As it seems I didn't write a yearly reflection post last year and haven't posted since November (in my defense, December was crazy busy), I've decided I should! The omikuji fortune from my first shrine visit of 2013 predicted I would have the best luck for the year, and all things considered, I think it turned out to be pretty accurate (despite the fact that I promptly lost the paper with the fortune on it...oops)!
In 2013, I:
- went skiing and snowboarding in Nagano Prefecture
- went to Disney Sea for the first time with my friend Ella
- took lessons to learn how to put on a kimono
- helped welcome a delegation of 12 guests from our sister city of Houston and acted as their primary interpreter for four days
- swing danced under the cherry blossoms
- moved to a different building for work
- volunteered as an interpreter at an international triathlon in Ishigaki, Okinawa and experienced scuba diving for the first time
- saw my Carleton linguistics professor and later agreed to give a talk to the study abroad group coming from there this April
- became a Chiba-kun Ambassador
- held an English conversation class for city hall workers
- volunteered at an organic cotton farm in Fukushima Prefecture
- stayed out all night swing dancing during Golden Week
- passed the JLPT N1
- welcomed new JETs and gave a presentation as a TOA for Tokyo Orientation
- interpreted via Skype for people in North Vancouver and Houston
- went paragliding in Shizuoka Prefecture
- went to Nagoya to see my host family and study abroad friends
- went to Korea to see my friend Kellianne
- interpreted for the ambassador of South Africa
- gave a 'lunchtime lecture' about study abroad to students at Keai University
- danced in a flashmob in Tokyo
- went squid fishing and caught three tiny squid
- spent an amazing week in Shiga Prefecture for training for CLAIR's Translation & Interpretation course
- came back to the US for the first time in almost a year and a half
2013 in Numbers
- 2 Analogfish concerts
- 4 Chiba AJET events (YETI ski trip, ice skating, camping, Thanksgiving)
- 4 frisbee tournaments (Shonan Beach, Sugadaira, OVNI spring and fall)
- 5 school visits
- 11 interpreting gigs
- 24 photo albums on Facebook
- 54 blog posts (combined)
- 12 overnight trips outside of Chiba
- 8 prefectures visited (Nagano, Okinawa, Kanagawa, Fukushima, Nagoya, Tochigi, Shiga, Kyoto)
Too many to count: swing dance events, salsa parties, frisbee practices, good movies watched, new/fun/exciting experiences, new people met, unfamiliar places, meals and trips and good times with friends (and more)
For me, 2012 meant a lot of big changes, but I think 2013 was more about subtle developments: getting more comfortable at work and gaining confidence in my translation & interpretation skills, making new connections and becoming more active in the JET/Chiba/dance/ultimate communities, improving my Japanese, slowly but surely filling my apartment with more and more junk...
At any rate, I've thoroughly enjoyed the last twelve months and expect to do the same for the next twelve (and more, hopefully). Here's to not getting complacent or too settled and to more travel, challenges, and new experiences. :D
Friday, January 3, 2014
Sunday, December 8, 2013
squid fishing in chiba port
Did you know that Chiba Port is one of Japan's busiest ports?
And did you know that you can catch squid there?
Because I was definitely not aware of the last fact, until I went fishing with my ultimate frisbee teammates and caught three of them myself!
Chiba Port is actually only about a ten-minute walk from my work, though I can't actually see it from my office (though if you go up to the top of city hall, you can) so I tend to forget about the ocean (I know I say this literally every time I talk about the ocean near Chiba City, but it's true), and the whole time we were fishing I kept thinking how weird it was to be so close to work but doing something so different from normal.
Anyway, we met up in the evening and set up camp in some random parking lot-esque area behind some company (a few of us kept wondering if it was really okay and a few of us were totally unconcerned), with a table and chairs and fishing poles. It turns out that for squid fishing, you can just use a normal fishing rod with a lure, in this case shaped like shrimp!
I didn't expect to actually catch anything, but in fact I caught my first squid while I was still being taught what to do (to my and everybody else's surprise). And then I caught another, and another! Altogether, the nine of us caught 19 little squid, which I think was a pretty good haul.
We also cooked and ate some right there, and though I was a little apprehensive about eating the entire squid whole, it was actually very tasty! I also ate mini-ramen out of a mug and it kind of felt like camping. :)
Anyway, it turns out that fishing for squid in Chiba Port is totally possible and that I am in fact capable of catching squid! Good times. :D
And did you know that you can catch squid there?
Because I was definitely not aware of the last fact, until I went fishing with my ultimate frisbee teammates and caught three of them myself!
Anyway, we met up in the evening and set up camp in some random parking lot-esque area behind some company (a few of us kept wondering if it was really okay and a few of us were totally unconcerned), with a table and chairs and fishing poles. It turns out that for squid fishing, you can just use a normal fishing rod with a lure, in this case shaped like shrimp!
I didn't expect to actually catch anything, but in fact I caught my first squid while I was still being taught what to do (to my and everybody else's surprise). And then I caught another, and another! Altogether, the nine of us caught 19 little squid, which I think was a pretty good haul.
We also cooked and ate some right there, and though I was a little apprehensive about eating the entire squid whole, it was actually very tasty! I also ate mini-ramen out of a mug and it kind of felt like camping. :)Anyway, it turns out that fishing for squid in Chiba Port is totally possible and that I am in fact capable of catching squid! Good times. :D
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
mass update
So evidently it's been quite a while since I last posted here, but it's not because I haven't been doing anything! Quite the opposite, in fact - if you follow my travel blog, you might have some idea what I've been up to (updating the other blog is partly why this one has fallen a bit to the wayside, unfortunately). But here's a quick rundown of some fun stuff I've been up to outside of travel/Chiba-kun Ambassador stuff:-practicing for and performing in a dance flashmob in Tokyo! The flashmobs were organized as part of an art festival taking place in Tokyo this month and I've only participated once so far, but it was really fun and hopefully will do it a couple of more times. The dance is super silly, but we've had quite a few people jump in on the spot, too, which is awesome. :D
- swing dancing in a Pooh bear onesie for Halloween and going on an overnight swing dance trip to an onsen in Kanagawa- interpreting for the people like the deputy mayor (whose name I only just learned, embarrassingly; also fun fact, Chiba City can have up to three deputy mayors but currently only has two), the Omani counselor, South African ambassador, and a tourism director from one of our sister cities
- meeting and reuniting with CIR friends from all over the country at our annual CIR mid-year conference, which was much more fun than last year now that I actually know people
- eating the appropriate amount of (read: too much) food at Chiba AJET's annual Thanksgiving dinner
- story time, a school visit, a frisbee tournament, and more
Exciting things coming up:
- giving a lunchtime lecture at Keiai University to try and encourage the students to study abroad- spending a week in Shiga Prefecture at the training session for the translation & interpretation course I'm taking (and playing around the Kyoto/Osaka area the weekend after)
- going back to the USA for the first time since I came to Japan! I've been looking forward to this since long before I bought my tickets (which was several months ago) and can hardly wait to see my family and friends and home country again. Hopefully they're just as excited to see me! :)
tour three in otaki
This weekend was our third Chiba-kun Ambassadors tour, down to Otaki in the middle of Chiba! I've actually been to Otaki a couple of time before, but we managed to mostly go to places I either hadn't been to or hadn't been able to get into (read: Otaki Castle, both times), so it worked out perfectly.
Our first stop was Yourokeikoku, which is apparently Chiba's most famous site for seeing the autumn leaves (which, in case you didn't know, are a big deal in Japan. And rightly so, I think - there's a reason fall is my favorite season!). Unfortunately, we were a little bit too early to see it in its (presumed) full glory, but there were still some pretty amazing views. We started at one end and followed a little paved path along a river, until reaching a waterfall called Awamata at the end. Taking a scenic walk in the beautiful fall weather was pretty much all I could ask for, so I really enjoyed this part of our trip. :) I think we only walked a short portion of the "waterfall walk", so I'm sure there's much more to be seen than we saw. 
Yorokeikoku
Website: http://www.youroukeikoku.com/ (Japanese only)
Next we had lunch, which is pretty much always a highlight of every tour, because it's always delicious. Today was no exception, as we went to a restaurant specializing in Otaki's famous takenoko, or bamboo shoots (which was aptly named Takenoko). We had pickled (I think?) bamboo shoots, bamboo shoot rice, bamboo shoots in miso, and more. I liked the bamboo shoots in the miso soup the best, so much that I asked for seconds (no regrets!). :D
Takenoko (Reservation required)Hours: 11:00AM - 10:00PM
Address: 181-2 Kurohara, Otaki-machi, Isumi-gun, Chiba Prefecture 298-0255
TEL: 0470-84-0368
Website: http://otaki-takenoko.main.jp/index.html (Japanese only)
The biggest hit with the ambassadors, though, was probably the area where you could try on some traditional clothing and armor! I tried on both of the (giant) helmets and they were both really heavy (despite being mostly plastic recreations), so I can't imagine how it must have felt to have a real metal helmet and all the armor. O_OOtaki Castle Museum
Admission: 200 yen for adults, 100 yen for college/high school students, free for students under high school and senior citizens
Hours: 9:00AM - 4:30PM, Tuesday - Saturday
Address: 281 Otaki, Otaki-machi, Isumi-gun, Chiba Prefecture 298-0216
TEL: 0470-82-3007
Website: http://www2.chiba-muse.or.jp/?page_id=362
Then we went to the Akinai Shiryokan, which had many old artifacts from everyday life on display, including traditional toys, money, storage containers, what I think were calendars (? or old records of some sort), an abacus, and a scale with a lot of weights. It felt oddly comforting (if that's the right word) to see all these everyday objects in a very homey atmosphere (the building felt very Japanese to me, though I couldn't say exactly what that means). Apparently there's also a little park in the back, which we didn't go see for whatever reason.Akinai Shiryokan
Hours: 9:00 - 17:00, Wednesday - Sunday
Address: 153-1 Kubo, Otaki-machi, Isumi-gun, Chiba Prefecture
TEL: 0470-82-2111
Website: http://www.town.otaki.chiba.jp/kankou/spot/akinai.html (Japanese only)
Our last stop was to Dental Support Otaki Station (yes, that's its real and official name) to take a look at the Isumi Railway! I've ridden the Isumi Railway and written about it before, but this time some people from the company came and explained its history to us, which was pretty interesting. I learned that there are only 28 people in the company (not including railway attendants, etc) and that you can rent out a railcar for only about $500 yen for 2-3 hours, which is super cheap! I would love to have a party or something in an Isumi Railway Moomin-themed car...:)Isumi Railway
Website: http://www.isumirail.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
And that was our third (aka second-to-last) tour! Pretty sights, good food, and good company made for a pretty good day. :)
nikko~
It occurs to me (almost a month later) that I never posted about my trip to Nikko! It was actually my sister who wanted to go visit Nikko while my family was visiting last year (almost exactly a year ago, now that I think about it), but we didn't have enough time. Having heard that the fall leaves there are gorgeous though, I decided to go this year! We actually went at a pretty awkward time when most of the leaves in the mountains had already fallen and the ones in the town were just beginning to change color, but I did get to see lots of waterfalls and enjoy the clear mountain air with some good company.
Places we went/sights we saw: Shinkyo Bridge, Toshogu Shrine (part of the World Heritage Shrines & Temples of Nikko), Yunoko Lake, Ryuzu Falls, Yutaki Falls, Kegon Falls
And for the rest I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves (because I am lazy):
Places we went/sights we saw: Shinkyo Bridge, Toshogu Shrine (part of the World Heritage Shrines & Temples of Nikko), Yunoko Lake, Ryuzu Falls, Yutaki Falls, Kegon Falls
And for the rest I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves (because I am lazy):
Friday, October 25, 2013
monorail matsuri
So whenever people ask me what there is to see/do in Chiba City, I always mention that we have the world's longest suspended monorail. It's not really something to see or do (though obviously it is a stellar way to get around), but it's definitely one of my favorite things about Chiba, so when last weekend the monorail had their annual festival, I had to go check it out!
The festival took place at the monorail train depot, which I was never aware existed but is apparently where cars that aren't in use are kept (or something like that). It's also right next to the Zoological Park, which I've also never been to but will have to get to soon...
Anyway, I got there and promptly ran into my supervisor and his family, which was actually not at all surprising because he used to work in the section in charge of the monorail and probably loves it more than anybody else I know, haha. They were kind enough to invite me to have lunch with them, so we managed to procure some seats and have some of the famous monorail festival curry! Apparently it's something you can only get at the monorail festival and is very popular (there was quite a line, actually), and according to my supervisor the taste changes a little every year. And it was in fact very tasty! I had a good time eating and chatting while also listening to a (presumably local?) band play hits on a stage nearby.
After that I wandered off by myself to explore the rest of the festival, which included lots of food stalls, games and things like digging up sweet potatoes (not sure what it had to do the monorail, but...), a mini flea market, and more. One activity they had was actually the chance to clean a monorail car, which was so popular that only people who had registered in advance could do it! Personally I don't see the appeal, but I think it's a great idea - people get to try something they normally can't experience and the monorail cars get cleaned for free, haha.
What I thought the most interesting was an exhibit of the monorail cars inside their warehouse (?), where they explained various things about the parts of the monorail and how it worked, with the cars open to show the equipment inside. There was also a section where kids could try out the control panel and see what it's like to steer the monorail (if there hadn't been a huge line I'd totally have done it, too).
There was also an exhibit in another area that was some pretty impressive model railway tracks, one shaped like a city (complete with an AEON mall with an actual moving ad screen!) and the other with many different types of trains overlapping. I was also happy to see a copy (or maybe the original?) of the certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records certifying the Chiba Urban Monorail as the world's longest suspended monorail! I had actually looked it up in the Guinness Book of World Records before at the library (it's in there, I promise), but it was pretty cool to see the certificate.
All in all, I thought the festival was pretty cool! Most of the people there were families with small children (since there was lots for them to enjoy), but being a big fan of the monorail made even around wandering by myself interesting, haha. If you ever come to Chiba City, definitely try taking a ride on the monorail! Right now there's one car decorated in the theme of an anime whose setting is modeled after Chiba City (Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, if you're curious), and the stop names are actually voiced by the voice actors from the show, which I only discovered when I got on it on my way back and thought was pretty cool! :)
Anyway, I got there and promptly ran into my supervisor and his family, which was actually not at all surprising because he used to work in the section in charge of the monorail and probably loves it more than anybody else I know, haha. They were kind enough to invite me to have lunch with them, so we managed to procure some seats and have some of the famous monorail festival curry! Apparently it's something you can only get at the monorail festival and is very popular (there was quite a line, actually), and according to my supervisor the taste changes a little every year. And it was in fact very tasty! I had a good time eating and chatting while also listening to a (presumably local?) band play hits on a stage nearby.
After that I wandered off by myself to explore the rest of the festival, which included lots of food stalls, games and things like digging up sweet potatoes (not sure what it had to do the monorail, but...), a mini flea market, and more. One activity they had was actually the chance to clean a monorail car, which was so popular that only people who had registered in advance could do it! Personally I don't see the appeal, but I think it's a great idea - people get to try something they normally can't experience and the monorail cars get cleaned for free, haha.
What I thought the most interesting was an exhibit of the monorail cars inside their warehouse (?), where they explained various things about the parts of the monorail and how it worked, with the cars open to show the equipment inside. There was also a section where kids could try out the control panel and see what it's like to steer the monorail (if there hadn't been a huge line I'd totally have done it, too).
There was also an exhibit in another area that was some pretty impressive model railway tracks, one shaped like a city (complete with an AEON mall with an actual moving ad screen!) and the other with many different types of trains overlapping. I was also happy to see a copy (or maybe the original?) of the certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records certifying the Chiba Urban Monorail as the world's longest suspended monorail! I had actually looked it up in the Guinness Book of World Records before at the library (it's in there, I promise), but it was pretty cool to see the certificate.
All in all, I thought the festival was pretty cool! Most of the people there were families with small children (since there was lots for them to enjoy), but being a big fan of the monorail made even around wandering by myself interesting, haha. If you ever come to Chiba City, definitely try taking a ride on the monorail! Right now there's one car decorated in the theme of an anime whose setting is modeled after Chiba City (Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, if you're curious), and the stop names are actually voiced by the voice actors from the show, which I only discovered when I got on it on my way back and thought was pretty cool! :)
Sunday, October 20, 2013
korea~
Things I Did During My Trip to Korea
- Saw my good friend Kellianne from Carleton for the first time since graduation! :D
- Ate yummy food like barbecue, bibimpab, chicken and beer (apparently it's a thing?), and more
- Went to places like Bukchon, Gangan, Gyeongbokgung Palace (which was enormous and gorgeous) /Sejon Square, Nangsam (Seoul) Tower
- Failed to get to just about as many places, like Changgyeonggung Palace and Lotte World...-.-'
- Saw an international fireworks show with displays from Canada, Japan, France, and South Korea (Japan was still the best though, not gonna lie)
- Lots and lots of people-watching! Seoul-ites (?) certainly are fashionable.
- Went salsa dancing! Luckily dance is a (practically) universal language so not speaking Korean was not at all an issue. :)
- Kept a lookout for couples wearing matching clothes and gave them points for the level of dedication (5 for accessories, 10 for shirts/shoes/etc, 50 for entire outfits). Also got to 290 points in just one day!
- Got my feet nibbled on by little Dr. Fish! It felt super weird and for some reason they liked my feet way better than anyone else's...? (I'm going with the explanation that I had been wearing socks and nobody else had.)
- Altogether, had a really awesome four days that made me want to go back sometime and also learn Korean! :D
- Saw my good friend Kellianne from Carleton for the first time since graduation! :D
- Ate yummy food like barbecue, bibimpab, chicken and beer (apparently it's a thing?), and more
- Went to places like Bukchon, Gangan, Gyeongbokgung Palace (which was enormous and gorgeous) /Sejon Square, Nangsam (Seoul) Tower
- Failed to get to just about as many places, like Changgyeonggung Palace and Lotte World...-.-'
- Saw an international fireworks show with displays from Canada, Japan, France, and South Korea (Japan was still the best though, not gonna lie)
- Lots and lots of people-watching! Seoul-ites (?) certainly are fashionable.
- Went salsa dancing! Luckily dance is a (practically) universal language so not speaking Korean was not at all an issue. :)
- Kept a lookout for couples wearing matching clothes and gave them points for the level of dedication (5 for accessories, 10 for shirts/shoes/etc, 50 for entire outfits). Also got to 290 points in just one day!
- Got my feet nibbled on by little Dr. Fish! It felt super weird and for some reason they liked my feet way better than anyone else's...? (I'm going with the explanation that I had been wearing socks and nobody else had.)
- Altogether, had a really awesome four days that made me want to go back sometime and also learn Korean! :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)