Oseibo surprise!

I recently learned about a traditional Japanese custom called Oseibo. I was surprised to find that this was my first time to even hear about the custom. Basically, it is a year end gift, given as a way to say thank you, to the people who have done something nice for you during the past year. The gift can be many things such as, food or beer, but is most often given in the form of money. Cash! The way that I learned was from one of my classes that I teach on Tuesdays. At the very end of class, one of the students told me that the whole class had put together a gift for me and gave me an envelope with Oseibo written on it. He then explained what it was for and why they were giving it to me. I have to say that it was one of the nicest and most generous things that I have ever seen. It really moved me and will leave a lasting impression of Japanese culture on me for the rest of my life.

===Word Help=======
traditional 伝統的な
custom　　　　　　　　　　　習慣、風習
Basically,　　　　　　　　　基本的に（言えば）、
envelope　　　　　　　　　封筒
impression　　　　　　　　　印象
for the rest of my life　　（私の）残りの人生で

Samurai gaijin

As I mentioned before, in an earlier blog, our friend works at the Chiba History Museum. At that time I was excited about getting to try on a samurai helmet (kabuto.) Since then we were invited to come back. This time I got to try on a complete set of Edo period, samurai armor. When I was younger, I had always wanted to do that, so it was a real treat for me. I didn't even have to do any work, the museum staff did all it. All I had to do was stick out my arms and lift up my legs. The staff carefully placed on each layer after layer, until the suit was complete. The suit was heavier than I expected but, I felt like I could fight anybody if I had to =). I felt really lucky especially because I was dressed by professionals, which was the first time for me with any kind of outfit. Truly a moment to remember.

===Word Help==========

As I mentioned before, 前に話したように、

Edo period　　　　　　　　江戸時代

armor　　　　　　　　　　　鎧かぶと

complete　　　　　　　　　完成した、完了した

than I expected　　　　　（私が）思ったより

especially　　　　　　　　　特に

outfit　　　　　　　　　　　　服装

Asakusa

I always appreciate it when people recommend different places to visit. A few weeks ago it was suggested to us that we go to Asukusa, to see the many shops and the nice temple. So that’s exactly what we did. There was some kind of festival earlier in the month and it was a little crowded but, it was still really nice. We looked at all of the shops and visited the temple. Everything was so beautiful!

For lunch we decided to stop at a little shop that looked like the bottom floor of someone’s house. The food was not the best because it was just taken out of the refrigerator and then microwaved, but we did get to see some drunk business men sing karaoke for us. It was only the afternoon and they were pretty drunk. Haha! Overall it was a good day and we had a nice time.

===WORD HELP==================

appreciate 　　感謝する

recommend　　勧める

suggest　　　　提案する

temple　　　　　お寺

crowded　　　混雑した

refrigerator　　冷蔵庫

microwave（d）　　レンジで温める（温めた）

Perfect Autumn day

This Sunday had to be the best day, for visiting the Imperial palace, in Tokyo. The most amazing part was, that the trees were at the peak of their Autumn colors and the weather was perfect. Crystal clear and surprisingly warm for November. It was my first time behind the palace walls and spent about two hours walking around. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and took many pictures. The whole experience was very peaceful and relaxing. I also thought that it was interesting to be in place that had so much nature and history, then to see huge skyscrapers, just on the other side of the palace walls. Like being in the past and seeing the future.

＝＝＝　Word Help　＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

imperial palace 皇居

Autumn　　　　　　秋　＝fall

surprisingly 驚くような、意外な

scenery　　　　　　景色

nature　　　　　　自然

huge　　　　　　　巨大な、莫大な （bigの誇張表現）

skyscrapers　　超高層ビル、摩天楼

on the other side 　反対側

World's Slowest Bicycle Crash

The other day I was riding my bike to the station, to go to work. Everyday I ride past the first crosswalk and think to myself, someday, someone is going to crash at this corner. That is because, there is no mirror and the corner is at a very sharp angle, which makes it impossible to see people coming from the other side. On this day, I was thinking the same thing as usual, when another bicyclist came speeding around the corner. We both saw each other and put on our brakes, but it was too late. Our bikes collided. Fortunately, it was so slow that only the front tires of the bikes touched, escaping any serious harm. The other person and myself could only laugh and keep riding, in opposite directions.

That day I was lucky, but it could have been bad. I am actually surprised that it was the only time I have seen a crash on that corner. It looks like I will have to be more careful in the future.

----------　Word Help　---------
crosswalk 　横断歩道
crush 　　　　クラッシュする、ぶつかる
sharp angle 急な角度
impossible 　不可能な、ありえない
put on one's preaks ブレーキをかける（過去形もput）
collide(d) 　　衝突する（した）
furtunately 　幸いにも、幸運なことに
opposite derections 反対方向

House Husband

I spent all day doing the weekly house work, then I realized that some people might find it interesting, that I am basically a house husband. Meaning, with the way that mine and Marta's work schedules are, she is at work all day, every day and I only work part time. So, for us, it is more convenient for me to do all of the house work, during my days off.

From what everybody tells me, this set up is, almost completely opposite to Japanese culture. Most of my students get really surprised when I tell them that, I am the one who does all of the cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. Of course Marta helps when she can, but she is usually really busy. When we were living in America, we both did the house work evenly and it seemed to work really well.

---Word Help-----------------------

realize(d) 　気づく（気づいた）

basically 基本的に

house husband　家事を専業とする夫　→housewife 主婦

convenient　　　便利な、都合のよい

house work　　　家事

completely　　　完全に、徹底的に

opposite 　　　反対の、逆の

Couch Surfing?

This weekend I learned about a very interesting website, called `couch surfing.` This website allows travelers, to meet with people in foreign countries and stay on their couch, for a short time, while they are traveling.

On Monday, our friends told us about this website and that they would be having a man from Australia stay at their house, for two or three days. That night, we went to a traditional Japanese restaurant in Odaiba, with our friends and the Australian man. He was on his way to visit America, but decided to stay in Japan for three days, for sightseeing. Everyone had a great time!

It sounds like a very nice good idea, but I’m not sure that I would ever try it. I think it would be very convenient, if I was to ever to visit another country for only a few days.

Word Help
couch 　　　　カウチソファー
decide(d)　　決定する（した）
sightseeting 観光
convenient　便利な

Happy Halloween

This year, Halloween was a little different than what I am used to but, it was still really nice. It was also the first year that I did not carve a pumpkin. Instead, I went with Marta and some friends, to a night club in Shibuya. Most of us were wearing costumes and getting a lot of stares from people, on our way to the train station and on the train. Some people could only look at us in confusion. Others, laughed and gave us high fives while, saying “sugoi! ”

My costume was a skeleton. I had white face paint and black on my eyes, nose, and mouth. I was wearing a shirt, a suit jacket, a bow tie, and black slacks. Oh, and white, spiky, hair. Marta was “a dead school girl.”She wore a school uniform, white face paint, with blood, and black lipstick. It was pretty scary. Our friend’s were a bee, an old man. They were more funny than scary. The club was really fun and there were a lot of different costumes to look at. One of my best Halloween parties ever!

Night Clubs

Before coming to Japan, I had never been to an actual night club, or any kind of dance club. I really was just not interested. After meeting so many great people here, I was talked into at least giving it a try. This is a great experience, to be living in a whole other country, so I want to be open to new things. I have now been to a few different places and I have found, that it is more fun than I had expected. I recently was invited to a place called Ageha and had a really good time. The energy and atmosphere at these places are always so positive and everyone is having so much fun, just dancing. I still only go out to a club every once in awhile, it is a bit much for me sometimes because I don't like dancing a whole lot but I have fun just being there and watching everyone else dancing.

Fun Fun!

It seems like almost every child has a dream, to one day visit Disneyland. Unfortunately for my wife, she never got to go as a child but, this weekend we went to Disney Sea, for a friends birthday gift. The day at the park was supposed to be a gift for our friend but, I think that my wife had the most fun out of everyone, because her childhood had finally come true. We all had a really great time. I had only been to the Disneyland in California, when I was really young and was really surprised to see how advanced some of the rides at the Tokyo Disney were. It is funny to me that out of all of the great things that were there, the most talked about thing that I have heard is, that they serve alcohol at the restaurants, so Disney Sea is much better. I especially liked the drink tokens, with the Disney logo, haha. Although, my favorite part was going on the Indiana Jones ride. We have a friend from America, who will visit next month and we plan to go to the Disneyland next time, to see the Christmas shows. So, we will be looking forward to that.

Enjoying new cultures

On Sunday I was invited, along with some of my guest house members, to attend a live Indian music performance in Tokyo. The building that the performance was held in, was actually just someone’s home which, often hosts this kind of event. The house was about 60 years old and was traditional Japanese style. The performance was upstairs and there were 35 guests who came to watch the show. The musicians all wore traditional Indian outfits and played in traditional style. There were three members in the group. One was from India and the other two were Japanese. They played for about an hour, without stopping, and then had a second part to the show where the man from India did dancing. It was interesting because he was dressed like a woman for this part and even had make up on his face. He was dancing in the form of the Indian goddess Shiva and used his feet like drums, to the music. After the show was over, there was a big dinner party and we all had huge amounts of curry and naan. It was so delicious! At dinner everybody had a chance to talk and get to know each other and it was really nice because there were so many people from many different cultures all having a good time together.

New rules

Recently I was asked to go to an onsen with some friends but, I had to explain to them that I am not able to go and why which, reminded me of an interesting story. About three months ago my friends invited me to go to a super sento in Funabashi. People always talk about how nice and relaxing it is to enjoy the hot public baths that are so popular in Japan. I had never been to something like this before and I was really excited to experience something new. We all walked to the sento together and it was cold outside so, I was looking forward to getting into the hot water even more. After the guys and girls separated and went into their changing rooms, my excitement suddenly changed to sadness. Not because the guys and girls had different baths but, because on the entrance door there was a huge sign that said “No tattoos!” I knew that Japanese people as a culture, are pretty against the idea of people having tattoos because it is a sign of the Yakuza but, I didn’t think that as a foreigner having tattoos, that there would be any problems. I was wrong. I went into the baths anyway thinking, because I was a foreigner it would be OK but, after about 30 minutes a staff member came up to me and told me that someone complained about my tattoos and that I must leave.

I understood that it was a cultural thing and I did get my money back so, it was not a big problem. The whole experience was a big reminder that I was really in a different country and culture from my own. I thought it was actually nice for me to go through because it was the only real discrimination I have had to deal with and now I feel, I have one more level that I can relate to people with which, is only good for me in the long term.

Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo!!!

I am sure that most people who read my blogs are aware of the same thing that seems to be happening in, what feels like all of Japan where, every child you pass bye is singing the Ponyo song, over and over and over…. and over again! I have to admit at first I thought it was a pretty cute and catchy song, but now it feels like there is no way to escape it, it is always stuck in my head. It probably does not help that I am neighbors with an Elementary school and the children sing it right outside my window everyday. Even some of the girls from my guesthouse were on the roof, singing it together the other night. I feel bad because I still have not seen the movie although, I am a Miyazaki fan. Maybe it will help me to be not so crazy if I do? I think I should be complaining to Hayao Miyazaki but he is just so good at making movies that everyone loves. I remember that even in America, children were always singing the Totoro song after it came out. Oh well, I guess I will just have to join in the next time I hear someone singing it, or wait for the next new popular song to come out.

Camping

My Latest camping trip to the Fuji area has turned out to be the best experience that I have had in Japan since I have been here. It started with a late night car ride thought Tokyo. Lights were flashing everywhere; The buildings, signs, big screens, bridges, everything! Even the huge Ferris wheel as we passed Odaiba. It was so beautiful and it was the first time that I had got a chance to see the city like that.

After about two hours of driving up mountain roads, we arrived at the top. Almost the opposite of the bright city lights, the mountain tops were even more beautiful! The only things that could be seen were, the mountains, green forest, and the ocean down below. The air was so clear and fresh, I felt completely relaxed and happy to be so close to nature.It rained a few times but it was still so enjoyable to be in the middle of nowhere with all of my friends at my guesthouse, just relaxing and having a great time. When the weekend was over I didn’t want to think about leaving that place. I felt like I could live there forever.

Chiba!

What a great day in Chiba! It all started with a visit to our friend who works at the Chiba History Museum. We got a full personal tour and even got to try on a Samurai Helmet . I felt as happy as a kid in a candy store =) Our friend¨s boss even gave us tickets to the Chiba Art Museum AND walked us there. So nice!

After that we headed over to the cat cafe, since my wife had not yet had a chance to see it. She loved it and was so happy to be able to pet and play with all of the nice kitties. They all went a little crazy at feeding time though. Haha.

Saying Goodbye

This weekend we had a goodbye party at our guesthouse for two of our members. It was a happy party but it was also sad to see our friends go. One woman was from England and only lived here for a short time but, we quickly became good friends with her. There were many days talking about our favorite show One Piece. The other woman was Japanese but is moving to New York again, to continue her singing career. She lived here for a few months and we also became good friends. There was a BBQ as part of the celebration, and also a live music show in our small courtyard. It was performed by two guesthouse members and a music partner. Of course the woman who is moving to New York did the singing and it was great! They will both be greatly missed but I feel lucky to have known them, even if only for a little while.

Obon holiday vacation (part 2)

For the middle part of our trip we stayed on a beautiful, tropical island called Phuket. The scenery was so beautiful! There were palm trees, blue ocean, and white sand. Our hotel was located right across the street from the beach and had a nice view of the ocean and a serpent shaped shrine. This part of our vacation was mostly spent relaxing but, we did go on a few tours. The first was an island boat tour, to see some of the many small islands in the area. We stopped to feed wild monkeys and go snorkeling. Our second tour was into the forest area of the island where we got to learn about Thai history and go on an elephant ride. Another thing we did was to go to a show called Fantasea, which is one of the biggest shows in Thailand and is based off of Thai history and tradition. It had many dancers, fireworks, and performing elephants. The show was amazing and so was the whole trip to Thailand. I really hope we are able to make it back someday.

Obon holiday Vacation (part 1)

This last week I was lucky enough to be able to go on a 11 day trip to Thailand for Obon holiday because my wife and I had the week off of work. We spent the first two nights in the city of Bangkok at a guest house, located in the middle of a bunch of machine shops, with wild dogs running all around.






My first feeling about Bangkok was that it was polluted and a little smelly but, after spending some time in the city we were able to see that there were many beautiful temples and very nice people to meet. Also, we ate street food everyday and it was so delicious, not to mention cheap! For two people to eat three meals, the cost was about 900 yen! The shopping was also pretty cheap but every price had to be negotiated, which became tiresome after awhile. We stayed on the island of Phuket for the next four nights then came back to Bangkok for our last two.

Good times

Before coming to Japan, I was a little nervous about the idea of teaching English in Japan. Now that I am here and doing it, I am finding that it is the best and most fun job that I have ever had. In America, I was not very excited about the jobs that I had to work at because I felt like I was doing the same thing everyday. Now that I am teaching, I am learning just as much as I am teaching and my students all are so amazing. For example, I meet each week with a student and talk about surfing, past stories and life. Last week I got to meet with a student for the first time and was very happy to be able to share stories and help another great person. Having a job that is so enjoyable is making my whole Japan experience even more amazing!

Beach!

Recently we had an opportunity to go to camping on the beach with a few of our guest house members in Ibaraki. This was my first time to visit the beach in Japan and I found that it is almost just like the beaches back at home in Oregon. Beautiful.

The biggest difference is that the water is a lot warmer in Japan. Many of the shells and rocks in Japan can be found in Oregon too. My favorite is a round, flat shell with a star shape on the top. I forget the name in Japanese, but in Oregon we call them sand dollars, meaning beach money.

We had a great time swimming in the ocean and laying on the beach, but I didn't listen to my wife and did not put on sun block. Also, I fell asleep in the sun for almost an hour and ended up getting the worst sunburn of my life. Itai! At least it made a good tan

ネコバス

A long time dream came true for me recently. After watching my first Miyazaki movie, My Neighbor Totoro, during my second year of high school, I became a big fan of his work and wanted to know more about him and his movies. As soon as I learned about Studio Ghibli, and the museum in Japan, I always hoped that some day I would be able to visit. Last week we went to Mitaka, to visit the Ghibli musuem and had a great experience! The only disappointing part was that there are no cameras allowed inside the building, but that just meant that I had to pay closer attention and that I might have to come back later.

The museum had many great things and I won't give too much away for anyone who has not seen it yet, but the actual building looked like it came from one of Miyazaki's movies. There were also rough sketches of characters from different movies, painted with water colors and my wife's favorite, a giant cat bus upstairs that children can climb on and go inside of. It was even better than I could have imagined and I highly recommend to everyone to go and see it.

Hope you have a good, rest of your weekend!

Shibuya!

This weekend I went to Shibuya, in Tokyo, for my first time. I have to say that it was amazing! So many people! And a lot of tourists! I had heard that Shibuya is the home of the most crowded crosswalk in the world but, it is hard to imagine until one actually goes there.







We went to a techno dance club which was also a first for me, and stayed up all night to take the first train home at 6:30 AM. Lucky for us, our friend knew the D.J. and we got in for a good price because we were on the guest list. There were many strange and interesting people at the club but I had a great time and I'm sure I will remember it for the rest of my life.



The great thing about Japan is, that even with so many strange people and just the amount of people, I still feel safe. The same cannot be said for many big cities in America.

Having fun at immigration!

I recently started a new job which required me to open my own bank account, which meant that I had to go to the city center and get my alien registration card so that I could actually open one. However, I was told that I had to go to immigration to sort out some paperwork before I could do this. I had already been to immigration three times since I have been in Japan and each time took about three hours of waiting in line and filling out paperwork. So, I was not very happy when I was told that I would be having to go back for a fourth time.



It's annoying because the paperwork can be difficult to fill out at times and you have to find all of your information by searching through old e-mails, calling work, calling the wife, or looking through piles of papers. Also, there is the fact that after you somehow found all of your information, it usually takes another 2 or 3 hours of waiting for the front desk to call out your number before you even get to talk to anyone.







I know that it is no easier for foreign people in America to go through, so I am at least glad that I know what foreigners in my country have to deal with. I just hope that I do not have to ever do it again, or for a very long time.

It's all of the little things

It's all of the little thingsI have been in Japan for a decent amount of time now, and for some reason I have still not been able to understand why some things are very similar to America and others are a little different. For example, shopping malls, cars, Mc Donald's are about the same; however, there are things like cat cafes, cos-play girls, and nomihodai which are not in America.

One of the things that confuses me the most are style of toilets here. The toilets with the built-in sink on top are pretty cool, but then there are toilets which are not much more than just a hole in the ground to squat over. To top it off, there are even toilets which need to have electricity to work properly because the have heated seats, auto-flush, and they even talk to you and say thank you for using them. I understand the idea of this, but it seems like a bit much. I guess I should expect it though, because I am in a technology filled country. So, why not have toilets that talk to you?

A different kind of Culture Shock

Before coming to Japan, I knew that I see a different culture of people and was prepared for it but, what I wasn't prepared for, was the different culture of bugs and insects that are not found in America.

The first time I experienced this, happened when I was hanging some clothes outside to dry and saw a HUGE hornet flying straight for me, and I had to duck down to get out of the way. I grew up on the countryside in America and have been around many different bees, but this was the biggest I had ever seen! After reading about them I found that they grow to about 50mm long. American bees are only about 1/3 the size.

I also saw my first cockroach at my house the other day, which I hear is pretty common. I have seen many other new insects and animals since I have been here and it is all very interesting, but sometimes a little scary.

Kawaii

This week I went to Chiba with Emi, to visit a cat cafe. Only in Japan, would someone be able to find something like this. The only word able to describe the whole experience is, Kawaii!

There were about 6 or 7 adorable cats in one room and customers are able to pet and play with them while they relax and drink tea. There were many toys on strings to get the cats to come over to us, and a big tower in the middle of the room for the cats to sleep and play on. It was a very clean and calming environment, with soft music playing in the back round.

I can't wait to take my wife when we both have some free time because, we have a cat back at home in America and like me, she misses him very much. I highly recommend visiting a cat cafe to anyone who needs to have some stress relief, or who loves cats but cannot afford one.

Rainy season

This is another story about my poor futon and about the rainy season. In the last story I was talking about how I let my futon get moldy. To clean it, I scrubbed it with soap and water, then hung it outside to dry. I heard people in the house talking about how the rainy season was coming but I thought I would have more warning than I did. I hung my futon outside in the morning before I left for work. It was sunny outside and I thought it would be OK to leave outside for the day. Later that day it suddenly began to rain a lot and by the time I got home, my futon was soaking wet and I could not bring it inside. Because it is now rainy season, it rained for three days in a row, which means that for three days I was without my futon.




Finally the sun came out for one day, just long enough for the futon to dry enough for me to bring it back inside. I really need to be more careful with my futon from now on because it is really uncomfortable to sleep without it.

Folding futons

I learned a lesson this week about using futon mattresses on a tatami mat floor. When we first got to Japan we went to IKEA and bough two brand new futon mattresses for our bedroom.

Last week while I was vacuuming the floors I decided to lift up the futon to clean underneath of it. When I did, I was surprised to see that there was a lot of mold on the bottom of the futon and on the floor! I learned my lesson when I asked one of the Japanese people in my house why this happened, they told me that I was supposed to fold up the futon everyday so that the tatami does not get too much moisture from the mattress, or it will mold. I wish I would have known this a little earlier. Another gaijin moment =)

I know I must be an outsider

It is hard not to feel like I am an outsider while I am in this country sometimes. There are different customs, I look different than everyone else, and I do not speak the language yet.

One thing I see that is very different though, is that it is hard for me to buy clothes here. For being from America I am kind of thin, but I am about 185 cm tall. The first time I went to a Japanese clothing store, everything I tried on was either too short or too tight for me to wear. This was sad for me because I really like the clothes here but it is difficult for me to find ones that fit me properly.

Shoes are a different story. In American size I wear a 13 and shoes are pretty easy for me to find, but in Japan my shoe size is 31 and it is impossible for me to find any shoes at all. They do not exist here. Lucky for me I brought an extra pair of shoes, I just hope that it will last the whole year that I am here.

It is a little bit off of the subject but I found it interesting that none of the stores in Japan sell American style stick deodorant. Maybe this just means that Americans sweat and stink more than the Japanese do? Good thing I brought a lot of that with me too!

Life is full of wonders

I thought of something really funny today. As I was walking down the street to get some lunch, I noticed that there are many nice cars driving around everywhere and none of them appear to have any big scratches or dents on them. When I started to think about it I couldn't remember a time since I have been in Japan that any of the cars have I seen have had any big scratches on them. This is funny to me because in America some people have a stereotype (or a belief) about Asian people and say that they are bad drivers, but when I traveled to the big cities in California a few years ago, about half of the cars on the road had really bad dents and scratches because they drive so badly. When I thought of this I just laughed to myself because some people say bad things about others when they do the same thing or worse themselves.




I think that the reason that the Californians drive their cars with the dents is, that the care too much about the way they look and spend all of their money on the newest most expensive car they can and when they scratch it, they have no more money to fix so, they drive around with the dent on their new car.



Little thing like this help to me appreciate life and I never miss a chance to laugh at loud at life's wonders.

Self introduction

Hello I'm Cody and I'm from Oregon in the United States. I enjoy my life in Japan very much.（ハロー.。コーディーです、アメリカ・オレゴン州から来ました。日本での生活をとても楽しんでいます。）

講師名　　：Cody Pierce (コーディー・ピアス)
年齢　 　　：20代前半
出身国　　：アメリカ
担当エリア：船橋エリア
趣味　　　：読書・音楽・スノーボード ・ともだち

Q1: What do you like to do in your free time?
A1: I like reading, music and snowboarding.

Q2: What's your favorite Japanese food?
Q2: I like Okonomiyaki a lot.

Q3: What's your favorite word in Japanese?
Q3: サムライ