A day in Kobe

Devastated just over 10 years ago by a massive earthquake that took the lives of over 6,000 people, the city of Kobe has been revitalized to become one of Japan's most beautiful cities. To many, the city is now equally famous for its shopping and beef. For a birthday celebration, Sarah and I jumped on a train for 30 minutes to enjoy this fun city.

We began the day at the Kobe City Museum which is hosting an exhibit borrowed from the British Museum. It is a 3D show that reveals the inside of a Mummy. Following the museum route one can also see ancient Egyptian coffins, jewels, and religious artifacts. It was absolutely amazing, and with our handy English notes, we could read about the show and understand most of what we were seeing despite the Japanese announcements describing the history of the mummy. Additionally inside the museum were some permanent exhibits on Kobe's history including a replica of a foreign home from the late 1800's when over 45,000 foreigners lived in this international trading port city.

Another beautiful part of the museum was a collection of childrens' paintings depicting Kobe in the future. Rarely have I ever seen more artistic or creative paintings, especially from children. One showed an underwater Kobe (perhaps an effect of global warming), another showed a city with dragon shaped trains and cars that run like gondolas in the sky. I hope these kids grow up to be artists, architects or inventors.

Later in the day we grabbed lunch at a nice cafe near the city. We had originally planned to dine on Kobe Beef; world famous for its tender morsels, but we realized not being huge red meat eaters it seemed a waste for us to get $26.00 lunch steaks. Instead we opted for the cafe, but much to our surprise they had delectable Kobe beef pastry puff sandwiches. Inside a doughy pastry-like bread, there was a layer of spiced potatoes, walnuts, blueberries, and a small but amazingly tender piece of Kobe beef. It was similar to a meat pie but creatively constructed to be like a sandwich as well. For dessert we split a strawberry shortcake with mouthwatering cream, moist shortcake bread, and fresh strawberries. And all this for the price of one full steak. Although, for meat lovers, Kobe beef is not to be passed up.

We finished the day with some shopping, and rumors are right. Kobe has everything from Louie Vitton to the Gap with Japanese boutiques mixed in. We didn't stay out late but I've also heard that the nightlife in Kobe is well worth a night out, so that will be saved for a future excursion.

Okonomiyaki

It's possible I've blogged about it before, but if you come to Japan the most important thing to do is eat Okonomiyaki. Unlike sushi, okonomiyaki is not commonly found in Japanese restaurants back home, although I hope it soon makes it's way around the world. I have heard you can find them in Vancuver, however.

Sometimes described as a Japanese-pizza, and other times as a savory pancake, okonomiyaki is a kind of hyprid of both. It is made with flour, eggs, cabbage, and a delcious sauce. Additional possible ingredients include: Noodles- ramen, udon, or yakisoba, squid and octopus, mochi and cheese, or pork and chicken, along with other possibilities and combinations. Typically okonomiyaki is topped with the special sauce, mayonaise, seaweed, and dried fish flakes. Usually anything after the sauce is your's to assemble.

Okonomiyaki is served at special resturants throughout Japan, but is especially famous in Osaka and Hiroshima. My favorite okonomiyaki was eaten in Hiroshima. My friend Tomomi led us to a giant building filled with okonomiyaki restuarants. One floor had about 8 resturants where chefs stood around counters with stools calling out to us to eat their okonomiyaki. We finally choose the busiest table because Tomomi recommended it, and we quickly realized she made an excellent choice. Hiroshimayaki (the special name for Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki) has the special touch of being made in layers instead of everything being mixed together. A layer of pancake, topped with cabbage, topped with a fried egg with strips of pork before being finalized with any additional toppings and reconnected for a few flips on the hot iron griddle. Absolutely breathtaking. And in typical Japanese fashion, all of the vendors on the floor thanked us for coming, even though we had skipped over their restaurants.

Making your own okonomiyaki is actually not too difficult. Apparently the sauce can be found in Japanese grocery stores in big cities and everything else can be found at your local grocery store. Well, maybe not squid but the basic necessities. To make your own, check out this recipe. I've tried a few times and it's a satisfying meal despite my sad cooking skills.

Neither Here nor There

I have been living in Japan for about 9 months now, yet it still doesn't truly feel like home. Whenever I think of home I think of grassy, green meadows, lot's of cows, and white lace curtains fluttering in the breeze from my bedroom window. For the first 6 months or so of my stay in Japan I felt like I was on some sort of semi-permanent vacation. My apartment felt like a temporary spot to crash for an adventure that would soon end. After 6 months a strange feeling started to take hold. I no longer felt like I was on vacation, Japan was where I was living, it wasn't my home, but it wasn't a vacation. A few days ago I visited Awaji Island with some friends. Awaji Island is a small island off mainland Honshu. We hiked, collected sea glass on the beach, and visited an abandoned lighthouse in the middle of nowhere. As were were walking back to catch our ferry it started to drizzle. As we walked along narrow back streets in the dark of night, rain pelting our backpacks, we could see shop signs written in Kanji, and a mother and daughter whizzing past us on their bicycles, holding umbrellas to keep from getting wet. It occurred to me that in the first few months of my time in Japan I would have found this scene very alienating and different from back home, I would have felt like a tourist stumbling through a different world. When this surreal experience actually occurred it felt normal and natural, what I was used to seeing on a daily basis. I didn't feel like a visitor, but I still didn't feel like I was at home. I guess this strange feeling is one I will have to get used to as my days in Japan wind to a close.

History Lessons

My social studies courses in high school only mentioned Japanese history briefly to discuss WWII. The internment camps in America and the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima are the only lessons I learned in school about Japan. College history classes obviously go into greater depth, but I never had the opportunity to take a course on Japan. Therefore, one of the most interesting things about living in Japan, is acquiring new history both from students, friends, other English teacher, and researching topics on my own.

Recently my father sent me a link about Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who single-handedly saved the lives of thousands of Jewish refugees during WWII by giving them unauthorized visas, even though the Japanese government did not want so many refugees. Descended from Samurai warriors, Sugihara defied convention by marrying a Russian woman, divorcing her, and remarrying. His most defiant act however was to disobey the Japanese government in order to save thousands from the Nazis. For this he lost his career and had difficultly making ends meet in the difficult years after the war. In the late 1960's however, he was found by a man he had saved, and finally given the recognition he deserved. His story was featured on PBS and in the movie Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness.

Portion Sizes

One of the favorite topics for Japanese students learning English is portion sizes in the west (usually America) vs. Japan. Every student who has traveled abroad, has enjoyed that moment when they ordered pasta at a restaurant and the waiter returned with enough food to fill a whole family. I have yet to take home leftovers in Japan.

The easiest place to see this difference is at your local McDonalds. An 'L-size' beverage in Japan usually compares with a small in America. Delicious treats like the fruit and yogurt parfait seem halved in size. However, the hamburgers are unafraid of being massive. The Tamago Double Mac has bacon, two beef patties, a large fried egg and special sauce. Likewise, Japan had briefly adopted the infamous Mega Mac with four beef patties and extra cheese into their McDonald's. According to Wikipedia the portion sizes of regular Bic Macs are about equal in Japan and America, although the Japanese burger is slightly healthier.

After eight months in Japan I have learned that portion sizes may be smaller, but people often eat multiple courses. And with a diet that includes miso soup, rice and fish for the majority of their meals, they can afford to indulge in a Big Mac, McFlurry, fries and a Coke once in a while. I love going to dinner with Japanese friends, because you will usually end up eating multiple courses of absolutely delectable (sometimes unrecognizable) food. However, I do, on occasion, miss having an American sized coffee.

Calligraphy and Kindess

With many old friends leaving Japan in the next few weeks, I am forced to become aware again of all the things in Japan that I will miss. This week I had an especially touching moment where I fell in love with the generosity and traditions of this ancient country.

I took a Japanese calligraphy class on Sunday with a few friends. Himeji's famous Japanese teacher, Yumi, invited for a free class with her talented, experienced friend Chiaki. Despite this being the first time I had met either woman, both were so kind to me. We each received black ink sticks. Chiaki took our hands and showed us how to grind the stick on the stone slate with water to turn it into liquid. We did this for about twenty minutes while she spoke in Japanese about ink painting traditions. This technique, she told us, is used by monks as a form of meditation. Concentrating on the ink allows your mind to go blank.

She then explained the importance of the bamboo leaves we would draw by telling us the story behind the Tanabata festival. Two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, were so in love that they stopped working hard, so Orihime's father, the God of the Sky or Universe, separated the lovers, only allowing them to meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month. They are two stars separated by the Milky Way and on July 7th (sometimes August 7th, depending on the calendar used) they can see each other. On this day, the Japanese celebrate by writing their wishes on paper and hanging them on bamboo.

We listened to the story while we practiced drawing bamboo leaves on paper. Despite Chiaki's kind attempts to show me the way (and the ease with which she drew so simple a shape) I st rugged to create anything other than blobs on paper. She then drew bamboo shoots with sample leaves for us to complete. We inexpertly finished the paintings and signed our names in Katakana. To finish the lesson, Chiaki also gave us a small folding screen made of recycled paper and bamboo leaves, which we also painted on, and a matching pink handkerchief. All of this for free.

In the end, the five of us went to dinner for okonomiyaki, one of my favorite Japanese foods. Yumi and Chiaki ordered for all of us, a common practice when one goes out to dinner with Japanese women for dinner, and one I highly recommend. You will always get a delicious meal with something new to try. We ate four kinds of okonomiyaki and the kind staff also delivered free miso soup and scoops of vanilla ice cream. At the end of the meal, after talking for hours in Japanglish, Japanese and English (with the gifted Yumi simultaneously translating and teaching) the Japanese women ran off to the register. We chased them down as well only to discover that Chiaki, as the eldest at the dinner, had paid for the meal. Our attempts to pay her were only met with thank you's as she scampered away. Yumi explained that this was typical in Japan, and we all fell a little more in love with this country.

Japanese Gyms; A Lesson in Modesty and Rules

Since moving to Japan in August I have been fairly active; long bike rides, hikes, and occasional runs through Himeji Castle Park have kept me in pretty good shape, or so I thought. After a visit from my parents I was made aware of the fact that, to put it bluntly, my once svelte figure was turning blobesque. After some consideration I decided to join a gym. Now, let me tell you something about gyms in Japan, signing up is a piece of cake, actually using the gym is a different story. Once you are a member, there are a million rules you must follow. Let me guide you through a typical visit to the gym.

Step 1- Give your member card to the staff at the front desk, in return you will receive a plastic card with a number on it.

Step 2- Go to the locker area, where you must remove your shoes before actually stepping into the locker area. Once you have removed your shoes, find a locker and deposit only your shoes it in.

Step 3- Ride the elevator to the third floor where the locker rooms are. Find a locker, slide the card you received at front desk into the slot, and change into your gym clothes. Close the locker, but don't forget to take the key which is attached to a bright orange bracelet. The bracelet can be worn on your wrist or around your ankle.

Step 4- Leave the locker room. Once you have left the room and are in the hallway you may put on your gym shoes.

Step 5- Once you actually make it to the gym, it is highly recommended that you stretch before hitting any of the machines. There is a t.v. facing the stretching mats that continuously plays a video of stretches that you can follow along to.

Step 6- After working out, you complete the whole process again, only in reverse of course.

Aside from an abundance of rules, another factor that separates Japanese gyms from American gyms is gym etiquette. While gym rules are boldly stated in the membership packet you receive when joining the gym, gym etiquette is implied through curious glances or outright horrified stares.


Apparently the gym is a place to workout, not to socialize. Many a time my friends and I would be chatting quietly on the mats or in the weight area and we would get glances, which we read as "quiet down"!! While you are not allowed to wear sneakers on the mats, they must be worn if you intend to use the ab machine in the mat area. Seeing as the ab machine was in the mat area, I figured it would be alright if I used the ab machine with only my socks on as I would soon be going back to the locker room, and as this particular machine only involved me slinging my legs over a bar, so my feet were not actually touching the machine. As soon as I got on the machine a staff member bolted over to me with the alacrity one might expect of someone running to save a child from a burning building, and promptly motioned that I needed to be wearing sneakers, I obeyed, because that is what one does in Japan.

If you would like to take an aerobics or yoga class it is considered very impolite to leave the class mid-lesson as this would be disruptive to your classmates. If you want to use the pool you must remember that goggles are highly recommended. You also must use the practice lane before buckling down to do some laps. If you happen to be talented in in a certain area, or simply want to get a great workout, it is better to humble yourself and slow down, as not to embarrass other gym-goes. Two of my friends have been reprimanded for swimming/running to fast, therefore making others feels bad because they couldn't keep up.
So in conclusions I'm going to stick with my gym membership because aside from the overly structured atmosphere of the gym, it serves it's purpose; to get a good workout.

Bicycles, Bicycles, Bicycles

After six months in Japan without a bicycle, I have finally joined the majority of the population by acquiring a used gray bicycle. China has long been associated with images of bicycles racing through traffic, but surprisingly bikes are very common in Japan as well. Especially in the country and smaller cities like Himeji.

Sidewalks are wider to allow for bicycles to pass one another alongside meandering citizens. Most people ride at a leisurely pace, but many (including myself) race through the streets. Baskets allow for groceries or shopping bags. Baby seats in back allow for children up to 4 or 5 t o ride behind their mothers.

Although bicycle theft is quite common ( my first bicycle in Nagoya was stolen the week I bought it) bike locks are much easier. Bikes are seldom locked to poles or trees as in the states. Instead with the turn of a key tires are locked in place and bicycles can be parked in massive groups. It's also okay to move a bicycle over to the side in order to fit yours in a space. But it can be dangerous like dominoes on occasion.

Virtue in the Land of the Rising Sun

Two days ago I popped into my favorite local bakery, Vide France, for a banana black-soybean muffin before work. I plopped my muffin on the counter and opened my purse to grab my wallet and...my wallet wasn't there. I sheepishly apologized to the salesgirl who had rung me up, and slunk out of the bakery hungry and confused. As I walked to work, I convinced myself that my wallet was safe at home, I had probably just left it next to my futon, or on top of my drawers. As soon as I got home from work I thoroughly searched my room, becoming increasingly panicked as my green cube of a wallet with rhinestone decals was NOT turning up. After three hours of denial that my wallet wasn't really missing, after all I hadn't checked behind the fridge yet, I gave up and headed to a "koban" or police box in a quest to retrieve my missing wallet. In my broken Japanese I explained to one of the officer's that my wallet was lost, luckily he spoke a little English and between the two of us we were able to converse. He had me fill out a report and asked me the usual questions about missing items: when was the last time I had seen it, how much yen was in it, etc. After filling out the report I asked "daijobu desuka" meaning is everything OK? The officer nodded then motioned for me to wait. He made a phone call to the Police Headquarters in Himeji, and they informed him that my missing wallet was there!! I thanked him profusely and hightailed it to the Police Headquarters. After another round of "domo arigatos" I had my wallet in my hands, along with the 4,000 yen, or 40 dollars, that hadn't been touched. After my wallet experience I've come to realize that honesty ranks high among one of the many practiced virtues in Japan. Stealing of anything greater than the occasional bike is almost non-existent. This is not the first instance of missing items being reported or left intact. I have heard stories of people leaving their wallets on buses or trains, only to find them in one of the public transportation lost and found centers, or in the exact spot the owner left it, untouched. If I had lost my wallet in America I think the chances are pretty high someone would have stolen my money and credit cards, or just not bothered to turn it in. Before embarking on my Japan adventure I had heard and read that Japan was one of the most honest countries in terms of missing items, especially those of value. After my own personal incident, and first hand accounts of other similar incidents, I have come to believe this statement to be true. Honesty abounds in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Together Again

After spending two weeks on vacation in Japan and finally seeing Tokyo, Mt. Fuji and other famous places in Japan, I have finally moved down to Himeji with fellow blogger Sarah. I will miss Nagoya with its convenient location and immense size, but I am enjoying Himeji's community vibe, authentic castle, and easily reached, green parks.

Two weeks on the road in Japan with my father visiting has left me a little exhausted but finally feeling like I've seen Japan. It was an amazing trip with a whole range of characters from the super-friendly, helpful and giving to the meanest Japanese person I've met yet. One cranky old taxi driver that pushed my father out of the car to get directions (assuming the two ladies in the car wouldn't know the address) he then yelled at my father for attempting to wear a seatbeat and angrilly demanded that I remove the suitcases from the trunk as quickly as possible. He was certainly an oddity in the land of kind strangers, but he definately made me laught later on. No doubt he will appear in a GoNOMAD article when I write about the quirky experiences on my trip.

Now I am busily adjusting to a new school to teach at, a new city, a new schedule and new friends. I will soon being new gym and Japanese lessons, and finally feel a little stability in my Japanese experience. A whole new part of Japan is open for exploration with my old traveling companion.