Fearless in Nagano

In honor of the 2006 Winter Olympics going on in Torino, we traveled to Nagano - home of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

It's embarrassing to admit that the first time I went skiing I had to be rescued off a mountain by the ski patrol! It's a long story and yes that really did happen. :-o Nevertheless, after much consideration, I decided that I needed to give it another go and face my fears. To prepare for this great feat, I got a little liquored up on the Shinkansen ride (the bullet train).

I felt fine until I actually got there; and then my nerves started to kick in. Still, what really sent me over the top was when I realized that our ski instructor couldn't speak English! Ahhh, ok then let's begin.

Needless to say, we had a bit of communication difficulty throughout the entire lesson. On the bunny slope we couldn't figure out whether he was saying start or stop. To us it sounded like "starp." You can imagine what sort of mess it caused. We were crashing into him and crashing into each other and crashing into nothing too.

With that, we were ready for the next level. Like a pro, I'm tripping over my skis and falling on my butt all the way to the bottom. At times I felt tortured.

I'd scream "Arrgghh" and the instructor would say "arrgghh."
I'd say "Ouch" and he'd repeat "Ouch."
I said "Mister, do you understand that I'm in pain?" And he just smiled and left me there. :-s
I'm happy to report that I'm still alive.

At the end of my second day on the snow, I was practicing on my own and taking the lifts on my own. And, although I have lots more to learn, I felt like a champ in my own right for conquering my fears. =)

Men First?

Ok, this entry is an odd one. There is going to be some loving and some hating all at the same time.

The Japanese have had many great ideas, but this isn't one of them. They've gone and made Valentine's day a men's only event. I wonder who came up with that bright idea. I feel cheated - cheated out of good chocolates and gifts.

Instead, I'm supposed to give gifts and chocolates to guys. I'm supposed to give giri choco (obligatory chocolate) to all my male superiors at work. And of course honmei choco (love chocolate) to the guy I'm serious about. You would be happy to know that I did my duty and gave all the guys at work a kit-kat.

What do women get? On Feb 14th, not a darn thing. But on Mar 14th, we get everything. They call it White day when the men reciprocate with even more expensive chocolates and gifts. I quite like that idea but why can't we get both days? Why do we have to share? And why do the men get to go first?

To something totally unrelated to V'day, I was confused when I heard a Japanese lady say "you know as they say men first..." No lady! No no no, they say women first not men. Get your brain right. But that mentality is manifested in daily life here.

When I'm walking to the train, men take up all the space on the sidewalk. And when there is only enough walking room for one, they never offer it to me. There I am thinking "Hey, don't you see a lady walking, step aside!" At the same time they are thinking "Hey, don't you see a man walking, step aside!"

Now I'm convinced that there is talk about the black girl in Tsukiji because when they don't give me enough room to walk I just push them down. And, when only one person can fit, I stare them down until they move.

You see, my mama never taught me to let men go first.
Well... My mama never taught me to push them down either. That part just comes naturally.

Your Shoes Please

My entry today is a little lesson on proper etiquette- shoes etiquette. Don't worry, I'll tell you all that you need to know. First, you MUST remove your shoes when entering a Japanese home. Second... ummm, Ok that's all there is but it's important.

There isn't a special way to do it, just take 'em off. When you first step in the door, there is a designated shoe removal area. You leave your shoes there and, more often than not, will be provided with house slippers. But if your intention is to p*ss people off, then go right ahead and tread all over the good floors with your filth. :-)

Sometimes it's a bother to do this whole shoe ritual but I absolutely love the shoe closets here. They go from floor to ceiling, are nice and wide and conveniently located next to the designated shoe removal area.

I was surprised to find that many other places also require that I display the holes in my socks. In the doctor's office, in some restaurants, and even before you go into a dressing room to try on that cute top, your shoes must come off.

During my apartment search, I had to take my shoes off before going in to see each and every apartment. And, can you believe that even when I signed my lease the apartment manager made me take off my shoes? :-O "It's MY place!" I wanted to say " MINE! MOI!" So, anyway, I don't wear my shoes in the house anymore :-( ...

Finally, I'll share with you a story I was told about a village that was being assaulted by one burglary after another. Everyone was outraged - outraged that these thieves were not taking their shoes off before coming into the house. Forget the TV and money that they stole, how dare these people bring dirt into the house?! The community rallied against these rude bandits... I can't remember if they were caught, but that's not the point of the story.

As I was saying before, the community rallied and took swift action to make sure this never happens again by launching a cartoon series depicting thieves taking their shoes off before robbing a house.

The goal - to teach criminals of the future some good old wholesome values. :-s

Chinatown

HAPPY NEW YEAR... Again? Yup, Ain't that grand. I get to do it twice this year - a second chance to get my resolutions started right.

Unfortunately, the Chinese New Year isn't observed here. And, I think we are the only Asian country that are made to work all this week. =( Still, my friend and I didn't let that bother us and headed down to Chinatown to see the parade.

To westerners it seems strange to have a Chinatown in Japan. However, while they are some similarities, the Chinese and Japanese cultures are very different from each other. This Chinatown is said to be the world's biggest. And even though I can't exactly vouch for the whole world, it's the biggest I've ever seen and the closest replica of the real thing.

Once the parade got started, a metal box of exploding fireworks was pulled down the street. The fireworks are used to wake up the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops and also to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes from coming into the new year.

After the fireworks came marching several couples in Chinese style costumes followed by musicians. Then came a variety of Chinese dragons. Ah yes the dragons: short and long, big and small in a multitude of colors. The long dragons were being carried by 7 or more guys and the performance was extremely well synchronize. It was like the world Olympics of dragon twirling. They were swooping, swirling, shimmying, and shaking. It was great.

To cap it all off, we got caught in a shoving match between all the people trying to leave the parade and those trying to get into the parade. The narrow streets just weren't big enough for both of them. In the end, the people trying to leave the parade won and just a few feet away was a man keen on practicing his English shouting "Mother F'ers!"

The Toilet Shower

This section is dedicated to the famous "electric toilet inventor" man... Whatshisface.

I've seen three types of toilets here. First is the western style. This is the one that we all know and love.

Second is the traditional Japanese Style. I saw one once and was too scared to use it but managed to take a picture for my readers. It's basically a hole in the ground - a toilet with no seat. I took one look at that thing and in a split second I realized that that is not something I want to try. Only two things could happen to me in that stall. Either I stoop too low and fall right into the hole or I don't stoop low enough and spray myself. Both are Unacceptable!

Lastly is the mother of all toilet bowls - the modern Japanese style. I like to call it "The Mighty Throne", "The Full Service Seat" or "The Toilet Shower". It's amazing how many things it can do. You can adjust the seat temperature, which I'm keeping nice and warm all winter long. This seat can wash your butt, wash a woman's delicate area and then blows air to dry it all up. It also deodorizes while you use the seat. You can even change the flushing sounds and adjust the volume! Gosh, the only thing it doesn't do is pull up my undies afterwards.

Needless to say, these special chairs are very special to me. It's gotten to a point where I go out with friends and the food could be great, the company great, the music great, but if I go into the bathroom and see a western toilet... "What?! Where's the Electric Toilet?! What kind of DUMP is this place? I'm never coming back here again!"

But there's a story a coworker told me that I must share.

An old Japanese couple traveled to the UK to visit some family for the very first time. It's their first time outside of Japan. So when they get to the house, the old man goes to use the bathroom. Confused, he sh*ts all over the bidet and shouts "I can't get this darn toilet to flush!"
True Story

The Fish Market

So my friend calls me and says, "Hey, you wanna come along to see the famous Tsukiji Fish Market...?"
"Sure!" I said
"...At 5 in the morning...?"
"Ahhh, ok."
"...Before work tomorrow?"
"Absolutely NOT!"

Needless to say, I went anyway.

It's hard to explain the market only because there's so much activity happening all at once. First of all, as you walk towards the market it doesn't look like a place where a lady should be caught walking alone. But you turn the corner and all of a sudden it's brimming with stalls, bustling business men, merchants hauling goods by cart or machine and of course live and dead sea life.

We sort of shuffled our way through the market, trying to stay out of the way and avoid getting run over by the men going about their usual business.

I saw live squid for the first time trying to escape from their bucket prison. I got splashed by some lovely fish juice as they got gutted alive. I saw octopus, crab, shrimp, huge muscles, clams. Regardless of whether it moves or not, if it's in the sea it will be eaten.

We made our way to the auction area where these giant pieces of tuna were being bid on. I have no idea what they were saying but that didn't reduce my excitement one bit. I was amazed by the sheer number of tuna being showcased in the open warehouse. Tuna for days and days. click here

Finally, we ended the tour at a popular sushi shop. Because it was a weekday we didn't have any trouble getting seated. However, on the weekends I'm told people line up at 5am and wait for hours just to get the fresh sushi breakfast.

Did I eat it? You better believe I ate it. Almost everything... they're just some things I won't do. ;-)

So although I had to suffer through the rest of the day on my lack of sleep, my morning at the fish market was Hmmm Mmm Good!

Animal Japanese

I have a few stories of being lost in translation. On this day I was simply a hungry woman wanting some food - pork to be exact.

There are various lunch boxes that you can buy with either chicken, pork, fish or vegan. Unfortunately, I don't know many Japanese words as yet and these "lunch ladies" didn't know many English words.

So in frustration, I proceeded to say "Pork, pork, I want a pig Oink, Oink!" Luckily it worked but I later learned that pigs don't say "oink oink" here. Instead they say "buu buu".

"Wow," I thought out loud. "Do all your animals speak Japanese?"

So here are the translations:

Pig = Buu Buu (oink)
Frog = Kero Kero (ribbit)
Dog = Wan Wan (woof )
Sheep = Mee Mee (baa)
Horse = Hihiin (nay)
Cat = Nyaa Nyaa (meow)
Mouse = Chuu Chuu ( squeek)
Rooster = Kokekokko (cock a doodle doo)

It appears only cows can't speak Japanese.
But we already know they aren't the smartest animals around.

Fortune Bags

This is my most favorite time of the year. SALE SEASON!
I didn't expect anything much since everything here is super expensive and 50% off of super expensive still equals expensive.

But like many things, the sale season is done a bit differently here. In addition to the regular "Sale" items, they've created these fortune bags (also called happy bags). They are like fortune cookies - you buy them for a set price and hope that there are good things inside.

Just about every type of store use fortune bags. You can get them with electronics, or jewelry, or clothes, or handbags, or toys. They can even be filled with groceries, or various types of bread. Even Starbucks was getting in on the action.

Shoppers line up hours in advance to get happy bags offered by the best department stores. In the past people have found fabulous surprises such as car keys and airline tickets. This year, someone got a night in a hotel and a ride in a Rolls Royce.

Most people go away very happy with their bags but not everyone. After all, these bags are designed to move inventory and are mostly filled with items that are not selling well.

For the sake of all my loyal readers... ok for my one loyal reader, I had to get a happy bag and see just how "happy" it can make me.

I bought one accessory bag from two different stores. The first I bought for 1,000yen ($10) and it contained 16 pieces approximately valued at $80. The second I bought for 2,000yen ($20) and it contained 6 pieces approximately valued at $120.

But it's addictive. You become addicted to the surprises and find yourself wanting to buy more and more just to see what else could be inside.


Was I happy? Yes Indeed!

The Japanese are brilliant. The whole world should be doing this!

How much for 2 Wishes an' A Prayer?

New Year celebration day 2.
My friend took me to a popular shrine in Harajuku. This was the total opposite to the reserved Temple I visited the night before. We traveled down a long walkway decorated with lanterns, sake barrels and tall wooden gateway structures. At the end of the walkway were these beautiful traditional buildings. I felt like I was in a movie and Jet Li was about to kick ass... but wait a minute this isn't China. Scratch that.


First, we washed or mouths and hands to purify ourselves before approaching the shrine. Then we sort of muscled our way to the front and threw some money and said a little prayer. Coins littered everywhere as people hurled money to the front not really caring where it landed. For this same reason, the police were outfitted with helmets and face guards and I made sure to protect my head.

Finally we proceeded to what I call "the wishing fair". Off to one side was the area where you can sign up, for a small fee, to have a priest say a prayer for you. At a booth you can buy charms that you throw at the shrine for specific needs such as success on an exam, success in love, good health, and more. At another booth you can buy charms to hang on your door. At another booth poems. My friend and I both bought a wishing board where you write as many wishes or prayers that you can fit on it. On it I made one wish for my family, one for a dear friend and one for myself.

Whoever said you can't buy happiness surely hasn't been to Japan for New Year's day.

Year of the Dog

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If you could see the stores here it would be easy to see that this is the year of the dog. I'm talking about the Chinese Zodiac that rotates every 12 years. It's just like the western zodiac of Scorpio, Libra etc. To some that means nothing but to me it's interesting and fun.

So for those born under this zodiac sign, this is your lucky year. Congratulations! I know you're wondering now "Is this my lucky year?" Well let's see. If you were born in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 or 2006 then "Yes, yes it is."

This is the year for reflection and to assess ones values. This year will see various unusual changes but broadmindedness and fairness will be supported.

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets.

I'm a Ram/Goat. What animal are you? Click on the link and find out.

http://chinese.astrology.com/?ice=ast,tabchi,sign

New Year in the Temple

The New Year is celebrated a few different ways here depending on your religion. I welcomed 2006 Buddhist style. I actually live just 2 blocks away from the biggest temple in this area. So 30 minutes before the hour I just walked up in there like I was a regular hoping to blend in.

This is what happened in a nutshell. First, you are offered some sweet sake (rice wine) at the door. Second, you line up for your turn at the alter. Then once you get to the alter you bow, throw your money in the huge money box, say a prayer, take a pinch of "magic dust" and throw it into the bowl of burning incense. This I had to learn on the spot through observation as there wasn't anyone who could explain to me in English.

Of course there were chanting and gongs and a little sermon. I didn't know what they were saying but it was special nonetheless.

The celebration here was more solemn and reverent... at least at this temple. There was no countdown, no shouting and no hugging and kissing at the strike of midnight. It just quietly slipped into the new year.

Afterwards you could hear the bells ringing from all over the city for over an hour and a half. 180 bells I've been told. Cheers to the New Year.

Lucky Charms

Good luck charms are an integral part of Japanese culture. For New Years, arrangements made from bamboo shafts surrounded by pine branches and then wrapped in straw are placed by doorways of stores and houses.

The ones in the pics are quite large and elaborate and seen in front of businesses. For houses they are no bigger than little house plants.

Me? I have a good luck charm too. It was given to me as a gift. It's for happiness and bonding with friends and family. I was tempted to keep it in the house and keep the happiness to myself. Instead I have it hung on my door... at least for now.

I know I can probably make my own luck but why risk it?

Old Christmas Cake

Christmas is a terrible time to be single. But it's even worse for a single Japanese female. It's quite funny because I was playing Christmas Carols in office to help get everyone in the mood. But later I found out that I was in fact torturing the girls that sit around me.

I've heard women be called many names - some endearing and some not so endearing - but this was the first time to hear them likened to Christmas Cake. Yes, Christmas Cake. Here it is said "Like Christmas Cake women are no good after 25." I didn't get it at first, but it means that after Dec 25th no one wants Christmas Cake and no one wants a woman over the age of 25. :-O

Can you believe that crap? Luckily it was a woman who explained it to me because I wouldn't have taken it so kindly from a man. So every Christmas single women moan in unison as they feel the pressure of not being able to get a man.

My Japanese girlfriend explained to me that she's 30 and single so that makes her a 5 yr old Christmas Cake. Me? I'm a 1 yr old Christmas Cake. Grrreeaaat! :-S

On another note, here are some random pics of the season.

Christmas Tree made entirely out of ice outside the office building.

Why'd they have to go an' mess with the Colonel?

It's 30 degrees and they still insist on lining up around the building and down the street for ice-cream. Buy shares in Cold Stone!

I just couldn't capture how pretty all the lights were. But they were.

MER-RII KU-RIS-MA-SU

This is my first Christmas where I'm NOT with someone familiar: family or friend. But I managed to enjoy myself, which wasn't too hard considering the great people I work with here.

First there was the company Christmas party with a circus theme. There were clowns, magicians, woman in spandex on stilts, dancers, and acrobats and, of course, lots of dancing. That's my manager in the tie.

Then the group lunch. That's only half the group and that's my other manager in the wig. Don't ask me why he's wearing a wig.

Finally, the "Orphan" Christmas Lunch at my coworkers house for people like me with no family here. Lots of food, good company.

But still there's nothing like being with family and long time friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!