Sunday, January 18, 2015

restaurant recommendations in chiba city

So earlier this week I helped out at the ALT Skills Development Conference, and during our block meeting we had everybody go through and share something they had discovered in our area. I prepared a list of some of my favorite eating establishments in Chiba City, so I figured I should share it here as well! They're all places that I've either stumbled across on my own or been introduced to, and while I've only visited some of them once (and don't have pictures of all of them), they're the first places that come to mind when I think about places I'd like to tell people about. Of course, there are lots of good places in Chiba City, but these are the ones I like for being unique and slightly off the beaten path.

Perrito
This is a place I've actually already written about, in my post about my wander-bike to Makuhari, but it's worth mentioning again. The second time I went back, almost a year after my first trip, both the chef and the server lady remembered me, which was pretty impressive. I had a nice conversation with them and learned that most of their customers are regulars who just let the chef decide what to make them (instead of ordering off the menu). Pretty cool.  
Selling point: The chef will make you whatever you feel like eating that day (provided he has the ingredients), based on your budget
Address: 1-1-4 Takahama, Mihama-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 11:00 – 15:00, 17:30 – 22:00

Mother Moon
It turns out this restaurant is actually just one of a few locations all around Japan, which surprised me because it's tucked away in an area surrounded by factories and office buildings. My friend introduced me to it because it was apparently listed in a book of recommended cafes/restaurants in Chiba, and even though I've only been twice, I'm always impressed by how nice it is.
Selling point: Delicious food and dessert in a great atmosphere
Address: 117 Shinminato, Mihama-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 11:30 – 22:00

Necoman's Bar
I've only been here once, but this is a place that had caught my eye many times before, partly because cats are a motif of the design. I actually wasn't able to find a website for it, and since it's only open on weekdays I suppose a lot of the people who go there are regulars (since I imagine it'd be hard to stay open otherwise). I really liked the decor and the owner/chef seemed nice, though I didn't talk to him much. 
Selling point: A cozy little restaurant/bar with menu items that are hard to find other places (like spare ribs)
Address: ? Behind the Doutor in Chiba Ginza, next to Lava Cafe
Hours: 17:00 - ?
Closed: Weekends

Petit Gourmand
I came across this place with a few other new JETs/Wisconsin ALTs after Chiba Orientation, just a month after coming to Japan. I like it because it has a very casual, cozy atmosphere and I tend to take people there whenever they want a place that isn't a typical bar/pub/izakaya.
Selling point: A small, low-key place to grab drinks/food at a reasonable price
Address: 2-12-6 Fujimi, Chuo-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 16:30 – 24:00

Syu's Garden Deli
This was another store that I'd been wanting to try for a while before actually going in, and it was exactly what I'd hoped it would be. The first time I went I had a really tasty lunch set with salmon/vegetables that was very well-priced for the amount of food that came out. I think they try to use seasonal and local vegetables, which is great, and the last time I was there I saw the owner hand-writing the menus, which was pretty cool. 
Selling point: Earthy décor and tasty, healthy food involving lots of vegetables
Address: 1-7-8 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 11:30 – 15:00, 17:30 – 24:00
Closed: Sundays

Beer O'Clock
This is a place that somebody introduced to me recently and I couldn't believe I had never found it sooner! I really liked the design of the shop, but they also had a ton of craft beers and everything on the menu sounded delicious.
Selling point: Craft beers (including a mini sampler set) and yummy food in a stylish setting
Address: 1-4 Shindencho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City
Hours: Mon. - 17:00 – 24:00
Tue. - Fri. - 12:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 24:00
Sat. - 12:00 – 24:00
Sun., holidays – 12:00 – 22:00

Pantry Coyote
This was another place I was introduced to when I first got here, during lunch at Chiba Orientation. It's a very small shop that's decorated in an American Western style, and the burgers are amazing. I remember also being pleasantly surprised because they were playing Cat Power once and had a nice short conversation with the owner about it. 
Selling point: Delicious burgers and beer from all over the world in a cozy rustic location
Address: 3-11-11 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 11:30 – 22:30
Closed: Third Tuesday/Wednesday each month

Tapo's Coffee
I can't remember exactly how I discovered this cafe, but it was probably because it stuck out to me as the only interesting shop on the road it's on. It's a very small place but I find it very relaxing since there are usually not many other people in the cafe (though a lot of people come and buy things to take out), and the owner seems very nice.
Selling point: A simple but stylish cafe, with tasty desserts and latte art. 
Address: 1-4-10 Shinjuku, Chuo-ku, Chiba City
Hours: 8:00 – 19:00
Closed: Mondays
Tabelog: http://tabelog.com/chiba/A1201/A120101/12020222/

Thursday, January 1, 2015

hello 2015

Well, it's 2015! I'm sure I say this every year, but 2014 really just disappeared - it was April and then suddenly it was December (and now it's January, what).

It's been a year of change, which honestly I didn't expect, given that my circumstances were pretty much the same as in 2013 - still on the JET Programme, living and working in Chiba City. But there are a few big things that made 2014 very different.

First and foremost, in April I joined my yosakoi team, CHIよREN北天魁 (Chiyoren Hokutenkai). I don't think I knew what I was getting myself into, because I most definitely did not expect for it to become such a big part of my life in Japan. There's so much I could say about what I like about the team and why I'm glad I joined it, but for now I'll just say that it's probably the first time that I've truly felt like part of a team (and I've been in lots of teams) and the first time in a long time (probably since karate in high school) that I've been able to really throw myself into an activity and give it my all. They've actually asked me to be the chair of a new international committee they're making this year, and while I really don't know what that entails or how much responsibility it is, I'm really flattered to be asked and am looking forward to getting more involved and learning more about how things work behind the scenes. Though I suspect this is also the one thing that's going to make it really hard for me to eventually leave Japan...

Then in June, I began my position as the CIR Representative/Project Manager for the AJET National Council, after running and being elected in February/March. This has been another brand new experience of working with council members all over the country and learning about how to organize people around a project from start to finish, which I've never done in quite the same way before. It's a lot of time and quite a commitment, but it's great to be involved and feel like I'm helping contribute to the JET community as a whole. Our terms last until June, so there's still a ways to go, but I feel like we've accomplished a lot in six months so hopefully this'll continue in the future!

Around the same time, I also organized elections and was elected president of the first Chiba AJET council (in recent memory at least). Although I helped out a lot with Chiba AJET before, it's been really nice having a group of people to work with to organize events and the like, and I feel like we've been doing a good job so far. I enjoy running the meetings and being able to delegate tasks, and I think we're setting a good foundation for Chiba AJET in the future as well, so I'm pretty happy with this.

Finally, the last big change was enrolling in Simul Academy and starting their interpreting course. One of my friends had taken a course there in the past, and since I realized if I didn't stay in Japan that this could be my last chance to take it, I decided to sign up (for the sake of professional development). As I mentioned in my last post, I tested into the class that usually takes a year or two to get to if you start from scratch (I was hoping for the introductory course, so getting into one level above - which is also just one level below simultaneous interpreting - was a big surprise) and am the youngest/only non-native Japanese speaker, so in the beginning I was pretty intimidated and thought it was pretty hard, but after a few months I feel like I've settled into the course. I'm too busy to really take advantage of everything and study/review for class like I should, which is a shame, but the material we use is really interesting and I do feel like I'm getting good practice/training. It's really made me realize how my Japanese could still use a lot of work, especially in terms of being able to express things smoothly in a register that is not conversational, so that's something I hope to improve in the future. I've started actually watching/reading the news and am actively trying to read more books in Japanese, so that's something.

So even though a lot of other things happened in 2014 (trip to Taiwan, two! weddings back in the States, lots of big events at work, visits to/from friends, etc etc.), these were the main things that really changed the way my everyday life plays out - now I'm on a pretty set schedule where I have class twice a week, practice once a week, meetings on the other two weekdays, and then the weekends (which are all over the place), which is much busier than before but worth it.

Probably most significantly, though, at least two of these have given me a reason to want to stay in Japan for at least one more year, even though up until now I've considered 3 years the perfect amount of time. I want to be able to keep dancing with my yosakoi team, so I can experience all the different festivals and tournaments at least one more time, and I also want to be able to continue my interpreting course until the end, which requires another 6 months past March.

Ever since I came to Chiba City I've been told that I should consider 3 years the longest I can stay, since technically the JET Programme states that the limit is 3 years in principle, with 5 years being allowed for those with exceptional performance (though most places I know simply take this to mean that the max is 5 years). There's also never been a CIR in Chiba City who has stayed for longer than 3 years, so I was planning to apply to be a Programme Coordinator at CLAIR (the organization that runs the JET Programme) or look for another job (hence participating in the Tokyo Career Forum a few weeks ago).

But, on my last day of work, I was officially asked to recontract for a fourth year! Through some previous conversations with my supervisor and boss, I had begun to think that maybe the possibility existed, but I didn't actually dare to think that they would, because as far as I know it's never happened before. I think the reason they want me to stay is because there will be several big events happening next year (an international wheelchair basketball tournament, 40th anniversary events with two sister cities, etc.) and they'd prefer to have somebody with experience rather than a brand new person, but that works out perfectly because those are also reasons why I would want to stay another year. I've always told myself that I shouldn't recontract if my main motivation behind it were just to stay in Japan, since I believe that work should be meaningful and not just work, but I don't think that this is the case, and so I do think I will recontract. It may just be delaying the inevitable, and I do think I will have to work to find more ways to keep growing at my current job, but it also means that I can definitely stay for one more year and continue both yosakoi and my interpreting course without interruption.

So I think I can say with relative confidence that 2015 will not be my last year in Japan, despite what I thought for most of 2014, but other than that I'm not sure what the year will bring! Since I'm starting off on a path that I hadn't visualized before, I honestly can't say how I'll feel or what I'll be thinking at this time next year in terms of staying in Japan or the future in general, but for now I feel pretty content to let the future stay hazy and just take the present as it comes. Maybe after I turn 25 I'll feel a little more pressure to think about my life after JET, but luckily there's still a good 7 months until then. :)

一年間大変お世話になりました。今年もよろしくお願いいたします。
Happy New Year!