There’s only one thing anybody wants to know right now…
Did you do anything for Golden Week?
I’ll concede there’s a small chance this topic is only relevant among people living in Japan and, if it’s coming up in English, it’s only a hot topic among 0.01 percent of the population. But hey, that’s my demographic!
UN Farmers Market and Cinco de Mayo
We started our Golden Week with a weekend trip into Tokyo to visit one of our favorite farmers markets and hit up the Cinco de Mayo Festival at Yoyogi Park.
The latest edition of “True Portland”—a high-quality Portland, Ore. guidebook written by Japanese authors in Japanese—was released recently. The authors had a pop-up tent at the UN Farmers Market featuring Portland products like Jacobsen Salt and Fuller Foods Serious Cheesy Puffs.Oregon Beer Geeks is a company in Japan that imports beer from Oregon and sells it online. At the UN Market, they had two beers from Burnside Brewing and one from The Commons Brewery, both based in Portland.Lunch at the UN Farmers Market—a vegetarian take on Hawaiian plate lunch, a hummus and veggie bagel pizza and Burnside Brewing’s “Too Sticky To Roll India Red Ale” and “Sweet Heat,” an apricot and Scotch bonnet pepper wheat beer.Tokyo’s take on Cinco de Mayo is a lot like America’s take—lots of drinking and sad Mexican-ish food. The best find was probably this Day of the Dead Porter from Mexico’s Cerveceria Mexicana brewery.
Chichibu’s Hitsujiyama Park
Chichibu is our favorite place for outdoor adventures in Japan. It’s about an hour away by train and is usually pretty quiet. However, during Golden Week, thousands of people descend on the otherwise sleepy town to see the shibazakura or mountain phlox at Hitsujiyama Park.
Video: Mountain Phlox in Chichibu
Phans of the phlox phlocking to Chichibu (see what I did there?)The phlox fields at Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu (click to zoom)The heart of the phlox gardenMt. Buko sits in the distancePeople sitting around the edge of the garden having a picnic and, in many cases, a napTourists getting in the way of the view of the phlox 🙂Local Chichibu honey for sale at Hitsujiyama Park. A large queen bee is inside each jar.“Hitsuji” means “sheep” in Japanese and “yama” means “mountain,” so the aptly-named Sheep Mountain Park should have a few sheep wandering the grounds. The local paparazzi went crazy for this one.A window in a home near the park proudly displaying its winnings from the UFO Catcher gamesMt. Buko and a bright red neighborhood shrine. The scarring at the top of Mt. Buko is a result of heavy mining of limestone used for the ever-present construction in the larger cities.After a day of walking, we went to an onsen (hot springs) in the nearby Yokoze neighborhood. This is proof that I can use chopsticks like a champ!
Koburi Pass
We milked every last second out of Golden Week, heading out on the last day of the holidays to nearby Hanno for some hiking. We found a very non-touristy spot called Koburi Pass. We befriended a couple of older Japanese ladies at the train station, one of whom nearly missed the train when she went upstairs to get us some local sightseeing pamphlets.
Lots to see along the way, like this statue of Buddha playing a mandolinThese happy farm animals were painted outside a local butcher shopWalking up the road to the hiking trails leading to Koburi PassSeveral small shrines appear along the path, like this one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神). Hikers leave coins at each shrine for good fortune.A view of the Okuchichibu Mountains as we approached the top of Koburi Pass. Mt. Fuji was barely visible due to the cloud cover, but it’s not at all visible in this photoLunch under the pagoda of Marishiten Temple. From the very top of the pass, we could look over the entirety of Saitama Prefecture. On a clear day, Tokyo Skytree is visible, nearly 50 miles away.Springtime in Japan in all of its glory. The wisteria trees in bloom.Viburnum plicatum is better known as the Japanese snowball.Mountain laurel is native to the eastern United States, but it found its way to JapanKoi swimming free in a stream near the train station
How did you spend Golden Week? Leave a comment below!
A tramp to Tokyo VegefoodFesta last weekend led to a completely random and awesome day in Japan’s capital city.
Dodging the rain outside the 2014 Tokyo VegefoodFesta at Yoyogi Park
The rain was just heavy enough to keep the crowds thin at Yoyogi Park, where two separate festivals were taking place simultaneously. VegefoodFesta is an annual beacon for Tokyo-area herbivores, offering a few dozen booths with 100% plant-based eats, fresh produce and responsibly-made goods.
Takoyaki, a fritter that usually contains a piece of octopus, was vegetarian-friendly at VegefoodFesta
I love these kinds of events because it’s an opportunity to get a taste of traditional Japanese foods without the fear of meat or fish sneaking into the dish. There were vegan versions of takoyaki (octopus fritter), tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) and Japanese curry (usually has chicken).
A vegan tonkatsu sandwich. The breaded pork cutlet is a popular food in Japan.
One booth made “hie of fish” sandwiches, using Japanese millet (hie/ヒエ) to create a fish-like patty. They also offered an “American Dog,” which was a corn dog that replaced the “dog” with a large chunk of burdock root (gobou/ごぼう).
Our friends from Loving Hut were on hand with three separate booths featuring their meatless version of yakitori (meat on a skewer). Mana Burger was right by the gate and I had one of their veggie burgers in hand within moments of entering. I was looking forward to visiting them on our trip to Fukuoka, but they’d closed up shop. In July, they reopened in Yokohama and made the short trip up to Tokyo for the festival.
The main stage at Fiesta de España featuring IAMDIVE
The other half of the festival grounds was hosting Fiesta de España. I’d pretty much eaten everything in sight at VegefoodFesta, but there was still room for some Spanish red wine and a churro. We watched a couple songs from Seville, Spain folk-dub-shoegaze duo IAMDIVE on the main stage before heading out.
The trees are turning in Yoyogi Park
We walked across the street and into the actual park area of Yoyogi Park. The leaves are in full autumn mode and the park grounds had transformed from summer green to fall yellows and reds. The park was crawling with photographers and models, taking advantage of the short-lived landscape.
The trees along the streets of Roppongi Hills light up blue…… then they change to red. We felt bad for the guy who had to hang all those lights!
After wandering around Harajuku for a bit, we hopped on the train for Roppongi. The trees along the streets near Roppongi Hills are wrapped tight with lights alternating from blue/white to red every few minutes.
The Roppongi Hills Christmas Market
Inside the Roppongi Hills complex, a small Christmas market featured small ornaments and German food and beer. Christmas in Japan is all about the secular and is very Western in terms of music and decor.
The heart in the pond at Roppongi Hills. Tokyo Skytree lights up the night sky in the background.
The Tokyo night was brightly lit between the trees and the shining Tokyo Skytree tower in the skyline. Everyone was in good cheer—maybe because “Whisky Hills 2014” was hosting 300 yen (about $2.50 USD) whiskey tastings.
A metal cone with changing lights set up in 66 Plaza at Roppongi Hills
All the walking around worked up an appetite. We (barely) found the nearby Chien Fu vegetarian Chinese restaurant. A nondescript sign led to an elevator to the shop. We entered the dining room with its ornate tables and decorations. Everyone was dressed up for a night on the town. I felt a bit like a drowned dog after tromping around in the rain all day, but they didn’t seem to mind. We split a sweet and sour “pork” dish, spring rolls and an eggplant dish.
As we left, the sweet old man who greeted us when we came in asked “Vegetarian?” We said yes and his face lit up…. “Very good!!! Vegetarian… very good!”
I’ll say the same for Tokyo on that day… “Vegetarian… very good!”
Most of the posts on Cascadian Abroad are very positive and reflect our experiences honestly and accurately. Some of the more difficult experiences (that, again honestly, make up only a small part of our time here) are usually couched with humor and sarcasm. But it hasn’t all been easy.
A few weeks ago we had an e-mail dialog with a woman back in the U.S. who was deciding whether or not to come to Japan to teach next spring. It was an interesting thread as it really made us think about the experience so far and what we wish we would have known before we made the decision to come to Japan. Her and her fiancé are in a similar position as we were back in our decision-making process, so we were happy to provide some information.
Had we known these things in advance, it wouldn’t have changed our decision to come and actually might have expedited our decision while helping us better prepare for the move. I’d like to share some of those things today.
Finding a job in Japan will be difficult
Since her spouse was also leaving a career in the U.S., they had questions about finding work. My visa allows me to work up to 28 hours per week, but finding a part-time job isn’t an easy task. Most English-speaking jobs in our area still require at least business-level knowledge of Japanese. I’m still working up to toddler-level Japanese, so most of those opportunities are off the table. The couple of contacts I’ve made have projects that are “in the works,” but they are moving on Japan Time, which is akin to Island Time.
Not very many people speak English
Americans are pretty ethnocentric (although I think it’s not just Americans), so prior to coming to Japan, we got a lot of “Don’t worry, they’ll probably speak English.” That may be true in parts of Tokyo or other large cities, but where we live, it’s just not the case. Some people learned a little bit in school, much like we speak a little bit of Spanish or French or whatever language class we took for two years in high school. Those who know a little are more than happy to try and communicate with you, but (no duh!) I’ve found that I need to learn Japanese to communicate in Japan.
Our adventure started in a whirlwind fashion, but I think if we had more time it would have been helpful to take Japanese classes in the U.S. with English-speaking teachers. When you’re starting from scratch, or rebooting nearly 20 years removed from high school Japanese, learning in-context is tough, especially with a language not based in a Latin/Roman script.
People will stare at you
One thing that alternately annoys me and fascinates me is that we stick out like a sore thumb in our neighborhood. Some people are interested, some stare with suspicion, some children cry and scramble into their parents’ arms (all true stories). The suspicious stares are a little hurtful as is the feeling when a mother hastily grabs up her child when you walk by, purely because of the color of your skin (and, yes, it feels odd to write that as a Caucasian person).
Mostly though, people are really kind to us. We were coming home from a walk today when a man came up to us and, in his best English, invited us to “this town’s festival.” Our neighborhood had a little carnival in the park. A few people smiled wide at us and greeted us. A man gave us a ticket for a kakigōri (Japanese shaved ice). A couple days ago, the druggist who helped me find cough medicine last week remembered me on our next visit and asked if the medicine helped. Many people are interested in where we’re from and I wish that I knew more Japanese to be able to answer all of their questions.
Ship a BUNCH of your favorite things
We had the opportunity to ship two large boxes about six weeks before we left the U.S. Add in a couple checked bags and our carry-ons, that’s all we would be bringing on our adventure. Trying to figure out what you’d want or need in a place you’ve never been is tough. I have way too many pairs of socks and nice pants and we’re all out of Kirkland Signature Natural Creamy Peanut Butter already. Japan’s customs restrictions mean we can’t ship a lot of our favorites products from the States, which isn’t that big a deal because it’s pretty spendy to do so anyway. But, being forced to adapt, I’ve perfected a shiitake mushroom “beef” jerky and veggie bratwurst!
Let go and enjoy the adventure!
I’ll admit, I was way too uptight about some of the little things. Leaving behind everything you know isn’t easy, but the things we’ve seen over the last five months have made it all worthwhile. I know my poor wife gets a lot of “How’s Robert doing?” questions, expecting to find me huddled in a corner crying. My answer? I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef two weeks ago, saw the Sydney Opera House last week and climbed to the summit of Mount Fuji four days ago.
Supeingo is “Spanish” in katakana, which is the set of Japanese characters for foreign words. To my untrained ear, it sounds like “spango.”
As a former Spanish teacher, I’m always on the lookout for Spanish words and phrases. A part of me is still in “I have to tell my students about this” mode. Even in Japan! I have found many examples of a Latin presence in this part of the world. A family registering with city hall. A young woman in Japanese class. Several of my students are Latino. I find these glimpses familiar, more so than overhearing Americans on a crowded street in Tokyo.
Last week, I had the chance to sit in on a beginning Spanish class at the university. I can’t remember whether I was invited, or (probably more likely) I invited myself. Several students mentioned taking Spanish class and I was intrigued at an opportunity to compare it to my own experience teaching.
I arrived with the two students. The seats were assigned, but a seat near them was open. While we waited for the professor, I asked one of the students why he decided to take Spanish, and after crowd sourcing for a bit, he came back with the answer that most of the students thought it was an easy class. Ha. I have heard that before.
The professor walked in to a class of about 30. My students introduced me in Japanese and she conversed with me for a bit in Spanish. That was probably the first time I communicated well with a Japanese person in a foreign language. Maybe some day that language will be Japanese. If she was feeling any emotion at my surprise sit in, she didn’t show it. I admit, I tried contacting her in advance but had no luck. What bad manners! But, here we were.
Going over subject pronouns in supeingo class
A flurry of conversation in Japanese. Understandably so as I taught my own students a foreign language in their native language.
The students were passed out a quiz. I grabbed one. It was on beginning vocabulary—teacher, student, etc.—and how to make nouns plural based on number and gender. Ah, this I knew! I was going to ace this quiz. Except for the Japanese prompts. Afterwards, she called on students to give answers and she wrote them on the board. Students corrected their own quiz.
The professor called on me to answer a question. I told her in Spanish that I couldn’t read Japanese but I thought the answer was x or y. My student leaned over and whispered that she told me I was wrong. She only wanted to hear x as the answer. How mortifying! That was a good lesson for me in how my current Japanese students probably feel. They might know the answer, but they have no idea what I’m asking.
After the quiz, students orally reported their score to the teacher. Again, I quietly asked my student about that. What’s to stop a student from calling out a higher score? He said, “She trusts us and we trust her.” This would never fly in the U.S. Also, again, interesting to me my own students’ reactions when I either ask them to grade a neighboring student’s paper or I just take the paper when the quiz is over. They may be used to grading their own and doing so honestly? What a concept.
More Japanese. A video on Toledo, Spain appeared. I was interested because I spent some time in Toledo in college. I could get the gist of the video because I knew the context. That was basically the theme of the class for me. Even though it was conducted in Japanese, I could understand what she was teaching. It actually helped me learn some Japanese vocabulary. It was a fun, brain teaser. My mind was fried by the end of the two hours.
I thanked the teacher as I left and we had a mini conversation about Toledo. I asked her if she had ever seen it in person and then proceeded to thank her/apologize for my presence.
The next day, we went to a Celebration of the Americas/Cinco de Mayo festival in Tokyo. Again, a lot of cross-lingual communication. I had fun talking to some of the food vendors asking them to describe what they were serving. There was food from Colombia, Peru and Spain. Not the most authentic in the world, but I’ll take what I can get!
At some point, a young Latina translated a Japanese menu into Spanish for me so that was exciting. Yes, exciting! I got a high out of feeling understood and an exchange where both parties communicated with each other!
I look forward to my next encounter with supeingo.
