Hanami Barbecue! 桜より焼肉

Hanami - combination of two Chinese characters, 花 ('hana') meaning flowers, and 見 ('mi') meaning look, see, watch. Sometimes translated as 'flower/cherry blossom viewing,' my preferred translation here would be 'Going to see the cherry blossoms with eating and drinking in large groups.' But I do admit the shorter version has its merits.

We planned to have a nice Hanami picnic last Saturday, until the rain came and washed the barbecue plans out the window with it. So that plan was scrapped, changed to dinner at Pentola Mamma Italian restaurant, and we changed the date to Sunday.

Sunday, I trucked out one of the barbecue grills left to me by my predecessor to Minatoyama Park. Satoshi prepared some veggies for barbecuing (onions, bell pepper, kabocha squash, and shiitake mushrooms), and I iced the pants off a Japan-sized cake. (unfortunately I forgot to take a picture, so hopefully someone else got one)

Once at the park, we set up our tarp, table and chairs, grill, and started to get going (around 6 PM). Took us a while to get the grill going, had to get one of the Japanese girlfriends to go ask for some firestarter. Also I didn't bring the top to the grill so we mac-guyver'ed a solution by using a smaller one and propping it up with chopsticks.

It started getting kinda colder but around the grill it was warm enough. People trickled in and by then end there were about 12-14 people there. We ate kilo after kilo of pork and beef. Yummay. The sake got pulled out and passed around, but I was the safety driver! and didn't have any paint thinner this time.

I left the park around 10:30 PM smelling of smoke and beef. YUM.

昨日花見のバーベーキューをした。めちゃ楽しかった！私と智志はケーキと焼く野菜を持っていった。友達たくさん居た。たくさん焼肉を食べちゃったぁ。湊山公園は本当にいい場所やな。パーティーのあとに焼肉のせいで臭かったけど、次のバーベーキューを楽しみぃ。

YES WE CAN.

Sales man(everything translated from the Japanese except YES WE CAN): Why don't you come in? YES WE CAN! I designed these t-shirts. Yes we CAN! Aren't they nice? There's a pink and white one. Maybe the lady needs a cute new bag? Over here! Yes we can! Dickies brand, it's popular in the US right? Yes we can!"

I'd only just begun to know them...

Today we had our graduation ceremony at Nambu Junior High. The ceremony itself started at 10 and lasted an hour and a half. I understood what was being said about 40% of the time. I nodded off a little during the speech...but there was another guy who did too sitting almost directly across from me!

I got a wee bit choked up during the ceremony at times, but for the most part, it was a very somber and traditional affair that didn't stir much emotion in me.

But oh man. Then we had the send off in the parking lot. I LOST it and cried a bit. The worst was when the group of boys who always chatted the most with me rode off on their bikes. Hiroshi, Yuta, Kazuki...man I will miss those guys. One of the sweetest girls in the world gave me a hug and said 'Jessie-sensei don't cry.'　(ジェシ先生泣かないで) I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to many of the students I loved...truthfully, I loved them all. I knew all their names and my life won't be the same without them.

I hope I see them again.

今日の卒業の後で、駐車場のさよならで、私は泣いた…生徒をこれから会えなくてとても悲しい。

I can cook! うまっ！

Tonight I finally got the chance to go cook dinner with Hara-san, a member of my "old ladies eikaiwa" group.

"Most young women in Japan probably don't know how to cut up the squid. I must teach my daughter how to do it before she gets married."


We're trying to make thin egg sheets in the egg-pan...there was a bit of failure on that part but it still tasted like EGG so, win-win!　ちょっと大失敗なんだのに、結局に同じ味があったから、大勝利だったね！


"When you are preparing the tempura batter, don't mix it too well." This is one of my favorite tempura articles - Japanese "pumpkin" called "Kabocha". イカを揚げたときに、怖いほど油が飛んだ。イカは水っぽいだからぜ。


THE FINISHED MEAL! (From upper left, in a clockwise manner: Miso soup with Tofu and Wakame seaweed, Shaved Daikon "oroshi" and soy sauce for dipping the tempura, Chirashi-zushi (sushi rice with simmered carrot and Shiitake mushroom mixed in, topped with shredded egg, shrimp, and some random greenery.), spinach and crushed sesame seed salad, "nagaimo" and seaweed salad (slimy yet satisfying), and finally, tempura.

It was WAY TOO MUCH food and yet if I had to eat it all again, I would. I would eat it all.

I can make all these things now!

原ママは私に教えた料理を作れるようになってきた！これから、お客さんとかあったら、もっとおいしい日本料理を作れるから良かったね。

Studying geography makes my dorky soul happy.

I picked up some Japanese study materials for young Japanese kids and I am loving the geography one. Today I spend about an hour learning the names of various places in Japanese. I learned the word for 'People's Republic'. I learned that Yonaguni is the westernmost island of Japan. I learned that Japan considers the disputed South Kuril islands as theirs enough to put them in their children's books sans 'disputed territory' comment.

I find the name of North Korea in chinese characters kind of strange. 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国 If you can't see it don't worry, but it repeats a character twice in a row.

North Korea in Japanese is 'Chosen Minshu Shugi Jinmin Kyouwa Koku' ...the official name. The more typical name would be 'Kita Chosen', while South Korea is called 'Kankoku' Official name for South Korea is 'Daikan Minkoku'

Scuse me, I finally have some classes to go to so I can't keep geeking about geography.

My weekend

Could you please tell me the way to the baby store?

There was also one that said something like "SHEAR GLOSSY LIP it takes one to know one" And many others.