out to everyone and as we were strolling towards the pond Bill took a big bite out of his. The shocked looks had to be seen. I guess he missed the whole idea of feeding the fish or maybe he was just hungry!



Saturday, June 19th
It's nice to sleep in and get up when we feel like getting up. Nola decides to stay in the apartment and do some writing and journaling. Bill and i are off for a run along the Shyukugawa River. I take Bill all the way to the ocean and, without realizing it, we end up running about 7 miles! It's warm and humid and Bill is a bit amazed at how much water he's drinking. Spokane has been cold and this humid weather really makes you sweat. We take a cool-down walk through the Sports Complex by my apartment, and Bill gets to see an adult baseball team playing a practice game with a rubber ball. Weird. When we return, Nola is so relaxed and easy going so we sit and each have our own type of breakfast munchies. Then we are off on the bikes - Nola, on my 3-speed, Bill on Dave's 3-speed and i on my new Bike Friday. It's nice that Dave (an ALT downstairs) and i have both purchased fold-up bikes so there are extra bikes for guests. We basically circled the town. Nishinomiya is bordered by hills in the north, and my apartment is at the base of these. We rode to the Mukogawa River which is the eastern border and followed a bicycle trail to the ocean which is the southern border. We wove our way through back streets to Koshien Stadium because i wanted to show Bill the Hanshin Tigers baseball stadium (he's a baseball fan, of course). We managed to find a Hanshin shop open so that Bill could get a few baseball souvenirs. A trip to Daiei (similar to our Macy's or Nordstrom's) gave them a feel for the stores here. We were able to sample some Japanese treats to give us a bit of energy for the rest of the ride on home. We rode west till we hit the Shyukugawa again which is the western border of Nishinomiya and then up river and back to my apartment. Bill and Nola voted for another stop at the noodle shop. They are very easy to please.

Friday, June 18th
My friends, Nola and Bill, arrived from Spokane via Tokyo on the Shinkansen Friday afternoon. Nola called me at school on my cell phone, and i was able to leave early and jet down to the train station on my bike in a flash. They were lounging at the McDonald's looking as if we were still just meeting in Spokane except for the fact that they had a couple of suitcases! We walked to a waiting taxi and i gave the driver my address. I arrived at my apartment by bike just a few minutes behind them. We were all too tired to do much except walk a block to the noodle shop and enjoy catching up on about 10 months of gossip and stories. This is going to be a fun time for me, and i hope that they will enjoy seeing the sights with me. There's a rumor of a typhoon heading our way on Monday, but we are going to stick with my original plan to take it easy to give them a rest on Saturday and begin the real sightseeing on Sunday. It's risky, we could be deluged with rain for days if a serious typhoon hits.

I'll pass on this one
Mood:  don't ask
Suzume - sparrow.
Most commonly grilled as yakitori. The bird is gutted and eaten bones and all with the head, which is crunched whole. Sumimasen. I'll pass on this one.

Japanese Food trivia
Mood:  cheeky
Ok, so i'm not ready to write this.
patience is a virtue!

Teaching in Japan
Mood:  chatty
The more i teach in Japanese junior highs the more i feel like they are more an extended family rather than just a school. A few days ago i watched kids planting watermelon, sweet potato, tomato and cucumber plants with their teachers after school. There are little garden plots all over the outside of the building now. Over and over again i wonder if these teachers don't spend more time with these kids than the kid's own parents. I also wonder if these teachers don't spend more time with these kids than they spend with their own families. I see classes being structured around the "whole child" rather than an individual subject. As much as the tests are stressed for success, i see so much more energy and emphasis placed on sports, and overall experiences than i do the basics. I know that i can't see the whole picture because of my poor Japanese language skills. I have to observe the actions and behaviors of students and teachers and draw my rough conclusions. I try not to analyze too much, but it is amazing to me that a school trip or activity takes precedence over an English class over and over again. Each class has a tradition of going on a longer and longer trip as the kids get older. First graders only a day trip. Third graders take a 4-day 3-night trip with their teachers (no parents attend this excursion!) Teachers place kids on jobs for an entire week in their 2nd year at junior high. No wonder teachers are at school at 7:30 am and stay to 7pm most evenings. Too much for me but i see that this job is more than a job - it's their life!

Post Office Challenge
Mood:  mischievious
So i go to the post office to send a package for an anniversary gift. I decide that it would be nice to have the note that i wrote arrive at the same time; so i taped it to the package. The post office lady was totally befuddled. She called over a manager and they decided after much discussion that it would cost me almost $40 to send. I then asked how much the package would cost if the letter was not attached. Answer: "About $20." So i ripped off the envelope and readdressed the package. The package was $20 and the letter was $1. This is just a small hint of the tiny frustrations that can really build up here in Japan. I keep telling myself, "Think like a duck! Just let it keep rolling off you!" and, of course, just laugh!

Japanese Food trivia
Mood:  silly
I am reading a Dictionary of Japanese Foods in my spare time and will try to add a few tidbits - hah for your reading pleasure.
shamisengai
"Tongue clam, lamp shell Lingula jaspidea. This brachiopod, strictly speaking not a shell fish, belongs to the oldest living genus of animals, almost unchanged for 500,00 years. A greenish color, about 3 cm. long with a peduncle about 5 cm. long, it is harvested in quantity from the Ariake Sea in northwestern Kyushu. It tastes peculiar rather than delicious and some people come out in a rash when they eat it. Eleven species of Lingula, some quite large, live in Japanese waters, but after surviving since the Cambrian period, are now being wiped out by pollution." How sad.