Hi Everyone!
It's a morning of sunshine and hot coffee. The construction occurring next to our apartment is as loud as ever (yet Stephen can still sleep right through it) and the plants are happy. The market below now has strawberries in season. The local elections ended over the weekend so the random and mysterious loud-speaker announcements (of which we only understood "please" and "thank you" repeated ten times in the highest level of formality) have finally ceased.
Today is a quiet week at work for EM sub teachers. It's "adjustment" week so there are no kids classes and a fresh batch of teachers are starting their training at Kanayama headquarters. We're officially no longer the newest people at ECC (that feels good)!
The weeks here are flying past already, cushioned between busy weekends full of interesting discoveries. We visited the English library stocked with books and DVDs at the International Center (where we also watched some of the events unfolding in Egypt on a big flat screen in English) and have recently checked out two museums, one with ancient and modern Japanese art and the other a Monet/French Impressionism exhibition. A friend introduced us to the best Indian food in Nagoya and we've discovered a Japanese-lunch joint with amazing sushi for after our language lessons on Thursdays. I've also found a craft store that tempts me (and my wallet) back with its beautiful origami paper and fabrics. My crane-mobile is nearing completion! This weekend we enjoyed a hot-pot with various veggies and chicken, good Japanese beer, and UFC fights on pay-per-view at our friend's apartment.
We recently had the ultimate ramen experience. A friend took us to a popular pork-ramen shop in Fushimi. Upon entering the dimly-lit bar style restaurant, you select your bowl size, noodle and meat quantity on a machine and receive a ticket. You are then seated in a private booth, complete with wings that fold out (to isolate the ramen-eater into the intense palatable experience) and complete a questionnaire regarding your desired spice level and fat-content. You must submit to deep sensory concentration as you slurp your ramen, hence the individual booths. You can always press a button to summon a waiter and request extra noodles or pork. As soon as you stand up a loud, conspicuous bell sounds to alert the staff that a seat has opened. Since, we've eaten a lot of ramen but nothing has compared to those personalized bowls!
Hmmm, what else? We watched a fascinating sake documentary and now want to visit a brewery- the cyclical process of sake production truly reflects Japan's history and traditional economic mindset (which Stephen been reading and telling me about in his history book). Everything has always been with the season, respecting and reaping nature's benefits year-round to create an autonomous (and isolated) economy. Japan's rich geography and supportive climate, complete with a promised monsoon season, has made this possible. Sake rice is tended with upmost care and awareness. In the spring the rice is planted, the summer tended, and the fall harvested for winter production of sake. I think that the process exhibits a beautiful mindset and shows the importance of living and appreciating the present moment (or season)!
Japanese classes are progressing slowly but surely. This past week we skipped because I had a bad cold and lost my voice (what a week it was for teaching!), but we study at a new cafe every weekend. Learning and writing the Hiragana alphabet is an enjoyable, tricky endeavor... and it's so pretty!
We have Friday off for a national holiday. On Thursday night we're going to karaoke (don't worry Mom, only two hours this time) and on Friday taking a free tour of a brewery about 20 minutes from Nagoya with friends. On Saturday we're attending a chocolate exchange party (yummmm) and Monday is Valentine's Day, so Stephen and I will enjoy the day together. In Japan, only women give their lovers presents, usually chocolate, on Valentine's Day. Come March 14th, "White Day," the men give women presents. I have some lovely plans up my sleeve! :)
In other spectacular news, my parents are visiting come April, and Sarah and DK are visiting come May! There is so much to look forward to. We're also buying tickets for a trip to Thailand in August once we receive our schedules for next year! I hope everyone is doing wonderfully at home and keeping warm. Happy February, the shortest month of the year- I hope it's filled with love and loved ones!
:) Claire