Odds and Ends

We're getting back into a routine here at the Robinson household.  Well, I am anyway.  After a two-month pity party, I'm back on the Japanese study wagon again.  I'm trying to be more serious about my studying, and doing a little something every day.  And I'm back to exercising again, after a two-week sick leave.  I love my zumba classes, and now that the snow is gone (yippee!!!), I can ride my bike again.  My little mama-cheri (what the little cheap bikes are called in Japan) has only one gear, so it can be quite a workout.  I also try to practice my ukulele every evening, and I'm getting pretty good at a few songs, if I do say so.

And it's good to be back in the classroom, after almost a month of not teaching.  The new first graders seem very sweet, and I look forward to teaching them all.  In fact, the more I teach at Keihoku, the more I realize that I am perfectly suited for this job.  Too bad it's not forever...

Anyway, here's some photos I've taken over the last week or so.  Just some odds of ends of my daily life.

Japan doesn't really have "bad words" like we do in English, so I don't think they quite grasp the meaning of this word sometimes, haha.

On the way to work one morning, I spotted this jacket.

Sometimes I just love the English on Japanese things.

This was Friday morning, and I was not happy about it.  Luckily, it melted by the afternoon.

A Japanese girl group.   Not sure I want to know what demographic they're trying to appeal to.

Ethan last night at karaoke, singing some Beastie Boys.  He's pretty awesome.

Only in Japan: Hanami

So spring is creeping its way toward Sapporo, even though I'm still wearing long sleeved shirt and jackets. Perhaps the most noticeable sign of spring is the Sakura blossoms, which first bloom in Okinawa in February, and work their way up north. Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are synonymous with Japan, and I was excited to see them slowly blooming over the last week. However, I did not know about "Hanami" which is a celebration of spring and sakura by having a picnic outside under the sakura blossoms. Apparently it's quite a big deal, with some hanami parties lasting late into the night.

We were lucky enough to have a sunny day today, which was a perfect opportunity for me and the boys to go out and enjoy the sakura. We walked to a park close to the apartments, sat on the grass, and enjoyed the beautiful spring day.

A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I'd say.

Only in Japan: Setsubun

On February 3rd, the Japanese celebrate "Setsubun" or "bean throwing ceremony". According to the lunar calendar, Feb. 3 is the eve of the spring season, and throwing beans is a symbolic ritual of throwing out demons and bad luck. When families throw the beans out their door, they say, "Devils out, fortune in!" What beans have to do with evil spirits, I do not know, and I also found it interesting that you are then supposed to eat as many roasted soy beans as you are old (so I'd eat 21, right? RIGHT??)

oni mask and peanuts. symbols of Setsubun

Another tradition during Setsubun is to eat a maki sushi roll while facing the direction of the zodiac sign for the year. Our Japanese teacher was kind enough to make the rolls with us tonight. It was my first time making maki sushi, and it was delicious.

Above is the fillings: cucumber, grilled egg, spinach, shiitake mushroom, kampyo (gourd), and some kind of pink fish powder.

My finished product!

And Ethan enjoying the fruits of his labors.

So here's to telling bad luck to get lost and fortune to come in!!!

Only in Japan: Mame Shiba

In Japan, there are many, many cute characters to choose from. Most large department stores have sections dedicated to these characters - stuffed characters, key chains, pencils, folders, etc. My personal favorite is the Mame Shiba.

Mame Shiba is half bean and half dog. A hybrid, if you will. Each one of them is a different type of bean, and they enjoy telling various trivia. Only in Japan would they think of something like this.

Well, I couldn't resist their cuteness, and ended up buying "strap" (a charm that's usually put on your phone or bag). I use it as a keychain.

It's shaped like an edamame bean pod, and you can push out the beans to see the little mame shiba. Kawaii!!

But perhaps the cutest thing is the commercials. There are about 20 of them on you tube, and these are my three favorites:

Only in Japan: Ramen

Now I'm fully aware that there are ramen places in the States, but before I moved to Japan my experience with ramen was the 4 for $1 packages at the grocery store. The stuff all college students live off of. Never ever had I experienced the deliciousness that is Sapporo ramen. The above bowl was eaten at Ramen Shin, a little place around the corner from our apartment. I'm not exactly sure what the name of this is, as the menu is completely in Japanese, but I do know that it's a little spicey and super delicious!

I don't know if the contents of a bowl of ramen change regionally in Japan, but here in Sapporo, ramen comes in a HUGE bowl that consists of a piece of pork, an egg, bean sprouts, bamboo, and ramen noodles. It's considered rude not to finish the entire bowl, so we usually eat ramen when we're really hungry. It's also perfectly acceptable to slurp your noodles, which has taken some getting used to on my part.

I have to admit, eating a huge steaming bowl of ramen on these hot summer days has been a challenge, but it's just so good! I'm sure it's going to be even better during the snowy months!

Only in Japan: Holy Cute!

This is a regular segment I'm going to feature on my blog. Just things in Japan that I've noticed since I've been here. This week's segment: Japanese Cute!

There seems to be an abundance of cute in this country. You'll find cute things everywhere - in the grocery store, on subway signs, even the airplanes are cute (that's the Pokemon airplane I saw at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo).

I've shown this picture before, but it's worth showing again. I have no idea what this sign says - for all I know, it could be warning me about not leaving my luggage unattended, or not riding on tiny planes in the lobby area. The point is there's a cute boy waving and riding a tiny plane. Cuteness!!

The perhaps the best place to find cute is the grocery store. The above picture is of lunchboxes - I mean, has your lunch ever looked this cute? Making sure your child's bento (lunch box) is cute seems to be a national pastime here - you'll find all sorts of decorations and frills for food, it would be hard to eat those cute pieces of art. And just when you think you've seen all the cute you can stand.....

Then they gotta put a face on the sponges. Cleaning just got cute (and yes, I bought one)!