futomaki sushi

Last weekend we had our first Chiba-kun Ambassador opinion exchange! Due to a previous commitment I wasn't able to stay for the actual opinion exchange (defeating the purpose, I know), but I was able to make it to the first two events: futomaki sushi and a presentation on tourism in Chiba.

 

I've made futomaki sushi before (probably under the direction of the same group, even), but that didn't make this time any less fun! We started out with a demonstration from the teacher in charge, who showed us how to make both a rose (which I made last time) and the slightly more complicated peach flower (which I decided to try this time).

And then it was time for us to try it ourselves! We split into small groups with a teacher to help us, and gave it our best. Making the peach flower was certainly a little more complicated than the rose, but I still think it turned out pretty well! After we finished making them, we each traded half of our peach flower roll for half of a rose roll from another group, so we could try both.






Next, our teacher demonstrated how to make a panda! This was different from ours because it had egg on the outside instead of seaweed, and was also way more complicated. It ended up super cute though! Other groups' teachers made things like cherry trees, butterflies, and flowers.

Finally, it was time for us to eat! They also prepared some sort of delicious clear soup for us to eat, and with that plus the rolls we made and from the teachers, it was a loott of lunch. I managed to eat it all somehow (since I couldn't take it to my next destination with me), but to be honest I think I may have been the only one, haha.  It was tasty though, and the cheese stick that was in the center of the peach flower roll actually went with it pretty well, which surprised me a little. We got little pamphlets with the recipes/instructions on them, so if I want to I can try it again on my own sometime!

tokyo orientation, take two!

As I mentioned in my last post, at the beginning of this month I headed off to help greet this year's new JETs at as a Tokyo Orientation Assistant! I was assigned to orientation B, which I think is slightly smaller than orientation A (which is when I came last year), but it was a blast! Definitely hope I have the chance to do it again.

Although the actual orientation is technically from the new JETs' arrival on Sunday to their departure Wednesday morning, we TOAs showed up on Saturday to start preparing. I was assigned to be an airport TOA, aka one of the mass of people who greets and directs the newbies at the airport, so on Saturday night we headed over to Narita to spend the night. On the road back to Chiba in the evening we even saw fireworks from the bus, which I'm pretty sure were from the fireworks display in Makuhari that I was missing! Also I absolutely love seeing Tokyo from the highway at night; there's just something so pretty about all the lights and buildings and the occasional ferris wheel (if going to/from Chiba, which I usually am).

The next few days were a whirl of greeting new JETs at the airport in our bright green T-shirts, helping them find places in the hotel, having shifts at the information desk and hospitality center, delivering my presentation and facilitating some CIR activities, and meeting tons of new people! Tokyo Orientation is really one of the rare times when you get to meet other JETs from all over both Japan and the world, whether they're ALTs or CIRs or brand new or experienced, and it really is full of an incredible energy that I think really motivates the new JETs and revitalizes the old ones (not to make us sound decrepit or anything).

I did have to go to work Wednesday afternoon after riding home with the new Chiba Prefecture JETs (!) and attending their ceremony, which was tough because I was absolutely exhausted from five nights of little sleep (and none from the night before), but it was definitely worth it! The perfect way to start off my second year on JET. :D

hakone!

So this post is way, way late, but last month, my friend and I took a weekend trip to Hakone, a town (city?) a few hours away in Kanagawa Prefecture (not too far from Yokohama). We only stayed for one night, but it was super fun!

Hakone is actually a very popular travel destination, and after having been there it's easy to see why: it's a really gorgeous place in the mountains, with hot springs and interesting places to visit - not to mention the fact that they clearly know what they're doing as far as tourism goes, with a well-structured public transportation system that makes it easy to access the many museums and other sites they've built there.

We started out from Tokyo with the 'Hakone Free Pass', which covered our (local) train fare to/from Tokyo plus bus/ferry/train fare in Hakone, and also gave us discounts in other places. Our first stop was lunch, and then we hopped on a bus to the pier to board a pirate ship! For some reason in English it's only advertised as a 'sightseeing cruise' but the Japanese definitely says 'pirate ship', which is much more exciting, I think.




So after a short boat ride across Lake Ashi, we then got onto the Hakone Ropeway to ride a cable car up the mountain! Our next destination was Owakudani, which is a volcanic valley with sulfur hot springs, famous for black eggs that are said to make you live 7 years longer if you eat one. (They're boiled in the springs and apparently turn black because of the sulfur; as it happens, I ate 2.5)

Then we came back down via cable car and headed to our next destination, the Hakone Glass Forest/Venetian Glass Museum. Which doesn't sound super interesting, but actually it was pretty cool! There were glass pieces outside in a beautiful garden-like area, plus some delicate and interesting works inside. I think my favorites were the giant glass onions scattered around!

After that we just went to our ryokan and chilled for a bit, had dinner at a Korean restaurant (where we had to wait foreevveerrr but it was tasty so I guess it was okay), had a bath in the hot spring water, and went to bed.

The next morning was the main reason why I wanted to go to Hakone and what I had been looking forward to ever since I learned it existed: the Museum of Saint-Exupery and The Little Prince in Hakone! I spent most of the time freaking out about everything, which included statues of characters from the books, a stamp rally where you had to collect stamps and create your own Le Petit Prince book, and a lot of interesting information about the author. Needless to say, it was great, and I will happily go back sometime if anybody wants to see it! :D

We continued by taking a bus to Gora and having lunch at a cute little cafe called Woody, before wandering around the Hakone Open Air Museum, which was huge and awesome. There were tons of sculptures outside and exhibits inside, plus a free hot spring foot bath!

With that, our trip came to an end because it was Sunday and we both had to get back for work, but there's still a ton of things in Hakone that we didn't get to visit, so I'd like to go back someday! Maybe in the winter next time, when I'll really appreciate the hot springs. I got the feeling that my family would really enjoy being there too, so maybe if they come visit again...? :)

unofficial tour, part two: narita yume bokujo

Continuing from my last post, our next destination was Narita Yume Bokujo, or Narita Dream Farm! During the half-hour drive from Boso-no-Mura I remember seeing lots more beautifully green rice fields - I tell you, I can't get enough of them. Anyway, this is a 'sightseeing ranch' (says their website), where you can see farm animals and try things like making bread or butter. You can also bring your dogs (if you buy them tickets) and I think there's a little area meant just for them with bathing facilities and other cool stuff.

Before we entered the actual attraction, though, we were first drawn to their sunflower maze! I know we have corn mazes in the US (though I've never been in one) but this was my first time seeing a sunflower maze, so I was pretty excited. As far as mazes go, it wasn't very difficult (nor were the quiz questions we had to answer to win a coupon for ice cream), but the sunflowers were breathtaking! When we were in it we couldn't see much (plus they were facing the sun in the opposite direction), but they had conveniently put a little platform near the end for a great view - I've never seen so many sunflowers all at once and it was awesome.

Then we went into Yume Bokujo, where our accomplished our first mission (lunch). Then we wandered along, passing things like a segway course, a hill with plastic sleds (that both Ishizaki-san and I clearly wanted to try but refrained from because the main participants were probably all under the age of 7), and a little golf course, before stopping to try archery! Or rather, Ella did archery and let me try it once (the arrow didn't even go as far as the target -.-') while Ishizaki-san observed, haha.



Next we arrived at a little space in the middle full of goats and sheep! The first thing I noticed was an elevated wooden walkway with goats perched on top, and then suddenly it was feeding time. Staff showed up with buckets of straw and boy, did those animals run to be fed! Watching them race from across the field to first one bucket of food to the next was really amusing. :D There was even food on top of the walkway for a few goats, too.

There were also horses nearby, but we didn't visit them because Ella is allergic, and we also skipped by the motocross field and strawberry farms, but I did hold a guinea pig and see some cows (not to mention staff dressed in cow suits). Good stuff.

And then we had ice cream! Made from the milk on the farm, it was really rich and creamy and delicious! After a day of mostly walking around outside, it was a perfect end to our visit. All in all I thought Yume Bokujo was pretty nice, and I imagine it's a perfect place for families with small children to come and have fun.

Narita Yume Bokujo
Address: 730 Nagi, Narita-shi, Chiba Prefecture 289-0111
TEL: 0476-96-1001
Hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (10:00 - 16:00 during winter)
Admission: 1200 for adults, 700 for children over age 3
Access: 10 minutes by free shuttle bus from JR Namegawa Station
Website: http://www.yumebokujo.com/en/index.php

After Yume Bokujo, because Ishizaki-san asked us if there was anywhere else we might want to go, we went to the Shisui Premium Outlets on our way back to Chiba! The outlets (120 stores) just opened in April, so they are pretty brand spanking new. It was kind of weird, because I felt like I haven't been anywhere in the Japan that looks so exactly like the US, so it was almost like being home (and shopping) for a little bit. :) Another cool thing about the outlets is that since they're close to Narita Airport (only 15 minutes away by shuttle), the food court has a set of screens in the center with listing flight arrivals and departures, which I thought was super convenient. I didn't actually buy anything or go into that many stores, but I'd certainly like to go back someday. Apparently outlet malls are just starting to be a thing in Japan, so it's pretty lucky to have a new big one nearby (we have a little one in Chiba, too!).

Shisui Premium Outlets
Address: 689 Iizumi, Shisui-machi, Inba-gun, Chiba, Japan 285-0912
Hours: 10:00-20:00
Access: Shuttles from JR Tokyo Station and Narita Airport, buses from JR/Keisei Shisui Station (fares vary)
Website: http://www.premiumoutlets.co.jp/en/shisui/

And then it was back to Chiba, where Ella and I had our second fateful run-in with Ishizaki-san in two days (before and after meeting/leaving him for the tour) and the first unofficial tour was over! It was pretty fun to go around in a small group, and apparently these will happen once a month or so, so hopefully I can participate again! :)

one-year japanniversary

Today is my one-year Japanniversary! Exactly one year ago, I stepped off the plane in Narita and headed straight to Tokyo for orientation, nervous but excited to start my first year as a JET. Crazy, huh?

I feel like the time has flown past (but does it ever not? I'd like to think that this is a sign that I'm doing something right with my life), but I'm also at a paradoxical point where I both can and can't believe that it's been a year. It definitely does not feel like I just got here, and when I think back to events back before the new year they feel like ages ago, but at the same time I don't know how more than half of 2013 can possibly be over already.

At any rate, it has certainly been an exciting year of change, of new places, people, and experiences. Even I can tell that my Japanese has improved a lot, to the point where I can confidently say that I am at least fluent (though not at all near native, which is where I'd like to be someday). I've interpreted for the mayor during courtesy visits and other events with an ambassador, exchange students, and delegations from our sister cities; traveled to places like Ishigaki, Hiroshima, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and Kanazawa and volunteered twice in Tohoku; made friends in the JET, ultimate, and dance communities; and essentially thoroughly enjoyed myself while living and working on my own for the first time during the longest period I've ever been away from home, in a foreign country halfway across the world. Not bad for year one, I think. :)

As for year two, I'm looking forward to both more responsibility and (hopefully) more adventures. While I probably won't get to welcome any more visiting delegations at work this year, I'm hoping to start a few projects, and in the JET community I'm excited to be both a block coordinator for Chiba and a national block rep for API AJET (an interest group for Asian/Pacific-Islander JETs). I'll keep hopping around Chiba as a Chiba-kun Ambassador, but hopefully also to more places both inside and outside of the country, like Hokkaido or Korea. In other words, keeping busy and trying to make this year even more exciting than the last.

To start things right off, I'll be spending this weekend in Shinjuku as a Tokyo Orientation Assistant to welcome this year's brand new JETs to their new home for next year (or two, or five)! I mostly remember Tokyo Orientation as being a blur of jetlag and meetings and far too many new people to remember any names, but I'm super excited to be on the other side of it a year later and I'm sure it'll be exhausting but tons of fun. I spent some time today practicing my presentation with my partner, and it's pretty weird to think that to the newbies I might be one of those people who seems intimidatingly knowledgeable and on top of things and good at Japanese (regardless of whether I actually am or not), which is how I saw most TOAs when I got here. It's crazy but cool to see how things can change in a year.

That said, how did I spend most of my day today? Thinking about starting to scrapbook with the (probably) pounds of fliers, ticket stubs, chopstick wrappers, and other junk I've saved up over a year but not actually doing anything, staying inside all day in my pajamas, and watching hours and hours of an anime I've already seen - just like I have countless times in the past back in the US. I guess some things will always stay the same. :)

first unofficial chiba-kun tour: boso-no-mura

Two weekends ago, we had our first unofficial Chiba-kun ambassadors tour! By which I mean, our fearless leader Ishizaki-san volunteered to take a few of us around to places in Chiba that are a little harder to get to via transportation, so my fellow ambassador friend Ella and I took him up on it!

Our first stop for the day was Boso-no-Mura, a prefectural outdoor air museum that showcases traditional life and crafts in the Boso area. Once you step in, the scenery totally changes and you feel like it totally could be Japan from a few hundred years ago (apparently the architecture is from the late Edo to early Meiji periods). We also went first thing in the morning, so there weren't too many other visitors and the morning air was wonderfully refreshing!




Boso-no-Mura is unexpectedly huge and beautiful. After taking a quick stroll through the craftmaking area (more on that later), we just wandered around in a general loop and enjoyed the view. There are lots of trees and other plants and picturesque little trails, with things like an artifact museum or traditional farmhouses popping up along the way. I remember being struck (as I always am) by the gorgeous green color of the rice paddies we passed by. Definitely one of my favorite parts about Japan.

As we went around, we stopped to take a look at most of the buildings that came up, where we could see the insides of the houses with things like stoves, baskets, tools, and even toys on display. I tried doing a ring toss and walking on bamboo sticks but failed miserably at both. -.-' At one point we came across a stage with taiko drums set up on it and stopped to listen to the woman who was performing there (not a staff member, but just a normal visitor, we thought).


And then we went into a building where they had looms set up, with the chance for us to experience them ourselves! One of Boso-no-Mura's main attractions is that they offer all sorts of traditional experiences (to the extent that Boso-no-Mura is actually called an 'experience museum'), from farming to cooking to craft-making, which you can try for usually just a few hundred yen . So with the help and instructions of the staff, Ella and I tried our hand at making little coasters with the looms! It was pretty cool to think that this is how cloth was (and is) made, and I couldn't help but be impressed by whoever came up with the idea of weaving (amazing).

Then we tried making and binding little notebooks, which I think turned out pretty well! There were lots of other possible crafts to try - pottery, making coasters out of tatami, making candles - but we decided to wrap up our visit there. Still, there was still a lot of the village we didn't see and even more experiences we didn't try, so I would certainly not mind going back there someday! As a place that you could probably go to several times and not get tired of, I think it ranks pretty high up on my list of attractions I've been to in Chiba, so I'd definitely recommend Boso-no-Mura to anybody looking for a traditional experience.

Boso-no-Mura Experience Museum
Address: 1028 Ryukakuji, Sakae-machi, Imba-gun, Chiba Prefecture, 270-1506
Admission: 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for high school/college students
Hours: 9:00-16:30, closed Mondays
Access: 20 minutes by bus from JR Narita Station on the JR Narita Line (headed for "Ryukakuji-dai-shako", get off at "Ryukakuji-dai-2-chome", followed by an 8-minute walk)
Website: http://www.chiba-muse.or.jp/MURA/e/

ocean day beach day

So the third Monday in July is a national holiday in Japan: 海の日 / Umi no Hi, otherwise known as Marine Day/Ocean Day/Sea Day. To celebrate, I went to the beach! It's been at least a year, if not two, since I last went to the beach, so this was pretty exciting.

Since Chiba is a peninsula, there are lots of beaches, and this time I went to Onjuku Beach, on the Pacific Side, around the middle of Chiba-kun's back (to use our usual way of explaining where things are in Chiba, since the mascot is shaped like the prefecture).

The beach is only about a 10-minute walk from JR Onjuku Station, and even though I only had a vague idea of where I was going, just strolling around in the general direction of the beach was pretty nice. There were a lot of cute and interesting looking shops and restaurants, and I even came across what is apparently the first elementary school textbook library in the world? Just shows you never know what you might come across when wandering around, haha.

And then it was the time for the beach! For some reason there were statues of camels (that I didn't catch a picture of because they were surrounded by other people taking pictures) near the entrance, which was interesting. The beach was hot and sunny and sandy, as all good beaches should be. I've heard that a lot of beaches in Japan actually have black sand (which was the case when I went to Shonan Beach a few months ago, which surprised me a little), but at Onjuku the sand is white (or yellow? Not black, anyway), so it felt like the beaches at home.

The waves were pretty strong (I think Onjuku is also a big surfing place) so we didn't go too far, but it felt awesome to be in the water on such a hot day. There's not too much to say about the rest of the day, which was mostly just normal relaxing and playing at the beach, but for dinner we went to a little place called Flying Sumo Surf Co. for some really fantastic pizza! We ordered a few different kinds to share and they were all delicious. (You can check out their website here!)

So, good times at the beach on Ocean Day. Hopefully I'll get the chance to go around a few more beaches around Chiba and see how they're different!