和風洋風

It's a Girl!!!

2007-05-19T02:49:00.000+09:00

We have a new blog for our new family. Click here.

Two Trips to SF and a New Red Sofa

2007-04-20T09:29:00.000+09:00

With the due date just three weeks away, no one but Rose knows when she will be born, but whenever that is we are ready -- or at least our room is.

For the last few weeks Kyoko and I have been making our room ready for our new roommate, which has mostly involved moving out what we could of our stuff, organizing the rest, and moving baby stuff in. The biggest thing was getting our big futon out, which took up half the room. We replaced that with a big brown rug we brought from our apartment in Japan -- it took up half a suitcase, but after a few minutes rolling around on it you will understand how much it was worth it. We sleep on a fold-up futon that we can store during the day giving us lots of open play area on our favorite rug. After the futon left the bassinet came in and all that we needed was a little sofa for sitting.

Finding a sofa to fit our small space proved hard to do, but then came IKEA. Kyoko and I took a trip down to SF a few weekends ago to get out and do something fun. We stayed with my uncle Jack in Portrero Hill for two nights and had a great weekend. On Saturday we hung out with Jeff, who showed us around Japan Town. He works at the Kinokunia Bookstore in Japan Town and often eats lunch near there so he took us to a place that had good ramen. Jeff was recently accepted into a graduate program at Brown University. Congratulations Jeff!!

On Sunday my aunt Helen took us to the SF Zoo where she works in HR. It was a free day, so the place was packed with families, but we had a great time and walked around for hours. I haven't been to a zoo for quite some time and it was great to see the animals. The giraffes and the Meerkats were our favorites, but catching the glance of a gorilla was also an experience that will not soon be forgotten.

On the way home Monday we stopped by Emeryville for some shopping, mostly to go to Ikea. Neither of us had ever been and we were curious about what cool things we might find, maybe even a great little couch for not too much.......and that is exactly what we found within minutes of walking in the door. Perfect size, red, $99. Unfortunately, what we didn't do next was buy it. I thought that it wouldn't fit in my car, and after talking to an employee I was under the impression that we could get it sent to us. Both untrue. So, a couple of weeks later my friend Marc and I made plans to drive down on Saturday, get the sofa, stop by Ameoba Records in Berkeley, and be back home for dinner. The plan was foiled by the fuel pump of my Volvo, which gave out just as we were pulling up to the toll plaza at the Richmond Bridge. Things could have gotten real bad there, I was pretty sure that we would be in SF until Monday, but, as if there were invisible hands at work for us, an awesome CalTrans guy diagnosed the problem and gave us a free tow to the best mechanic in the world, Art Butradee of Auto Point Motor in Point Richmond. Art was almost done with work on a Saturday afternoon and though was able to look at my car, he couldn't get the part. However, he got up the next morning, a Sunday, went to the wreckers, got a part, put it on my car and had us on the road by 11 a.m. !! Art is the greatest. Marc and I are currently thinking of something to send to him in thanks.

We're at 32 weeks!!

2007-03-20T14:20:00.000+09:00

Only 8 more weeks until our due date, and possibly less until we will welcome our baby into our lives. We went to the doctor for a checkup today and everything is looking good, although by the way Rose is kicking at mommy's insides these days we don't need a doctor to tell us that we have a healthy baby on our hands.

As we entered the third trimester little Rose began to get her glucose from Kyoko's diet, which has caused Kyoko to grow sweet tooth I have never imagined she could have. Lately she has been craving, making, and eating sweets. She even finished desert before I did at Grandma and Granpa Tipple's house last night! That may be a first.

We had a busy but enjoyable trip to Japan last month. The two weeks flew by, spending time with family, seeing friends, eating, shopping, etc. The main goals of our trip were accomplished, we were able to spend lots of time with Kyoko's neice, Hana. She is now 7 months old and is the cutest thing with feet (at least until Rose is born). We got to see her almost everyday. I got quite a bit of practice handling a baby.

Our shopping lists were long, and not everything we bought was able to fit into our luggage. Food stuffs, baby things, clothes, household goods, a carpet, we thought we had left plenty of room in our baggage on the way over........A lot of the baby things, however, were given or handed down to us, much more than we expected. Rose won't need any more clothes for her first few months at least.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Back to Nihon

2007-02-02T14:39:00.000+09:00

Just a few more days until Kyoko and I go back to Japan for a couple of weeks. Our bags will be filled the obligatory omiyage, but they won't be as full as on the way home. We have been making a list ever since we got back here of things that we would like from Japan: food stuffs, baby things, household stuff, all kinds of things that it turns out we can't get here but would like to have. One thing I would love is a Japanese dehumidifier, but I imagine would have to ship that and that could expensive......

Kyoko started going to a pre-natal swim class at the community pool this week. She has a free pass to the class from being a patient at the clinic we go to for her doctor visits. My mom, Kyoko and I all went last Monday. I swam laps while they strapped on floating devices and did exercises in the deep end with the instructor. My mom went along to help Kyoko get the routine figured out, but she enjoyed it much that she might continue going with her every time. The instructor said that it is fine, so I guess it's cool. It seems like a perfect kind of exercise for pregnant women, low impact and a near-weightless environment. The people in the class attend right up until they give birth then bring their babies to the weekly pot-luck on Fridays.

My mom is having a piano recital for her students this Sunday. Three of my four students will also be playing. We picked the date a couple of months ago and though we tried to pick a weekend that didn't coincide with anything, we overlooked the biggest sports event of the year: the Superbowl. People attending the recital will miss the kickoff, but will home in time by the halftime show. I am guessing there will be even fewer dads in attendance than usual.....

It's a Girl! (We're pretty sure....)

2007-01-13T16:21:00.000+09:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. Kyoko and I enjoyed the winter holidays together in CA for the first time. It was a special Christmas this year as it was the first time that Erik and Kim, Mom and Dad, the grandparents, and Kyoko and I all spent the holidays together. As per tradition, we had crab at Grandma Dedini's on Christmas Eve. It had been a while since I had eaten local Dungeness Crab and it was delicious!! Kyoko and I were the last ones to finish. On Christmas morning we went to Erik and Kim's new house for breakfast and presents. Kyoko and I got a new webcam for my laptop. If anyone reading this uses Skype, look us up! Our username is 'ndedini'.

Kyoko is now 22 weeks pregnant. In the past few weeks Kyoko has been able to feel Rose moving around a lot and as of last week I can feel her kicking too. She seems to be the most active when Kyoko is cooking or when we lay down to sleep. Yes, She! The day after Christmas we went in for a second sonogram where they checked to make sure that all her parts are accounted for and also to see whether we could determine the sex. If it's a boy, then there is usually little question that it's a boy, but as for girls, there is always always a little margin of error. The doctor said that she got a really good view and that she would be very surprised if she was wrong. We are both really happy to be having a girl, as that is what Kyoko was hoping for and what both of us had seen in our dreams.

There was even more big baby news in the last few weeks as Erik and Kim surprised everybody on Christmas with word that they are also expecting a baby. Their baby is due in late June and they are planning on coming up here for the summer and having the baby here which is really exciting. Rose will have a cousin of the same age to play with. Grandma was mentioning on Christmas Eve how quiet Christmas has been lately without any small children around. Next Christmas looks to be very special.

In other news, I will be turning in my application to the credential program in the next few weeks. Recently I have been observing in a 4th grade class taught by my former 6th grade teacher at the elementary school by our house every Monday. Tuesday through Saturday I work full-time at North Coast Laboratories, the environmental chemistry lab I worked at in college. Kyoko has been enjoying the fleeting days of being able to sleep in. She often goes places with my mom early in the day, then watches Japanese TV on YouTube until I get home from work.

We will be going back to Japan from February 5-19th. We aleady have a long list made up.......of things we want to EAT. There are so many that I know we won't get to have them all, but Koza-gawa unagi is high on the list. We Skype often with Kyoko's older sister and Hana-chan, Kyoko's five-month old neice. We were with her for the first three weeks of her life and Kyoko can't wait to hold, kiss her and touch her cheeks.

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

Honeymoon pictures

2006-11-19T13:12:00.000+09:00

Just a few weeks shy of our one year anniversary (Nov. 24) Kyoko and I went to Paris on Nov. 6 for our honeymoon. We spent about 4 days in Paris before visiting relatives of mine just outside Paris. We also traveled to Brest, in Brittany, to visit Julie, a friend who I met while on JET. We had a great time, enjoying lots of relaxing and good food. Lots of food. But with all of the walking we did we somehow managed not to gain any weight. Kyoko went almost 10 days with no rice, which is quite a feat. I don't know if she has ever in her life gone for so long without it. Highlights of the trip include the Louvre, a concert at Saint Chapelle, a wonderful dinner at Le Coupe-Chou in the Quartier Latin, and a drive along the beautiful (but grey) Brittany coast.

Here are some pictures:

Tales from the Womb

2006-10-26T13:14:00.000+09:00

Ba-bum...ba-bum...ba-bum...ba-bum...ba-bum...ba-bum...
I wouldn't have thought it would be a place well-suited for aerobic excercise, but I guess when you are only three inches tall the inside of a uterus can feel like being all alone in the swimming pool. We heard Rose's heartbeat for the first time today and I was surprised to hear what sounded like my target heart-rate from gym class. By the way, we haven't decided on any names yet, nor do we know the sex, but we use Rose instead of "him/her" or the all-too-common "it". The doctor said that babies hearts usually beat about 120-160 times per minute. If Rose is only three inches tall, imagine how small her heart must be! Beating away at a fever pitch all day and all night. Incredible. As for the due date we were told roughly May 13th, but we will be going on for an ultra-sound on Friday, which should give a more accurate guess. We were roughly thinking June or July, so May came as a surprise, but we are happy about it.

In other news, Kyoko recently finished knitting a hara-maki, or "belly-roll", for herself out of wool. Commonly worn by old men and pregnant women it is a tube that you wear around your belly to keep you and your insides nice and warm on cold October night like we have been having. I will have to take a picture of her modeling it. Next post.

We also went to English class for the first time tonight. There are free classes offered every day of the week through the adult school in Eureka. After meeting the teacher together I went back to the car in hopes that it would make her feel more comfortable speaking with others in English. After two hours I went back to get her. She said that it was alright, but that it was too easy. Too easy for Mrs. "I can't speak English." We might not be going back, or at least not to Wednesday nights at Lincoln Elementary, room 16, but I think that she got more out of the class than she thinks. She came with the realization that she Can speak English and hopefully that will make her more willing to keep speaking and practicing.

Hello From California

2006-10-01T13:42:00.000+09:00

It has been almost a month now since Kyoko and I moved to Arcata, CA and into the newly remodled back room of my parent's house. With me falling into a part-time job just days after getting here, our wedding reception, a road trip to Monterey, LA and Disneyland, and my parent's kitchen being remodled, it has been a busy, but exciting time for us. We apologize for taking so long to post.

Kyoko has been getting used to the differences here, though is still amazed that people walk around in their houses with shoes on. First impressions include surprise at the number of Japanese products here - cars, TVs, stereos.... "Nihon ha sugoi ne!"
She was also quite surprised that some people put sugar, cream, or honey into their green tea, something that is inconceiveable to her.

In addition to all the other changes in our lives these days there is something even bigger on the horizon as we recently discovered that Kyoko is 7 weeks pregnant! We realized that something was up when she started getting really sensitive to smells while we were on our trip down south. We went to the doctor and our suspicions were confirmed. We are very excited, but I will have to do better than working part-time at an Asian import store to support our new family.....

Here are some pictures of us recently:
At the airport on our departure day. Many of Kyoko's friends and the members of Swing Low all made the long trip to say goodbye.

At the Monterey Jazz Festival with Jeff Neilson

At Disneyland

Summer 2006

2006-08-23T09:07:00.000+09:00

It's been a busy past few weeks. Finishing my job at the BOE, going to LA for Adam Olson's wedding, Kyoko's sister having a baby, BBQs at the river, getting ready for my Sayonara Party, and packing for our trip to the US, it has been a bit overwhelming for the two of us. Here are a few pics.

We Miss Melissa!

2006-08-03T13:14:00.000+09:00

Kyoko and I saw Melissa off at the train station on Saturday. It was emotional for Kyoko, as Melissa has been quite close to us for the last two years. Almost every Monday night she came down for dinner then helped Kyoko and Kanako with English while I went out to tutor a friend in Yukawa. Melissa will be back in California until October when she will leave for Australia on a working holiday to be with her boyfriend, Mark, who was also an ALT here in Wakayama. We wish the best of luck to both of them, and look forward to seeing Melissa once more before she heads down under. Kyoko and I are planning to drive down to LA after attending the Monterey Jazz festival to see her and to visit Erik and Kim.

After three years to the day I have reached the last day of my contract with Nachikatsuura Town. I have been at the BOE everyday since school let out on the 21st of July, cleaning out folders, computer files, writing this years curriculum, looking for new health insurance, and taking care of all manner of other things to prepare for my leaving and the coming of new ALTs next week. A healthy mix of happy and sad, many memories and hard, factual evidence of the novice I was three years ago still remain. Despite some worries of the massive adjustment Kyoko and I will be going through in the next month, I am Really looking forward to it.

The Bugs Are Back

2006-07-27T20:22:00.000+09:00

The rainy season is officially over and the oppressively hot summer is in full swing. Summer means many things in Japan, the shrill cry of the cicada from dawn 'til dusk, the national high school baseball tournament playing on everyone's TV, BBQs at the river, and the return of huge bugs, among many other things. The forests around Katsuura, while calm and safe in the winter, turn into jungles, teeming with life, during the summer months. Bugs somehow get energy from the heat that enable them to double in size. Huge beetles, mosquitos, cockroaches, spiders, and centipedes abound these days. The Japanese centipede, mukade, is dark green, varies in size from about 1 to 5 inches and has a habit of crawling into people's beds while they sleep. Ever since coming to Japan I have been warned about the danger of the bite of the mukade, often causing a serious reaction of swelling that often requires a trip to the hospital. However, Melissa and I both had very close encounters with mukade, both being bitten by one this week. I was biten twice while sleeping two nights ago in Shimosato and Melissa was biten just today, while cleaning up her apartment. I was shocked to realize what had happened and immediately thought about the worst case scenario, but after applying fresh aloe and some kind of medicine that Kyoko's sister had the pain quickly subsided and I went back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later with no swelling or pain. Melissa had a similar reaction, which surprised many people, including ourselves, and caused some to hypothesize that maybe foreigners are not allergic to mukade bites.

In other news Kyoko and I are now completely moved out of Katsuura and into Kyoko's parent's house in Shimosato. I get along really well with her parents and it has been really nice being there the last few day. I just bought a webcam to attach the computer at Kyoko's parents place so we can video call with my parents on Skype. If there are any other Skype users out there let me know.

Last Day

2006-07-20T14:02:00.000+09:00

After three years of teaching english here in Katsuura today I went to school for the last time to be a part of the closing ceremony that ushers in summer vacation. Yesterday I taught my last class, at Ichinono elementary (picture below). It has been a sad couple of weeks, day after day of saying goodbye to different students at different schools that have put up with me and my lessons for three years. At the same time being in the same place doing the same thing for this long is something I haven't managed to do since elementary school, and my inner thoughts are mostly filled with excitement about all the changes that the near future will bring.

It has again been too long since my last post, so I will fill you in on the last couple off weeks. Swing Low had a show on the 8th that turned out to be our best show ever, around 70 people squeezed into Cafe Breath for an evening of Jazz, Blues, and Country. The P/A that we recently acquired sounded good and made it easy to hear ourselves. Kyoko had her 25th birthday on July 13th. I gave her a few gifts, but her favorite was easily the melon I bought. She loves melon.

This weekend we will be moving to Kyoko's parent's house in Shimosato. The new ALTs will be here in a couple of weeks, so we need to get out and clean this place up. I am looking forward to August by the beach, spendning time with friends, and trying not to spend to much money as tomorrow is my last paycheck for a while.

Rain, rain, go away

2006-07-05T14:51:00.000+09:00

Another wet day of tsuyu here in Katsuura, today the rain fell particularly strong. Enough rain fell this morning that a storm warning was announced. In Japan, storm warnings mean that schools close and that the students must return home. It has often confused me that students are made to return home often during the most intense part of the storm, many students must brave the storm while walking the 10-15 minutes home when they were completely safe (and dry) in their classrooms just moments before. The warning was announced during second period this morning in the middle of a class I was having with 5th and 6th graders. Class was allowed to continue until the end of the period while the homeroom teachers figured out the logistics for getting everyone home (calling parents, etc.). With the exception of today every class I have for the next two weeks will be the last class I have with those students. I have avoided getting too emotional yet, as there are just too many students and people to say goodbye to that if I broke down every time they would be checking me in to an institution by the end of the week.

Just because we aren't in the US didn't mean that we had to miss out on 4th of July BBQ, in fact due to the time difference we it up the coals hours before most Americans had even woken up. Melissa organized a potluck BBQ up at her place last night and almost all of the JETs in southern Wakayama came over. There was one Canadian, one Brit, and one Australian in attendance, but they were still allowed to eat after some friendly harassment. We had burgers, dogs, marinated chicken, corn on the cob, onigiri ( courtesy of Kyoko), salad, and shortcake. There were even fireworks, but I had to miss them because of band practice.

By the way, if anyone is reading this in the southern Wakayama area (a very select few I imagine) my band, Swing Low, has a gig on Saturday at Cafe Breath in Sano. Email me for info if you can come.

The quintessential PBS personality Bill Moyers is back in action with a new series, Faith and Reason, a series of interviews with highly respected authors discussing religion in today's world. I have only recently become interested in his work when I watched the DVD of his series of talks with Joseph Cambell on mythology which I thought was incredible. I can recall being in elementary school when my mom was watching some Bill Moyers series and how totally boring I found it and how much I wish my mom would let me watch what I wanted to see on TV. Now I am downloaded the episodes as podcasts and listening to them on my way to and from school. I suggest to anyone with even a modest interest to listen to tfirstist show, an interview with Salman Rushdie, that I found intellectually miles above me, but still incredibly interesting. As with Joseph Cambell, another great mind, the listener is allowed to understand a bit more than they otherwise would because of Moyers straightforward, layman questioning and summarizing that I still find annoying at times, but makes for greater understanding to those of us without sufficient mind power do all the work ourselves.

Raining Nyankos, Nedveds, and Dogs

2006-06-23T18:12:00.000+09:00

For the past three years, as June approaches, I have been warned of tsyuyu and the terrible days in store. Tsuyu is the rainy season in Japan, and is the least liked time of year for many Japanese. The early summer heat mixes with almost daily rain to create an intense humidity, dank apartments, ruined BBQ plans, and mildew. For three years I have waited for this seemingly biblical month long rain. The last two years brought beautifully sunny Junes, causing confusion among many and more evidence for those who say the climate is changing. But this year, welcomed with a mix of nostalgia and quiet groans, tsuyu is here doing it's best to live up to the legend. Though it hasn't rained everyday (but I noticed today that the forecast is rainy/cloudy for the next week) it is obvious that something is different about the rain that has been falling lately. Better than typhoon rain, because there is almost no wind, the defining feature for me is the size of the drops and the constancy. Big, fat, heavy buckets of warm, tropical rain fell for an entire day a couple of weekends ago. The kind of rain that soaks you in the span in takes to put your umbrella in the car and climb in, I have seen rain like that fall for 10-15 minutes, maybe an hour at the most, but I couldn't believe the constant dumping that went on from mid-morning until night. On other days there are calms and lulls in the downpours, even a sunny day here and there, but on those sunny days the humidity can be so intense that even a whole day of sun doesn't dry the puddles in the parking lot in front of my apartment.

Last Saturday a TV show from Tokyo came to one of my schools to show Nyanko: The Movie (a really lame movie about cats) to the students and to film what they thought about it. The showing was in the afternoon and in exchange for a holiday on Monday, the teachers and students (including me) went to school on Saturday for a normal day of school up until the movie showtime at 2:00. Things didn't go quite as planned for the TV crew as torrential rain cancelled any filming outside. After the initial showing, which was given a resounding "so-so" by students into the camera, there was a second showing for parents and friends who were unlucky enough to be free on Saturday afternoon. Just as people were arriving for the second showing, including a semi-famous announcer from Tokyo who arrived by taxi ten minutes late, came some of the heaviest rain I have ever seen. From the teachers room the sound of the rain was like we were being shelled by coalition forces. After an hour the playground, which had been made into a parking lot for movie-goers began to look like the Mississippi Delta strewn with cars after a hurricane. I tried to take some pictures of the downpour, but rain, like sunsets and apparently like cute cats doing random cute things, is one of those things that you just can't capture too well on film.

Spending a lot of time indoors the last couple of weeks has enabled me to watch as much World Cup as I can get on my five channel TV. There has been a lot of great soccer and a number of big surprises. America redeemed themselves against Italy (though they will still be catching a flight home this weekend) and my pick the Czech Rep. will also be heading home after the first round. I saw the Czech vs. Ghana game and was really impressed by the strength and skill of the Ghana team. I would love to see them go beyond the round of 16 in their first ever appearance at the World Cup.

Nyanko: The Van. Way cooler than Nyanko: The Movie. And that isn't saying much.

My attempt to capture the downpour on camera.

Halftime: USA 0 - Czech Rep. 2

2006-06-13T11:19:00.000+09:00

It's been four years, the last World Cup, since I've seen the US team in action and I must say they don't give me much to root for. The most remarkable thing I noticed this first half was their handling skills, and how much they resembled a Chevy stationa wagon on an icy parking lot. The Czech team is running a much tighter ship, nice passing, creating lots of opportunities, and working their butts off. They also have mid-fielder Pavel Nedved, nicknamed 'The Horse', who is awesome. He also has the looks, the hair, and the intensity of Patrick Swayze in 'Point Break'. 'The Horse', and the rest of the Chezch team are my pick for this match and maybe the group E leader if they play like they are now in their game against Italy.

ヤった！

2006-06-13T10:20:00.000+09:00

After a lot of nervous waiting, as can be expected at any government office, we finally got to hear the words we have been waiting 6 months for, "Okay, everything looks good." I had actually been quite worried as there were a couple of paperwork issues that I thought might be a problem, and on top of that the office at the embassy was having a computer problem, adding to the wait and raising the possiblity that we would have to come back again today. But it worked and we were out by five (we were there about 3 hours) and by seven we were celebrating with Tomi and Kyoko's friend Yumiko over a dinner and a couple of beers.

We got back at about 8:30 this morning. Despite having slept well, two overnight bus rides in three days can wear one out. As I write this I am watching the USA vs. Czech game World Cup game that I taped while we were gone. This is about as productive as I plan to be today.

A Big Weekend

2006-06-09T18:39:00.000+09:00

Not only does the "World's Greatest Sporting Event" begin tomorrow, but Kyoko and I will also be taking the over-night bus up to Tokyo for her visa interview at the US embassy on Monday. It has been a long road of paperwork that will hopefully end soon with her receiving an immigrant visa (Green Card) that will enable us to live together in the US. We have already sent in most of the important paperwork and with the exception of one document that I have re-done, all seems to be in order. The interview is mostly a way to ensure that we are a real couple that have spent real time together. They want us to bring pictures of our wedding. I am still a bit nervous about the whole thing. A small mistake somewhere, killing the deal and forcing us to make another trip up to Tokyo in the next month or so would be a huge drag.

We've decided to make the best of the trip, going up a couple of days early and spend a little time enjoying ourselves. Sunday we will check out Tokyo Disney and visit our friend Tomi who is living there now and who has a DJ event on Sunday evening.

Check back next week for the results of the interview.

Kyoko's new toy

2006-06-01T21:23:00.000+09:00

I don't how popular the Nintendo DS lite is in the US, but since it came out last year sometime all of my students seem to talk about it. Apparently it is so popular that stores have a hard time keeping it on the shelves and as a result it can be hard to come by. Kyoko isn't a really big video game fan, but after hearing about a game called 'Eigozuke', a program for practicing English, she decided that she wanted one, and if I bought her one she would finally get cracking on learning some English. That was a couple fo months ago, but after going to all the right stores we found out that it was out of stock everywhere and no one knew when it would be back. We'd been keeping our eyes out for one since then, but had no luck until last weekend when we were shopping at Super Center Okuwa and decided to run back to the toy section and check it out. It was evening and the normally crowded game area, amok with my students, was peacefully quiet. We noticed that the big sign saying (in Japanese, of course) "Sorry, we have no DS Lite consoles and we don't know when we will get more." was gone. We asked the lady at the counter and she said that if we didn't mind white we could buy one. So Kyoko finally has her DS, and the English game, and true to her word she's been studying with it almost everyday. The game has a whole mix of study games, involving listening, speaking into the microphone, writing with a special pen on the lower screen, and reading. You set up an a personal file that keeps track of your work and keeps you slowly moving up, giving special prizes for practicing regularly. She even got up early on a Sunday morning to play a little. Right now she's sitting next to me with her DS in hand, though she playing New Super Mario at the moment. You might ask why she would need the DS to study when she has me around all the time, but we always slip back into speaking Japanese to each other. Also, while her English comprehension has gotten way better since we've been together, she can get shy when speaking to me in English, but she has no reluctance to speak to the DS. I don't get jealous........I swear.

In other news, my band Swing Low just started doing a little recording last weekend after having a BBQ at Manabu's house. Our setup is just as ghetto as Jeremy and I used, but things are sounding good so far. We hope to get enough tracks together for a CDs worth in the next couple of months. The only probably is that we are very short on originals. I will post a track on my homepage once we get one finished.

For those who know Jeremy and Sunny they had some big news last week, though I am still waiting for the bigger news.

Another giant step for mankind

2006-05-27T08:40:00.000+09:00

Conspicuously absent from the front pages of the leading US dailies, the scientific discovery of the year, the decade, and then some was announced this week in Britan. Check it out.

Leaving on a jet plane

2006-05-26T10:49:00.000+09:00

After quite a bit of price searching, and a lot of head-scratching over why one-way flights are more expensive than international flghts, Kyoko and I now have tickets for our flight back to CA this summer. We will touch down on the tarmac of cloudy ACV in the early afternoon on Saturday Sept. 2, barring any delays at SFO, which is more than likely. Now that we have the date, preparing for our trip is in our thoughts more and more. There is excitement and uneasiness in both of our hearts and minds. Kyoko doesn’t know what she will do with all of her free time while she learns enough English to get a job somewhere. She hopes she can find a job in childcare. I need to find a job and get my application together for a credential program and find a job that can help us save for a possible move to Santa Cruz. But putting the small worries aside we can’t wait to see everyone in just a few short months. Anyone reading this in CA, keep your calendars open for a welcome home/ wedding reception party soon after our return, probably Saturday, Sept. 9.

Shodo Board

2006-05-15T22:09:00.000+09:00

This is a special edition of the Shodo Board as today we travel out of my house and visit the show that is being put on by our shodo group. Once a year we turn our workshop into a gallery for displaying one or more of our works. Our teacher, Harano sensei handles the very difficult task of making each piece into a scroll. This was my first time participating in the show and I was very pleased to have one of pieces made into a scroll and presented along with everyone else's. The piece I presented you may have seen before on previous shodo boards as I have been working on it for a while, writing it maybe a hundred times or more. My sensei finally said that I written one well enough to stop working it (maybe he felt sorry for me...) and move onto a new one. I have worked on many others in the mean time, but this is one I have enjoyed the most in the last year or so going to calligraphy lessons. It translates roughly to "The sun and the moon shine on everyone the same."

Honeymoon

2006-05-07T11:49:00.000+09:00

Some people have emailed and asked us if we have gone on a honeymoon. We've actually decided to put off going on a honeymoon until we both finish our jobs in a couple of months and travel somewhere this summer. We already have a couple of trips planned in the meantime, the next one being a trip to Tokyo for Kyoko's visa interview. We will take advantage of the trip to visit friends and do some fun things as well.

We have actually been on vacation for the last week, since th eday before our wedding. We took a couple of days off work to be with my parents while they were here. The day they left, Wednesday, began a three day stretch of national holidays that people often use to create a weeklong vacation called Golden Week. It is on of the busiest weeks for traveling in Japan, so even though we were on vacation, the roads were packed and the hotels full, so we stayed around Katsuura. We did get out for many day trips, picnics, and time with friends. On Wednesday we drove a couple of hours into the mountains with our friends Hiromi and Masanori to see the longest suspension bridge in Japan. It was old, rickity and downright scary to walk across it, but the people working there assured us it was safe. Afterwards we went to an old hot spring town, not to soak but to boil eggs and sweet potatoes in the hot water bubbling up from the ground for an afternoon snack.

A picnic by the river

Enjoying hot spring sweet potatoes

Our Wedding

2006-05-05T13:52:00.000+09:00

Though we have been officially married since November, Kyoko and I finally had a proper wedding ceremony and reception with friends and family this past Saturday at a hotel near the ocean located only a few miles from our home. According to what people who attended have said it went really well and was a great time. I say that because the two of us were so busy moving from one thing to the next in the program of events that it was hard to tell wether everyone was having a good time or not.

Most Japanese weddings it seems follow a similar outline of a traditional Shinto ceremony followed by a a formal, sit-down reception during which the married couple change clothes at least once if not twice. The Shinto ceremony usually takes place in a shrine or in a special room and the couple are often accompanied only by close relatives. No photos were allowed in room we had our ceremony, so I will describe it a bit. Wearing our formal kimonos we entered a small, well-lighted room that had a a large wooden shrine. A Shinto priest ran the ceremony which involved greeting the local gods, exchanging vows, and drinking many small plates of sake. The sake drinking seemed to be the main thing and there was a very set way of doing it. There were three small plates that were each filled three times and drank in three small sips by both Kyoko and I. After that our parents drank, followed by everyone else.

After the ceremony Kyoko and I, along with our parents, moved to the entrance of the large room where the reception was to be held and greeted guests as they entered. Everyone loved the way mom looked in the formal balck Kimono. The reception was a very organized event, run by an MC who kept things moving along constantly for over three hours. There were speeches, toasts, live music, liondance, many photo ops, and lots and lots of food and beer.

Please take a look at some pictures here.

Habushu: Just drink it...It's good for you

2006-04-25T14:49:00.000+09:00

If I had a five yen coin for every time I have been told "Just eat/drink it. It's good for you" since coming to Japan I would definitely be a richer man, though most likely in a hospital bed somewhere. If you remember an old blog entry I wrote on a Black Vinegar health drink you are already a bit familiar with some of the more deadly health products on the market in Japan. Being close to China explains the phenomenon somewhat. Chinese medicine conjures up images of old wooden medicine cabinets full of ground roots, bones and whale testicles.

My most recent encounter with this dangerous phrase came Monday morning over breakfast at Kyoko's parent's house. We stayed the night there on Sunday after a late night of wedding preparations that have been robbing us of adequate sleep lately. I was having my standard breakfast of toast with honey and a bowl of miso soup when Kyoko's mom set down a glass of a golden liquid in front of Kyoko and I and said "Drink this. It's good for you and it will give you energy." ( a common variation). She responded to my call for more detail by repeating her second sentence. After drinking it, recognizing it right away as foul-tasting alcohol, Kyoko told me that was Habushu. "shu" means alcohol and "Habu" refers to a deadly poisonous snake from Okinawa. Apparently a live snake is put in the bottle before it is filled with alcohol, then left to infuse the alcohol with it's healing power. I can't say I really noticed a difference besides feeling like I had taken a shot of alcohol just before heading off to work.

Kyoko started coming down with a bit of a cold yesterday which is understandable considering how busy we've been. When Kyoko told her mom on the phone she drove right over, bringing a small jar of Habushu that she said Kyoko must gargle. "It will kill the germs and stop the cold." she said.　Being less than a week before the wedding it is important that she get better soon, but neither Kyoko or myself were at all interested in gargling that stuff. We'll stick with regular cold medication for now.

A very expensive bottle of habushu

Less than two weeks to go......

2006-04-19T16:24:00.000+09:00

Time has been flying by this month. It seemed like yesterday that the wedding was a month off and we were slowly taking care of wedding related stuff on the weekends when we had time. Now we have been staying up late almost every night busily preparing stuff and worrying that we have forgotten something. Last night we made the seating chart for the reception, which took quite a while, first deciding who should sit where, then stretching both of our abilities at working with Word templates to get something we were pleased with. Japanese wedding receptions are much different than what I had been familiar with in CA. It tends to be more formal, with guests seated for the majority of the set, two to three hour arranged program. Guests are seated according to their connection to the bride/groom, with family together, work relations, friends usually seated together, all the while keeping in mind social ranking. The top people at the Board of Education who I invited will be sitting front and center. With all the set "rules" it seemed like it would be a snap, but getting everyone into groups of five to seven at the nine tables was tricky.

Then came working the templates we downloaded from the website from which we bought the stationary. Made for Microsoft Word I thought I would be able to work with them in the Pages application for Mac. However, when I opened the files in Pages the templates were a little different making it difficult to work with. Also, Kyoko is only familiar with Word and though she has gotten pretty good at using my Mac for internet stuff, she can't use the word processing stuff I have. So after realizing that, we went to her parents and managed to get the job done in about 3 hours. It shouldn't have taken that long, but there were many confusing alignment issues that always confuse me. Kyoko had a bit more patience than me, maybe because I sometimes got tired of not understanding the Japanese version of Word, but together we got it done. Next is making individual name cards, picking out music, and meeting with the MC, who, like most Japanese weddings, will be running the program.

Sorry if this was a boring post of me rambling about wedding details, but that is really all I have been thinking about lately, so that is what came out in today's blog.

Something I realized when I was looking at the mangled template on my Mac yesterday was that I Really should have bought Office for Mac when I got my computer last year. It is necessary to have full working knowledge to and access to Word and Word documents, and nothing Mac has come up with yet really enables that. I looked online just now, thinking of picking up a copy, but the $399 price tag is a bit steep for a compulsive, after the fact purchase. The Student/Educator price is only $149, but because I am not teaching at an accredited school in the US I am not eligible. Any educator friends out there willing to hook me up?

Grandma T. Update

2006-04-14T10:05:00.000+09:00

The doctors said that my grandmother's heart surgery yesterday went "very well" . This morning my mom emailed and said that she was sitting up and eating breakfast. She will be in the hospital for about a week before going home. It will supposedly be a few months before she is back in full form. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Hanami Pics

2006-04-12T15:36:00.000+09:00

Here are a couple of pictures from the band BBQ/Sakura party on Saturday.

Back row from left: Tomohiro, his wife Rebecca, Manabu, and his wife Kumiko.
Front Row: Ken, Kyoko, me.

I wasn't quite with the program on this shot.

Monday, Monday

2006-04-10T10:34:00.000+09:00

It’s Monday again and I am here at the BOE spending a few minutes thinking about the last two weeks of spring vacation before getting back to preparations for the new school year beginning tomorrow. Kyoko and I spent most of the little free time we had on wedding preparations and taking care of a few last things we need before we can schedule her visa interview in Tokyo. Our only trip out of town was visa related; Kyoko had a background check at the prefectural police department in Wakayama city and a health check at a hospital in Kobe. Both went well, we think, and after receiving the results of the health check in a couple of weeks we can schedule her interview, probably for sometime in June. The trip wasn’t all business; We were able to spend time with friends every night. In Kobe we met up with Hideki, who I first met at HSU during my last semester, and is now working in the shipping business in Kobe. We went to an izakaya with him and Aki, a friend of Kyoko’s. Hideki, who spent two years in Arcata, was able to tell Kyoko a lot about it from a different perspective than me.

Kyoko and I attended three BBQs in two days this weekend, reaffirming both spring as my favorite season and my love of Japanese BBQ parties. On Saturday night we had a hanami (flower viewing party) at a hilltop park near the castle in Shingu with all the members of my band and their wives. It was a beautiful, clear night and the sakura were in full bloom, and we were nearly alone is the large, open park. That would be nearly unheard of at this time of year unless you had seen the gusting winds that day. We made a make-shift shelter with our tarp between some large rocks and enjoyed the flowers, friendship, Asahi Super Dry, and a delicious BBQ. Yesterday the Takashiba Shishimai group had their annual hanami BBQ. Just like last year there was something strange about it. Despite nice weather it took place inside at the club, with no flowers in sight. Even the BBQs, small, insulated hibachis, were inside. It offered further evidence that sakura come in second to alcohol and food at many hanami parties. We rounded up the trifecta with a BBQ that evening at the home of one of Kyoko’s co-workers.

I need to get back to work now. I always seem to get less work done during school breaks than I hope to. Before I end, though, I want to ask everyone who reads this to say a prayer for my grandmother. After a routine heart check-up a week ago she will be having open-heart surgery on Wednesday to repair a blocked valve. Anyone who has tasted one of her cookies knows the love she can dish out. Though she has never asked for it she needs our strength and love this week.

Jeremy and Sunny back online

2006-03-30T10:18:00.000+09:00

For those of you wondering what the suave and debonair couple are up to these days, look no further than my links section and take a look at their new blog. I had no doubts, but they have surpassed expectations and have gotten off to a great start in their new lives after JET. After bartering with stack of Route 42 CDs and promises of Cheesesteak treasure, they managed to secure a ride on a Taiji whaling vessel that took them all the way to Chicago. They now have a new apartment, a new car, a new puppy, new jobs, and now a new blog. Sunny has an exciting job with lots of international prospects at an IT firm. Jeremy, unbelievably, after all the hassels they went through, has turned around and decided to use the knowledge gained from his firsthand experience trekking through immigration law to help others get through the process more smoothly, is now working for an immigration law firm. Immigration law is certainly an interesting, and heated, field to be involved in these days.

For the rest of the scoop, check out their site.

Pics from Tomo's wedding

2006-03-28T09:24:00.000+09:00

Here are some pictures from the wedding we went to a couple of weeks ago.

Pictures

2006-03-25T09:39:00.000+09:00

A few pictures from our trip to Universal Studios Japan. It is a crazy popular tourist attraction. Theme parks are very popular in Japan. I think I remember hearing that Tokyo Disney is the biggest tourist attraction in Japan.

Spring Shuffle

2006-03-24T09:58:00.000+09:00

With graduation yesterday and closing ceremonies today the elementary school year has come to a close. I went to the graduation ceremony for the 6th graders at Katsuura elementary yesterday morning. Besides a few differences I think elementary school graduation ceremonies are pretty similar to those in the US. Boys and girls are paired up as they enter the gym to music and clapping, there is a speech by the principle, songs are sung, diplomas are handed out. One difference, besides a lot bowing by everyone, is that the diplomas are handed out at the beginning, directly after entering the gym and singing the national anthem.

Between the end of the school year and the beginning of the next there is a two week break which, especially for graduating high school students continuing on to university can be quite a busy time. Also, throughout the entire country the end of March marks the end of the work year and the arrival of ido, or staff re-shuffling. Most private companies and government offices make small, sometimes significant staff changes around this time with employees assuming their new position the first of April. Yesterday all the teachers in Nachikatsuura were told where they would be working this coming school and this afternoon city hall and board of education employees will be notified if they are changing jobs or not. Most town employees, including teachers, generally spend about three to five years at any given job, though some people change positions almost every year. Everyone from the principle down are subject to sudden change in work location. Often about a third of the teachers change schools, while the rest are usually assigned a different grade level. Like the radical change in seasons, the atmosphere in the teache's room can change dramatically. There seem to be good and bad points to this system. For a company it amounts to a huge amount of cross training and keeps employees fresh and learning new things. Teachers don't seem to complain about it, but I know that wouldn't want to have a 15 minute commute turn into a one hour commute overnight.

Yesterday Kyoko found out that she escapre-shufflinging this year and will be continuing at the nursery school she works at until early August. Because Kyoko and I will be going to the US in August/early September Kyoko would not be able to sign a year contract for her job and thought that she would have to quit and find a part-time job until summer. Luckily, they have a temporary need for someone for the next few months, which works out really well.

We went to Universal Studios Japan last weekend for a needed short vacation and to get out of town for a couple of days. I haven't been to Universal Studios in CA so I can't compare, but I will talk more about it and show some pictures soon.

Eldon Dedini

2006-03-17T11:01:00.000+09:00

Bestowed with a somewhat rare last name, I do may part to keep tabs on the 'fam' through occasional Google searches. Previous searches have turned up hits leading to a Dedini living in the small town of Lavertezzo, Switzerland, in the late 1500s and leading Brazilian Biodiesel company started by Mario Dedini in 1920.

The other day I came across an obituary for Eldon Dedini, a name I remember well from the first time I searched, maybe back in high school. Perhaps the most famous of us Dedini's, my Google search filled with hopes for possible links to royalty led to a noted cartoonist who penned over a thousand comics for The New Yorker and Playboy. Not royalty, though not far behind in my book. Eldon's full page watercolor gag cartoons are probably the most recognizable of Playboy's cartoons. Though many argue that Playboy and New Yorker comics, of which Eldon's may be used as the standard, are not funny, others maintain that the humor is classy and intelligent, just the type of image the two publications try to project. While I admit that I ran across quite a number of examples that were too classy (or dated) for me to comprehend, I have always loved reading the comics in the New Yorker and Playboy while perusing the stimulating articles.

Oh Shit!!

2006-03-14T12:46:00.000+09:00

I scared the unco out of myself last night when I realized that my wedding ring wasn't on. Fortunately, after only about 5 minutes I found it in the washing mashine. It had fallen off as I was putting clothes in I guess. Most of the time my ring fits pretty snug, but it was a really cold day yesterday which makes my fingers a little narrower, causing my ring to come off (too) easily. I am worried now that since it happened once now it will happen again someday, possibly somewhere were I won't be able to find it. I know that it is possible to make rings a littlle larger, but does anyone know if it is possible to make a ring a little bit smaller?

Kyoko and I went to Osaka this past weekend to attend her friend Tomo's wedding. It was in a big, fancy hotel, so it will be quite a bit different from ours. The service was Christian, in a chapel, with a minister, hyms, prayer and everything, despite the fact that no one in either family is Cristian. I guess it is really common to do it that way here, about as common as a traditional Shinto ceremony. We took notes anyway, and pictures that I will upload and put up soon.

Your comments welcome

2006-03-09T00:40:00.000+09:00

As can be expected, since Kyoko and I will be having our wedding here in Japan, it is going to be a very Japanese wedding. That's not to say that it will be all Kimono's, sushi, and sake, but it will have the MC, the assigned seating, the ridged schedule of events, and will end right on time, all things to be expected at a Japanese wedding. I am trying to think of a few things we could do to add a little American/California flavor to the event. I have thought about having some dancing, something that is not usually a part of Japanese wedding receptions. Kyoko is not totally down with dancing, not many young people in Japan dance and are often very shy about dancing in front of others unless they are very good. But as far as the dancing goes, how does that usually go in the US? The couple dances alone first, then what usually happens?

If anyone reading this has any other ideas for adding some American flavor to our wedding reception, please post a comment tot his blog. Arigato.

Happy Girl's Day!

2006-03-03T23:10:00.000+09:00

Today, March 3rd is Hina Matsuri (doll festival), otherwise known as Girl's Day. On this day homes with girls often display special dolls clothed in old-style kimono's. We don't have any dolls at our place so Kyoko made a special dinner and put little faces on the onigiri wrapped in kimonos made of nori. Perhaps not the traditional practice, but more delicious I can assure you.

Dig the Digs?

2006-02-23T22:02:00.000+09:00

We went to Shingu last week to try-on and pick out clothes for our wedding. We will be having a Japanese ceremony and will change into a dress and suit during the reception. They had a gazillion kimono's, which was pretty cool to see. Picking the kimono's was easy, though, because in a tradtional ceremony the bride wears an all-white kimono and the groom wears a black one. Most of time was spent looking for the right white dress for Kyoko. We went though a number of not so good one (too ballerina, etc..) before finding one we both really liked. The last picture is us in the clothes we picked for the reception. It's kind of funny that Japanese weddings tend to be more formal and traditional (in the western sense) than American weddings are these days.

Leveraging in Yokohama

2006-02-17T10:47:00.000+09:00

I was in Yokohama for a few days this week attending the 2006 Conference for Returning JETs. About 200 JETs finishing their tour of duty this summer went to Yokohama to participate in workshops and panel discussions about leaving Japan, saying goodbye, getting all our stuff home, readjusting, and getting a new Job. That last point was actually the main focus of the three day event. The majority of JETs were fresh out of college when they came to Japan, had never taught before, and are now returning to their home countries with little idea as of their next (or first) career move. There were many interesting and distinguished guests who talked to us about life after JET, continuing education, and career opportunities abroad or here in Japan for those with our particular assets and skills. I must say that I am actually more worried about what skills those might be now than I was before attending the conference. In addition to fulfilling my personal goals for living abroad I assumed that my time in Japan teaching and “Internationalizationizing” were blanket pluses for my CV. Instead all the talk about “transferable skills”, “being creative”, and “leveraging my soft skills”, last me and most likely many others with more than a taste of fear for the inevitable interview question that could go something like “Neat, three years in Japan….but what can you actually DO that would be of value to this company/school/program?” After the first day I had come to learn that our best hope was networking.
My first impression when hearing that word in a resume workshop was that it is just another dirty code word in the lexicon of businessmen and politicians who would prefer not to refer to themselves and say, nepotism, in the same breath. However, after three full days of helpful hints on resumes, interviews, cover letters, and job searching, I came to see networking as a truly useful tool. Like the computer networks that keep offices connected, communication between people in similar fields is essential for progress and insuring that we don’t all re-invent the wheel. Making contacts and keeping them is simple common sense. You never know where the next opportunity will come from. I guess I was being naïve to think that everyone should just rely on their own merits to make their way up the ladder. Most successful people don’t, so why should I?
Fortunately I have a pretty good idea about my next step, and it doesn’t involve weaseling my way up the corporate ladder. I plan returning to school for a graduate degree and teaching credential followed by some real experience teaching in CA public schools before returning, at least temporarily, to Japan. In order to prepare for that however, I guess I should be making contacts with others working here in Japan. I don’t really know what I will be doing then, and from the sound of things, there appears to be many interesting job possibilities for foreigners here in Japan ( I wouldn’t mind Token Gaijin on Japanese TV shows, but that would involve living in Tokyo, I love the inaka).
In the end I was really glad I chose to attend the conference. It was WAY more useful than any of the other seminars and workshops I have attended in the last three years ( un-experienced teachers giving other un-experienced teachers tips for teaching). I think I learned a number of things that will be directly useful when it comes time to wrap up life here and move back to CA in August. In the meantime I will continue to ponder the meaning of “leveraging my soft skills”.

Update from Arcata: A new roof! The entire roof was redone in one day earlier this week. Financial, and possibly environmental factors meant that a substitute was used instead of the original Redwood shingles. It looks good to me an apparently lasts longer as well.

Another busy week

2006-02-11T18:38:00.000+09:00

A month later than I was originally hoping to send it, but I finally got the immigrant visa application in the mail on Friday. The envelope, containing all kinds of paperwork, as well as my passport, weighed in at over a pound. I checked over everything many times, so I'm pretty sure I filled out and signed everything right. If all goes well we should be contacted in a month or two about setting up an interview at the embassy in Tokyo where we would receive the visa that will enable Kyoko to receive a green card once we return to the states.

We started preparations for our wedding in earnest this week after at least a month of occasionally saying to each other that we should get started. We got all the supplies we need to make the invitations at home, met with people at the hotel we will have the wedding, and today we went to Shingu to talk with Momo sensei, a beautician who will be doing Kyoko's hair and makeup, as well as helping with picking out clothes. At Momo sensei's shop Kyoko got fitted with a katsura, a big wig that replaces the need to do crazy things to your own hair to get it in the right shape for wearing a formal kimono. So far it seems like we have plenty of time and that we should have everything together by mid-April, but friends of ours have assured us that there are so many things to take care of that there is no way we can do it ourselves and that we are in for an extremely busy couple of months. I guess we'll find out soon.

I had another chance to take part in a great local festival last Monday. The past two years I went and watched the Oto Matsuri, or Men's Fire Festival, in Shingu, but I finally got a chance to take part this year. I had actually been invited by friends last year, but Kyoko convinced me not to last year, as it is quite dangerous. The main part of the festival involves about 2000 men, wearing all white and carrying one meter long, flaming torches, running down an impossibly steep staircase at night. It is quite a spectacle to watch, but I had a little apprehension about it. Another characteristic of the festival is that the local people are known for drinking a lot and fighting during the day-long festival. I didn't get close to any fights, but I did manage to take part on a day that everyone I talked to said was the worst weather in local memory. It was a freezing, rainy evening when my friend Yamamoto san and I changed into our duds and made our way around to the other local shrines before climbing up Kamikura, where we waited with about 1500 others (well less than most years) for the fire to light our torches so we could get the mountain, take a bath, change and get warm.

Because of the weather I didn't get any good pictures, but here is a website with some good info on the festival.

Tomorrow I am off to Yokohama for the conference for JETs returning to their home countries this summer. I am hoping to get some good ideas for using this experience in the future, write a good resume and get some job ideas.

TGIF

2006-02-03T09:16:00.000+09:00

I blinked my eyes and here we are, it's Friday again. I am here at the BOE, writing lessons, photocopying, laminating, translating 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' by the Beatles, and perusing the news of the day via the web. Here's a story that caught my eye:
Didn't they do that last time?

A couple friends of Kyoko's are coming to visit for the weekend. I imagine we will go visit some local sites and take an onsen. I am hoping we will have time to drive out to Koza and have lunch at my favorite eel restaurant. I also hope to get a lot of sleep this weekend. Lately we have been staying up late a lot and are both pretty exhausted.

I am looking forward to next monday, when I will particpate in the Oto matsuri, a fire festival at Kamikura Shrine in Shingu. I have gone to watch it the last two years, but have turned down invitations to join because of the seeming treacherousness of descending the extremely steep rock steps leading up to the shrine with over a thousand slightly inebriated revelers, all wearing loose, white, clothes and carrying torches. I will let you know haw that went next week.

Checking in

2006-01-26T23:31:00.000+09:00

Time is really going by these days. Not much news to report, but I just wanted to post an entry because it has been too long. Work has been keeping me busier than usual, and I am getting in the habit of coming home, eating dinner, and just lounging around on the nights when we don't have plans, which is more often than in the past. Tonight my friend Ma-kun came over to practice the two songs he wrote that we are doing at the party after his wedding on Sunday. Right now Kyoko is asleep under the kotatsu (heated coffee table) while I am watching TV, writing a couple of emails, and trying to put the finishing touches on the visa application for Kyoko's visa. It is already at least two weeks past the date I was hoping to send it off. It looks like I will be able to send it on Monday.

I got some pictures from mom and dad showing the beginning of reconstruction, which looks to be getting along nicely.

Photo gallery update

2006-01-12T14:53:00.000+09:00

I have udpated the photo gallery of pictures from Erik and Kim's visit. Here's the link http://homepage.mac.com/ndedini/PhotoAlbum16.html

They left Japan on Monday and are now back in warm LA. Kim is back at work teaching science in Junior high school. Erik will be making a trip up to Arcata to help with the house. I started teaching again today. It has been nearly a month since I last rock, paper, scissored with my students. It was a good day.

Update from Arcata

2006-01-07T23:28:00.000+09:00

A week after the storm, there is still no power or phone service at my parent's house and several nearby houses. A crane came to the house today and removed the tree that has been resting on their and my bedroom for the last week. There are still a number of other trees downed in the storm that are yet to be cut up and removed. They have been getting lots of help from friends and neighbors, and are lucky to have a good, local insurance company that has gotten things moving quickly. Rebuilding should begin next week. Dad sent a few pictures from his computer at work. The first show the damage to the bedrooms and the second two show the damge to my dad's shop in the back.

Erik and Kim photo gallery

2006-01-03T00:15:00.000+09:00

Here are a few pictures from Erik and Kim's trip so far. Look back for updates. http://homepage.mac.com/ndedini/PhotoAlbum16.html

Good times, Bad times

2006-01-02T20:34:00.000+09:00

It has been a great New Year's in Japan. Celebrating with my new wife, her family, my brother and his wife, Julian Feldman who is here visiting for a few days from Tokyo, and other friends around Katsuura. New Year's in Japan reminds me a bit of Christmas in the States, time with family, special food, lots and lots of food. We had a wonderful dinner on the 31st at Kyoko's parents. Strange but delicious shellfish, steak, sushi, sashimi.....
After dinner we watched may too much Japanese TV. Julian, Kyoko and I slipped away to the onsen before midnight. We got back in time to eat a bowl of soba before the turning of the year after which we crashed. We had intended to get up early to watch the sunrise over the ocean, but the forecast was for clouds, so we slept in. The next day, after a small lunch and drinking party with members of my shishimai festival group we came home to shower and change. Right as we walked in the door the phone began ringing. It was my dad calling from his cell phone to tell me that there had been a very bad storm in Arcata that day. Many trees fell in our property including a large fir that landed squarely on my parents room and my room, crushing the roof and coming to rest only a few feet from the floor. Luckily they were out running a couple of errands at the time and were not home when it happened. The rest of the house is fine, though they have been without power for a couple of days now. Apparently it was some of the strongest wind the north coast has ever seen. They said they are fine, and have had lots of help, but I really wish I could be there now. After getting off the phone, obviously a little shaken by that news we drove into the mountains to Hongu, where a friend of Kyoko lives and had another huge dinner at their place. After dinner we went for a little drive and boiled some eggs in 190 degree hot spring water coming right out of the ground near Yunomine, one of the most famous onsens in Japan. This has undoubtedly been one of the most memorable New Years ever.

Ringing in the New Year

2006-01-02T18:06:00.000+09:00

A month after getting married Kyoko and I were able to pick up our rings finally last Thursday. Erik and Kim arrived last Tuesday, and Thursday we went up to Osaka and Kyoto for a couple of days to sightsee, make our last (hopefully) trip to the US consulate in Osaka (we still will have an interview at the Embassy in Tokyo sometime this spring), and to pick up our rings that took a month to make after we ordered them a couple of days before turning our marriage papers. We thought we would find a nice romantic place to have dinner and exchange rings there, but ended up eating in a yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurant near our hotel. It was a boisterous night with groups having end-of-the-year parties, but the atmosphere was nice and we were anxious and ready to get our rings on. Have a look at the pictures below. We got idential style platinum rings with a matte finish. Her rings has six small diamonds arranged in a somewhat random design that is supposed to look like stars in the night sky.

メリークリスマス！

2005-12-25T12:25:00.000+09:00

Meri Kurisumasu! It's still Christmas Eve in the states, but Kyoko and I have already enjoyed our first Christmas morning together. Last night was Kyoko's mom's birthday, so we brought sushi, presents and cake over and had dinner there. Kyoko made a gang of mini santas with strawberries and whip cream. It's a little strange that you can get delicious fresh strawberries in the middle of winter here, but aren't the Santas cool!

This morning is much warmer than recent and after opening presents and putting on the new fleece we gave each other we have been lying around in the sun on the inside of the windows and looking for motivation to get up and do something else. We have to make a bunch of New Year's cards today. In Japan instead of Christmas cards everyone makes New Year's cards, often with a design of the new animal on the Chinese calendar. 2006 is the dog. Up until the 26th you take your cards to the Post Office and they promise to deliver them all on the 1st. It's kind of crazy, the Post Office has to hire a bunch of part time people for all of the extra work handling and delivering all of those cards on the same day. This year is a Sunday, but they will still deliver all the cards on the first.
After making the cards we are planning to go see a movie (maybe King Kong) and go out to dinner.

I hope everyone reading this has a great Christmas and New Years.

Tales from the BOE

2005-12-22T11:04:00.001+09:00

This morning all of my schools are holding closing ceremonies and some time before noon the students will be released for two weeks of winter break. Yesterday all the elementary schools had 大掃除　(massive cleaning) day in which all the students and teachers spend most of the day cleaning the classrooms and hallways. The students are hardly diligent cleaners, but still, can you imagine that happening in the US? With no classes for me I have spent the last couple of days passing time at the Board Of Education. Easing into a couple weeks of no classes I have been in no hurry to start preparations on new lessons for January, though I have done a little brainstorming, as well as perusing a few EFL websites. Mostly I have been studying Japanese, shooting the shit with Shima-san (my supervisor), filling out visa application papers, and reading the news. Today I have looked at most of the major papers online and read articles from the NY transit Union strike to Japan’s economy rising from a 17 year hibernation to Elton John’s wedding. Of course I take breaks here and there to rest my eyes and look out the window at the billowing gusts of snow and leaves on this incredibly cold, but beautifully sunny day.

Christmas is just a few days away and the lack of Christmas spirit in the air adds to the feeling of sadness that I won’t be with my family in Ferndale this year. I think this is the third time since being too young to remember that I haven’t been family at Grandma D’s for Christmas. I particularly recall Christmas with the Broussauds during my year as a foreign exchange student. A sudden cold spell on Christmas eve brought several inches of snow overnight and surprised all of Brittany with a beautiful white Christmas morning. Despite that, I think it was the only time during that year that tears fell for want of being home.

This year, the first Kyoko and I will spend together, of course has a certain excitement. We don’t have any particular plans but I think we will go out for dinner and spend the evening at home together. Christmas in Japan is kind of like Valentine’s day in the US. Couples go out and give each other gifts. New Years is more like the US Christmas, with children returning home, spending time and eating way too much with their families. We are lucky that Christmas is on a Sunday this year. Otherwise it would just be another day at work for everyone.

I am really looking forward to Erik and Kim coming to visit next week. I don’t have much planned, but Kim has said that she wants to relax after her first semester teaching junior high science. I think a few trips to the local hot springs should be just the thing. Kyoko is looking forward to meeting them, especially because she has heard that she is similar to Kim in many ways. I will be going up to the airport next Tuesday by train to pick them up. Concerns about ice on the roads has changed my mind about driving.

Okay, time to sign off for now. I just got some motivation for some massive cleaning of my desk and folders.

Live at Nieche

2005-12-18T13:15:00.000+09:00

My band, Swing Low, had our second concert last night at Nieche, a small bar/music hall opened by my friend Meguru a few months back. I put together the event and called it "Jazz Night at Nieche". As well as our band their was Mac and Taho (a piano/guitar duo), my friend Tomi, who just back from a tour spinning jazz records in Tokyo and London, and Jiongu (a Japanese taiko/shamisen/flute). The last band may seem quite out of place, but it actually worked really well, cleansing the pallette in between two helpings of jazz/blues groups.

We have been practicing a lot lately and have gotten more comfortable playing together and so we expected this gig to be better than our last one, but none of us came away feeling that way. Maybe it was that the PA wasn't run well and we had a hard time hearing each other as well as we can in our rehearsal space, or maybe it was nerves because of all of our friends that came, but we just never got comfortable and so never really got a good groove going. The crowd seemed to have a great time and enjoy the music, and today when I listened to the MD I recorded it didn't sound all that bad, but we've played better. We're going to have another gig in January or early February. I hope I can get some good practicing time in there somewhere.

It's been a really slow Sunday today. I was planning on going out and doing some Christams shopping among other errands, but I couldn't find my keys all morning, so I ended up staying at home and doing things around the house. I found them in the pocket of the sweatshirt I had put through the wash this morning, but now Kyoko will be home soon and so I guess I'll wait for her to get home first. I am not in a big hurry to go outside anyway. It was snowing again this morning (despite clear skies, which is weird). Back to folding laundry.....

Happy Birthday Erik!

2005-12-09T11:05:00.000+09:00

Erik and I celebrated our 28th and 26th birthdays respectively yesterday, though with a 17 hour time difference my birthday was almost over when his began. I hope Erik had a good day surfing in Malibu. I went to work and did Christmas lessons where we talked about Christmas while looking at pictures of my family celebrating last year when I went back. After the pictures we played a Christmas trivia/ semester review game where groups of students are chased by a large man-eating slug across snowy mountains. They always ask for that.

Kyoko and I went to her parents for dinner where we had a feast of hamburgers, crab, fish, and cake. Kyoko's cousin, Tsubasa, led everyone in singing Happy Birthday because he couldn't wait to eat cake. After getting back home we checked the Loto 6 I bought earlier that day on the internet and found that I had won 1000yen in the Japanese Lottery. It's only about 10 bucks, but we were happy.

I have my first 忘年会 (bonenkai, literally 'forget the year party') of the season tonight. The shishimai group is having their end of the year party at a hotel nearby. I will try not to drink to much, because there is lots to do tomorrow.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2005-12-05T19:47:00.000+09:00

Damn it's cold. Overnight it must have dropped like 15-20 degrees. Yesterday wasn't so bad, but today was freezing winds and even a little snow, which is rare here. I am glad to be on the Pacific and not to be living on the Sea of Japan coast because they had crazy blizzards today. We pulled out our gas heater and had hot tofu for dinner, but my hands are freezing as I write this. Back to the kotatsu.

Meet the Parents

2005-12-04T17:12:00.000+09:00

I would like to introduce you to my new family. I have been a regular visitor at Kyoko's family's house since we first got together and I am happy to say that they are just a few blood cells width away from being as cool as my family. From the first time I went there I have always felt right at home. As opposed to many more formal Japanese homes with strict inside/outside social customs, Kyoko's family is relaxed and inclusive. Walking into their house feels like walking into a house in the Hyland neighborhood where I grew up. Mom, Kotoyo, is a non-stop housemom who makes her own vegetables, miso, pickles, and her cooking is so good it even comes close to my own mom's. She is quick to laugh and quick to cry, which is one of the things I love about Kyoko. Nex to Mom in the photo is Megumi, Kyoko's older sister. She is 8 years older, but Kyoko is always picking on her for her small, yet surprisingly often, mistakes in speaking Japanese. Megumi is a nurse and loves shopping. She is also one of the nicest people I have ever met. She lives with her husband only a few minutes walk from our place. On the far right of the picture is dad, Sei. He is a carpenter and almost everyone I talk to in Shimosato says that he either built their house or helped out. He is pretty quiet and enjoys a beer or two with dinner. He is extremely nice and always going out of his way to help people. His family says he is stubborn, but I haven't really noticed that. Missing from this photo, taken a few hours after we got married at town hall, is her older brother Takashi. He is also a carpenter and works with his dad. He likes movies and working out. He will getting married next Febuary and so will be the last of the three kids to marry and move out of the house in the last two years.

Just Married!!

2005-11-26T17:05:00.000+09:00

Kyoko and I got married at the Nachikatsuura Town Hall on Thursday, November 24th. Thanksgiving Day in the states, but obviously not here in Japan. We had spent the previous two days in Osaka, getting the necessary paperwork taken care of at the US Consulate, ring shopping, and visiting friends. On Thursday we woke up and both went to work excited and nervous. We both got off early and met at my place before going to the town hall just down the street. A friend of mine who works there helped us with all of the paperwork and in less than an hour we walked out married. It felt strange but relaxing. We both felt like nothing much had changed, like having a birthday. We didn't feel different. Part of that was surely the absence of ceremony about the whole thing, just paperwork. For Kyoko she thinks it will settle in more when we have the rings. I am looking to forward to having friends and family together for the weddings here in Katsuura and back in Arcata.
After leaving town hall we went and had dinner together at one of our favorite places, Yuya. Nothing fancy, just a standard izakaya. After a delicious dinner we went to a concert I had been given tickets to at a small cafe near the ocean. The band was a Japanese pop band from Nagoya that are just beginning a national tour. I am usually not a huge fan of J-pop, but the music was mellow, sincere, and wonderful. It made for an even more memorable night. After the concert we went and had tea and cake at Kyoko's parents house. The next night we had a bunch of friends over for nabe. Lots of good food with good friends. Kamei referred to Kyoko as my wife, the first time Kyoko had heard it from someone else.

We found a pair of rings that we really liked and ordered them, but it will take a month to make them. We will pick them up sometime while Erik and Kim are here.

Bodai Night

2005-11-22T15:45:00.000+09:00

My band, Swing Low, had our first gig last Saturday night at Bodai, a small izakaya in front of the train station here in Katsuura. The occasion was an event in celebration of the release of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau two days before. Our band was originally formed by my friend Manabu at the request of his friend Akira, who runs the izakaya, to provide some musical entertainment for the event. Jeremy and I (as Route 42) played the gig last year and Akira recommended me to Manabu. We started rehearsing about a month ago with four members, Manabu on guitar/banjo, Ken on bass, Ray on drums, and me on piano. After a couple weeks of rehearsal Ray quit the band because of too many commitments and my friend Tomohiro, a great blues harpist, joined the band. We practiced two or three times a week late in the evening for the next couple weeks in Ken's practice studio above his parents fruit/vegetable store. By the 19th we had a ten song set representing our mixed musical tastes. We enjoyed playing and practicing together and decided that after this gig was over we would continue to practice and play more gigs. We then had to ditch the name we used for the Bodai Night advertisement (The Beaujolais Super Band) and come up with a name that was a little more useful, cool, and made at least some reference to our jazz, blues, swing sound. We all threw out a bunch of names and picked the one that we liked. Swing Low at first sounded strange to me, mostly because of the word 'low', but it was the favorite of everyone else and I was soon persuaded.

The night of the event Bodai stopped serving food earlier than usual and removed all of the tables so we would have room to set up. The restaurant is a very narrow, long room which is not great. We set up in the middle of the room along the wall. For people on either end of the room visibility was bad, but the sound from our small, borrowed PA was good and filled the place up nicely. About 50 our so came to see us and drink some wine which is just about the capacity of the tiny restaurant. We had a great time playing, and the crowd was very appreciative. After a short break in the middle of our set Manabu announced to the crowd that I recently became engaged and called Kyoko up to the front. I didn't know he was going to do that, but I was glad he did. I had been planning on saying it myself, but didn't know when, and hadn't brought myself to say it yet when he did it for me.

Our set list:
Guitar solo- Chet Atkins song
Take Five
Son of Juke
Summertime
Rock this town
Banjo Solo into Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Moanin'
Picture in a Frame
Meet me in the Morning
Caravan

Our next gig is set for Dec. 17th. Kyoko and I have been really busy with work and getting papers and things ready to get married and for her visa. We will be going to Osaka this week to go to the US consulate and also to go ring shopping. After a week or so I should have a little more free time to start practicing again.

Shodo Board

2005-11-18T19:02:00.000+09:00

Welcome to the first edition of the Shodo Board at its new location here on my Blogger page. This time there was only room on the board for one piece. Actually not even enough room for one, as you can see. This is a piece I have been working on for the past month or so. The model I have been working from was written by Itani sensei, the same guy who gave me my kanji name, "仁苦", or 'niku'. This piece is also an example of Tensho, an older, more pictogram style of writting characters from China. This piece consists of five characters '日月無私照', if written in the modern way. It is a proverb that says, literally, the sun and moon don't shine on me', but its meaning is more along the lines of 'the sun shines on everyone'. It is a lot of fun to write, especially because I get to use the really long paper and write on the floor. Because only my work is presented, there will be no awards given today. Tune in next time.

Huge News

2005-11-08T18:36:00.000+09:00

I have asked Kyoko to marry me. She said yes. We will be having a wedding in Japan sometime next spring (probably April). In August, when my third and final year on the JET program end, we are planning on moving back to Arcata for at least a couple of years while I return to HSU for a teaching credential. We will have another wedding in California sometime after we get back. We are crazy excited and have been so happy about the warm blessings we received from both of our families. My parents met Kyoko and her parents when they were visiting in May which was really great. This news may come as a surprise to some of you, I know. It actually didn't come as big a surprise to my family or Kyoko's family, or to a number of people who have known us over the last 14 months, as I though it would. We are really looking forward to living together from here on out. She looks forward to meeting my friends and family that she hasn't already, and promises to work on her English in preparation for that moment. Pending a successful ride through the Immigrant Visa Application Obstacle Course, we should be in Arcata around the first week of August next year. I have a feeling this year is going to go by fast.

New Blog!

2005-11-03T14:23:00.000+09:00

We're still in Nihon, but my blog is now in a new place. The Blogger format looks to be able to correct some lame things about my old blog, namely not being able to post from other computers. This should mean that I am likely to post more often (e.g. while traveling or looking for something to do at the BOE). I will include links to my hompage and to photo pages and such. Check back often and send comments.