the art of living in Japan

plain and simple: let's protect the internet

2012-01-18T22:36:00.000+09:00

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Coming out of my closet...literally.

2012-01-15T21:28:00.000+09:00

My New Year Resolutions is:

Keep it simple.

There are many reasons why I have chosen to keep things simple.

Here is one of them:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

You have probably run away from the computer
and are trying to turn off your browser with a ten foot pole right now.
But wait....

Now, for the really scary part....that is actually an AFTER picture NOT a BEFORE!
We couldn't see the CD shelves AT ALL (nor the floor) the same time last year because there were so many boxes piled up!

...

A lot of people have been commenting in blogland about how we tend to show the pretty, perfect and peachy sides of our lives.

I am
one
of
them.

Or now I can say...was one of them.

That room above is not supposed to be a closet, but it is, and we are changing that.
Finally...been sort of "working on it" for ages.

Thanks to numerous videos on youtube and websites like flylady, zen habits (and his books) and for inspiration, better homes and gardens I have been able to stay focused.

One of the most helpful were books by Dominique Loreau. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anything by her in English (only in Japanese and French) but I did find this lovely blog by someone who has posted about reading her and decluttering: http://l0ve0utl0ud.wordpress.com/tag/dominique-loreau/
I hope the blogger doesn't mind my posting a link....

so here are three steps I have taken so far:

step 1.

I went through my summer wardrobe and threw away everything I hadn't worn!

IT WAS LIBERATING!

Then I went through my winter wardrobe and threw away everything I knew I wouldn't wear this season.

Now, I am only going to buy clothes when something gets old and even then it will have to be in one of these colors:
blue, gray, green or pink.

Why? Because I use to keep buying shirts in outrageous colors that I could never match with my business suits etc. (They looked pretty in the shops...) If everything can be coordinated it makes it easier to pack for business trips etc.

Once I cleaned out my wardrobe I could feel the weight of my belongings lift up, rise...and...
....
fly away
...
Less clutter in your home means less vibes you are constantly getting from your "stuff".
(check zen habits again here: http://zenhabits.net/a-guide-to-creating-a-minimalist-home/)

Miraculously throwing things away started to get easier and easier.
I started to throw away a garbage bag a week just by opening up two or three boxes at a time.

step 2.
They key was to not overdo myself. But since it was fun, I would clean out a corner of my apartment or 3 or 4 boxes every other week. (I had LOTS of business trips over the weekend last year, so under those conditions I think I did pretty well! It actually takes only an hour or two once you get in the habit of
LETTING GO. (You just have to give up playing computer games...or shopping...or couch potato-ing.)

step 3.

When you notice something... just don't walk by...stop, consider (if you don't need it, if it is redundant or you had even forgot you owned it) and toss!

If you don't have the heart to throw something away, but you know you don't really need it:

have a clean garbage bag or a cardboard box or even a suitcase you no longer need open, toss stuff in.
The next time you have a garage sale, attend a flea market or charity bazar, you are ready to go!

.....

As you may have noticed from the picture, we have lots of CDs.
So this is what we have been doing:

repackaging CDs.

Taking them out of the hard plastic cases and putting them in slim cases.

It saves a lot of space!

The CD shelves start to look like this:

We are putting them in alphabetical order.

Where there is a little bit if space, I have placed some of the stuff that came out of the boxes...

I know, I know...more stuff...but I am taking things one step at a time.

AND enjoying it!

Although we had to buy lots of plastic CD jackets, don't forget, I have found that the trick is not to buy more stuff to organize your stuff.

Get rid of what you don't need first, then and only then, find the perfect place for what you have.

If you are like me, and like to collect boxes and bags, you already have lots of storage!

Thank you for reading this not so pretty blog but...

I am still on the path to clarity (mind and material).

The art of living in Japan (and anywhere else) for me, is to:

Keep it simple.

2012-01-09T16:46:00.000+09:00

Wow. Three months went by fast...again.

I hope you have been doing well. I hope you had an awesome holiday season and an exciting but not tiring New Year!

Too much has happened in the last three month so today I will focus in on Christmas and my New Year's holiday....

I use to love watching a Charlie Brown Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas on TV when I was a kid in the USA but this year in Japan guess what was on TV!

Although only about 1% of Japanese claim to be Christians, Christmas is none the less one of the most popular foreign holidaysin Japan with cakes and teeny tiny Christmas trees.

(Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan.)

Winter vacation usually starts from the 29th and goes on till about the 4th. (It is a bit longer for students though.)

I took a pretty long holiday.

The 23rd to today!

:-)

Here's what else I ate during the New Year holiday:

in Nagasaki

"Osechi" is a boxed meal that is filled with dishes that are made to last for a few days so that housewives don't have to be constantly cooking...we are supposed to let the kitchen rest... but you know how things are....it really doesn't end up that way!

The white bowls with the white round rice cakes on top are called "ozoni". This is a soup that you put the rice cakes in. Each region in Japan has their own flavors. Osaka is miso based. The city where my mother is from (Fukuoka) has a clear fish/seaweed broth and in Nagasaki (where my husband is from) it is made with a seaweed and chicken broth and has lots of vegetables in it...which is actually quite unique in Japan.

I still have not mastered the Nagasaki style...

Rice cakes also show up as decorations with little mikan (like tangerines) on top.

The above are the decorations my mom had.

The flowers must include"sho-chiku-bai":

Pine-Bamboo-Plum blossoms (or Japanese apricot)

It is hard to see all three but they are there!

Speaking of New Year decorations, 2012 is the year of the dragon and this is my dragon at home!

This year I have made a motto:

Keep it simple.

and my NewYear's resolution is:

Do!

Combining the two means lots more de-cluttering this year!

I can't believe no matter how much 2stuff" I throw away there's still tons more.

Today I threw away old yellowed cards and envelopes and organized the ones that I have like so:

I had so many categories that I couldn't find the right cards when I needed them the most....I'd just keep buying and buying....

(the postcard with the girl in the kimono is something I bought in Kyoto but I do not know who painted it....)

If anybody out there would like to trade postcards please let me know!

Also, if you have any questions about my de-cluttering experience please leave a comment. I will be posting more about my motto "keep it simple"soon!

Until then, I hope you have a wonderful January and a happy New Year!

My trip to the UK and books, books, books!

2011-09-17T15:07:00.002+09:00

Hello.
...
Yes, I know...I have been a VERY bad blogger. SO here are my excuses and everything in between!

1. Work became really busy. I mean REALLY busy...
2. I went to the UK!!!! in July.
Here are the pictures:

the British Museum

Spent the whole day here and still didn't get to see everything...

The weather was fantastic during my whole stay in London!

the feet of a buddha

After the British Museum, I went to a lovely antiquarian bookseller...

Jarndyce

and bought:

a 1871 edition of the Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

and a 1911 edition of Intentions by Oscar Wilde

the red book on the left is a recent buy.

It is a reproduction (facsimile) of the 1911 first edition of

The Concise Oxford Dictionary

published to commemorate the 100th anniversary.

It looks fabulous with the old books that I have.

The inside of the Tate Modern Museum

I spent at least 5 hours here!

London old and new.

Keble College in Oxford. The dining hall.

The dorm room I stayed in at Keble College.

I wonder who is staying there now.

I left a copy of Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" on the bookshelf.

I had so much fun in the UK.

It was only a few weeks later that the riots in London started and that made me very sad...

3. In August I went to Okinawa:

and saw people dancing in the streets.

Visited Shuri Castle on my day off and found

an interesting looking spigot!

4. At the end of August I had a few days of vacation and visited Nagasaki. Found a very interesting structure:

that turned out to be a very long slide!

...

5. I also went to two other Prefectures in Japan (sorry no pictures) and of course Tokyo again...all for work...

But a few things arrived in the mail that reminded me of the blogging world...

first it was :

the author Lisa's bloodspot blog is here:

http://papertigertail.blogspot.com/

Finally going to start reading this now!

Which reminded me I have to write a blog on this wonderful series

but I might just wait till her new book arrives!

In the meantime check out the author's blog here:

http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/

And then IT came...

If you are a longtime blogger fan then she needs no introduction...

Tess the author of the Life at Willow Manor blog has published her first booklet of poems.

I said I would buy it if she published it and I have. It arrived safely here in Japan just a few weeks ago. I used to love poems but drifted away not being able to find anything new that resonated...but Patina (as is the Willow Manor blog) is filled with poems that are lovely to read out loud and lovely to read silently just like a short story.

I looked up Patina in my brand new First Edition Concise Oxford Dictionary and it says,

"Patina: Incrustation, usu. green, on surface of old bronze, esteemed as ornament. "

Hello again. I think I am back at blogging!

Magic.

2011-04-10T23:18:00.000+09:00

Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki

I can't believe I have never posted about Okonomiyaki. Some call it the Japanese style pizza but I think it is more like a layered crepe. A crepe with diced cabbage and any other vegetable you like with meat, prawn or squid in between. I like mine with cheese.

The finishing touches are sauce and mayonnaise with bonita flakes and "aonori" green seaweed flakes are sprinkled on top. The one in the above picture is a "negi yaki" so there are tons of sliced green onions on them!

http://www.justhungry.com/okonomiyaki-osaka-style shows how to make it "Osaka" style and there is even a dot com website for okonomiyaki! here: http://okonomiyakiworld.com/

I actually prefer the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki because you place the cabbage ON the batter (first layer of crepe) instead of mixing it WITH the batter which I think makes the cabbage less tasty.

I digress...since I am not trying to write about the recipes which you can find at the above links...I actually want to talk about MAGIC.

The magical wonders of the...

watch it in action:

It can squirt out five lines of mayonnaise or ketchup or whatever you like because...

there are holes.

So simple magic is.

Now, for another kind of magic.

I just got back from a friend's fantastic charity concert. There were 9 different bands that came together to raise money for the people effected by the earthquakes and tsunamis in north eastern Japan.

Magic is for those who "do". That is what my friend K has taught me. I think what she did was magic because she brought people together for a purpose. Out of nothing she created a night of giving!

Here is another band that is creating magic!

Monkey Magik

They are volunteering and raising spirits and will have a charity concert in the summer here in Osaka.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and kind thoughts...to me all of this is magic too and I am so very grateful!

strawberry sweets and my latest picks from the news...

2011-03-27T23:34:00.000+09:00

The latest news in Japan, as of my writing of this blog (Kyodo English) is focused on the radioactive water found inside the buildings adjacent to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima.

!?

This is serious. The level is much higher than it should be and it is not getting any lower. Which means something is leaking... However, we are being asked to stay calm since this is still indoors and is not an immediate threat to those outside of the building...PLUS there are multiple reports coming out as I type about the level and how high it is or isn't... There is still so much confusion and TEPCO is not making things better with the way they provide the information.

?!

As optimistic as I can be, this disturbs me not just because of the seriousness and chaotic information flow. The real threat is invisible. Although Japan has a history that shows us the devastating effects of radioactivity, it did not deter some of the people living in the power plant area from rushing back to their homes.

For people who had to evacuate quickly and empty handed, it has been a stressful 2 weeks. Some 50 or so residents from the evacuated areas went back to their homes to gather a few of their belongings and to feed their cattle (I can't imagine how bewildered the animals must be).
The residents have all been re-evacuated by the Japanese self defense force.

...

In the meantime, there have been demonstrations outside of the Tokyo Power Company calling for all the nuclear power plants in Japan to close. This isn't being featured on the news but I have seen the tweets and a bit on the *NHK world news website.

*For the NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Company) world news website in English with the latest updates and radio on demand (click here).

Also please check out:

Marie Mutsuki Mockett has written another beautiful piece which can be read on the New Yorker blog, about her family in Japan. You can read it here.

Sooooooo...

What am I doing between the news updates (that I try as much as possible to stay away from)?
Well, Monday through Friday was work at the office. Since things are rather normal in our part of the country it all seems unreal when we can't deliver goods as fast as we usually can, due to the power shortages in Tokyo. Most people are understanding.

And now for the relaxing part...
On Saturday, I had waffles...with whipped cream, custard...and yes, strawberries.

Good stuff!

As if that were not enough...today I had...

cream roll cake with strawberries

and I bought books...

Ape House by Sara Gruen and Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

The CDs were bought a month ago but I finally got them into my i-pod...

and I think I forgot to post this picture I took at my mom's house earlier this year...

Look for my fingers at the bottom of the picture for comparisons (my fingers are not gigantic)!

This is a strawberry.
:-)

Hope. Music. More hope.

2011-03-21T15:44:00.002+09:00

herb garden 2009

There are reports that Spinach and other leafy vegetables from farms100km away from the power plants have been detected with radiation that exceeds the government regulated limits. This is rather distressing but more details should be released today. Right now some of the latest reports can be found here at the Kyodo English news site:

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79856.html

I am not one to panic but this does raise my (already raised) interest in nuclear science and the effects of radiation... Some interesting sites I have found so far are:

http://mitnse.com/

MIT students of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering have a blog with information about the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/

and then there was this information that I did not know about regarding the reactors in Japan which kinda frightens me as an American as well:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/03/16/idINIndia-55640020110316

...and so, like in my last post...I must think. I am not going to panic or start a demonstration (just yet) but I do hope that this will be a good chance for the human race to admit that Mother Earth is much more stronger than we predict it to be.

Amidst all this radiation "hype" there is still some good news about people being saved from the rubble.
We have reason to stay...hopeful.

news flash

oooh...just heard on the news that the electricity that was cut off has been reinstalled to some of the reactors. They will have to run some more tests to make sure that there are no other damaged parts before they actually start sending electricity.

Hope.

...

One thing is for sure: we have some mighty heroic people (who did not build the reactors...); firefighters.

I have a renewed respect for these people who put their lives on the line to spray water on the Nuclear Power Plants in an effort to cool down the reactors. Their news conference was 100 times better than the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) conferences because they were speaking in terms that are understandable and they didn't make any excuses or vague comments. They were prepared...not only for the news conference but for the actual event that they might have to help... which it seems, they did!

The spraying of water has resumed again today:http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79865.html.

...

Hope.

Some people trying to spread hope...

Monkey Majik members are out volunteering: Tokyo Hive

Daniel Kahl, originally from California, is a "talent" here in Japan famous for his fluency in the Yamagata Prefecture dialect.

His website http://daniel.domos.jp/ has a full page of links with all sorts of valuable information.

He has also posted this video on youtube as an appeal to media outside of Japan. This is the first time I have heard him speak in English since he is always using his fluent Japanese (Yamagata dialect) on TV!

I have been staying away from TV much of this time for various reasons...I use to work in radio so that might be one reason.

I find solace in, just sound.

In music.

Music.

Starship's We Built This City On Rock N' Roll was on the radio yesterday, and I couldn't believe how uplifting it was. So to bring things back to a bit of normality on this blog, here is an update on what's new in the music scene here:

Wonder Woman by Amuro Namie featuring Ai and Anna Tsuchiya. All three girls are of "mixed culture"!

The video is flipped (everything is a mirror image) I don't know how that is technically possible, but this might mean that the video will be pulled off youtube sooner or later.

Ai is also featured in a new song by the Bawdies, a group that sounds like...somebody...but I can't quite place my finger on who...
You can hear a snippet of the song at i-tunes here but there is nothing on youtube etc. as it was just released.

Here is a song by The Bawdies that I did find on youtube:

That's it!!! Tom Waits on too much caffeine!?! Maybe...

Another multi-cultured artist:

Maia Hirasawa is a Japanese/Swedish artist. Her official website is here:

http://www.maiahirasawa.com/swe/

Another song on the charts here is by Rake. There is a short snippet of a video on the first page of his website: http://www.rake.jp/

Music.

Also, if you are in the New York area, just FYI...

Sakamoto Ryuichi has a concert scheduled in NYC for April 9th.

Japan Society, New York - CONCERT FOR JAPAN

Hope.

A piece (you many have already seen) about hope by author Ryu Murakami in the Op-page of
The New York Times.

And for me one of the most hopeful sounds in the universe.

Music to my ears!

ROFLMAO :-)'

One reason why I think social medias are cool and one reason why I think they sometimes are not…

2011-03-19T23:11:00.000+09:00

Hello!

Here in Japan we have started a three day weekend. Monday is the spring equinox.

I like my job but I am very happy that I do not have to go to the office on Monday. I am sure my friends up north are feeling the same way, but more intensely because of the power cuts and aftershocks they are still experiencing.

Me? I’m just laaaaazyyy.

AND I got a few bottles of strawberry liquor to taste.

strawberry sake, strawberry liquor, strawberry wine all made from strawberries from the Kyushu island

Yes, I know, strawberries AGAIN.

(FYI, there are strawberry blogs out there!

http://www.strawberry-recipes.com/strawberry-recipes-blog.html

http://growing-strawberries.blogspot.com/

and this blog I found thanks to the Tattered Cover:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/?s=strawberries&submit=

had the greatest recipes for strawberries and other “stuff” too.)

So this is why I think blogs are cool….you find great people to “talk” with, great things to read, information you are looking for and with things like facebook, sometimes you even find long lost relatives!

Blogs, Facebook and twitter (and in Japan, Mixi) have become a place for many people here to connect with friends and family... especially during these devastating times.

The internet has helped to bring people together. We have been able to change lives, be changed and learn about things we would otherwise be oblivious about.

I think this has given journalists a hard time these days… It’s harder for them because, unlike before, we might actually “know” someone from the area they are reporting from.

Now…we can see…right through them…sometimes.

For example,

20 or 30 years ago, if you saw on the news that hundreds of Tokyoites were wearing masks because they were afraid of radiation, you might have believed them. Gee, I might have believed them too!

Now, thanks to tons of great blogs (see my blog roll on the left) and well in this case…

we know a bit more about Japan(or at least we can find out if some things are leaning towards suspicious).

Therefore, you would know that Tokyoites are wearing their masks, like many other people around Japan this time of year, because they have HAY FEVER. (Here is a post from a Japanese blogger in Tokyo about hay fever in Japan: http://www.hellotokyo.jp/2011/02/20/hay-fever-in-japan/.

As I do not want to reinvent the wheel, here is a wiki that someone has made to collect some of the most blatant mistakes in the news covering the Quake and Tsunami in Japan.

http://jpquake.wikispaces.com/Journalist+Wall+of+Shame

Apart from this I would also like to add that although there are many people at the airport trying to flee Japan, please keep in mind that it is SPRING VACATION and since schools are out till April, lots of people have been scheduling holidays overseas ANYWAY. So that is probably why many people are having a hard time getting tickets out of here too… ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/anxious-foreigners-flee-japan/2011/03/15/ABrlvnW_story.html).

A friend of mine is going back to the UK this weekend to see his family…he had this planned BEFORE the earthquake…

Although I respect peoples' decisions to leave Japan right now (especially if you are not fluent in the language, have small children or if you are ill etc.) there are some people who are choosing to stay: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-im-not-fleeing-japan/2011/03/16/ABQsdhk_story.html

(Thank you K for the link!)

Like any type of information we get, I think it is important to learn how to process the information. I mean, really think about what you are reading or hearing… I mean REALLY. Just stop to think…sometimes…it helps.

I know, I am preaching to the choir now……but now for the one reason why I don’t like the internet:

(eeek! I am about to tread on very thin ice…)

I found wacky comments about how Japan is not a religious country thus this tragedy was brought upon them (?!). There are tons of stuff out there that wouldn’t have been “published” for everyone to see, hear or read if it weren’t so darn easy to use the internet…

I know I know I know I know I know I know ...

We are entitled to our own opinions and beliefs and in some parts of the world we actually have freedom of “speech”.

I just hope empathy will prevail. And you know what?

I think it will.

Look what I found...

SMILE!

I'm here now and my use of a mouse...

2011-03-15T23:30:00.000+09:00

I don't have a proper mouse with me and even if I did, I doubt I could do this map justice...but just to give you an idea of how far away I am from the devastation etc.

The blue circle is where I am now...sort of...

The yellow circle shows where I usually am...and the red circle inaccurately shows where the earthquakes, largest tsunamis and the fragile nuclear reactors are.

I was in the yellow circle when the earthquake hit - a tremor with the intensity of 3 on the seismic scale. We were that far away from the red circle area (that had a magnitude of 9.0) and to think we still felt it is mind boggling.

Now (as I type this) I am seeing on the news that Shizuoka (the prefecture in the middle of the red and yellow circles) just had a tremor with the intensity of 6 on the seismic scale. At least no fear of a tsunami...

It is not certain if all of these quakes are related...

I am trying to count my blessings and focus on my duties as a daughter, wife and consultant. I haven't been meditating again so I think it is time for me to sit down straighten my back, lift my head and take a deep breath....or two...or three.

Peach Blossom that my mom has in a vase...

I pray that wherever you are, that you are safe. Let's not forget to smile and let's continue to hope for the best.

For English updates on Japan the Kyodo news service is pretty reliable:
http://english.kyodonews.jp/

...

New Zealand is still trying to recover from an earthquake and there is Haiti that still needs help...Indonesia, Iran, China...Papua New Guinea...this is all just so hard to wrap my head around.

I am thinking the Red Cross or/and Doctors Without Borders.

I'm OK

2011-03-11T21:48:00.000+09:00

One of the largest earthquakes in recent Japanese history has shaken the country in the north eastern regions. I live in the center of Japan and am currently staying at my mom's place in the south western part of Japan.

I have heard from a few of my colleagues in Tokyo but not the whole team so I am still worried. However, I just thought I would post to let my friends and family know that I am ok.

Tsunami warnings have been issued in almost all parts of the archipelago and other parts of Asia.

Will try to post something again later as soon as I find out more about what should be posted here...

all the best,
Tulsa

time

2011-03-01T23:04:00.003+09:00

Gosh...I don't know where to start...

I got this receipt from a taxi I took on the first of February that says it is the year 2023...!

My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a few weeks ago.

Time flies...

(do you see the blimp?)

At the end of March I will have been at work on my new job for a year and a half...and that feels like 10 years on some days and 10 months on others...go figure...

This July I will have been in Japan for 26 years. In April I will turn 40.

I deserve to have gold in my tea!

Now, if that doesn't make you want to come visit Japan, I don't know what will!

:-)

Tonight my husband is out watching the Eagles in concert and I just went to see a "chick flick".

Which after I watched (as much as I love chick flicks) THIS ONE became much more than that to me.

Morning Glory not only had some of my most favorite actors (Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum), it reminded me a tiny bit of..

me.

Change TV to radio and make the leading lady (Rachel Adams) shorter (and give her a uni-brow and overbite) and you have an enthusiastic me in my twenties trying to make a morning radio show with cooking tips and global news and music. We had our adventures on the show and there was never a dull moment be it a good one or bad.

By the way Harrison Ford was amazing...I really wanted to punch the guy...heehee.

SO, 3 things are running through my head right now.

1. Why didn't I write a romantic comedy that would become a Hollywood movie?

2. What story can I write now?

3. WHAT ON EARTH am I doing with my life?

gosh that is pathetic... scratch 3 and replace it with:

Am I having a pre-midlife crisis or is this a full blown midlife crisis?

NOT that I want to work at a (Japanese) TV station...

TV here is .... weird...

(Yes, that is a picture of a TV show with adults wearing costumes as they are talking about food...)

And there already is an American who is dominating TV here and packaging it off to the States (or so I think) so "my idea" of bridging the two countries with entertainment is already taken (Dave Spector is "the guy" by the way. He is more knowledgable about Japan than most Japanese are, and there are rumors that he is actually Japanese but has just dyed his hair. He is actually from Illinois. Oooh, I have just found his twitter account... (in Japanese though) http://twitter.com/#!/dave_spector.

Wow, totally went in a different direction there...

I just think I MAY have lost my way a bit. Am I loosing control of my life as I get swarmed with "stuff" to do on weekends and late at night ?

That can't be the real problem because I used to do that when I worked in radio and it did not bug me ONE bit.

Not even a tiny little bit.

Now it does. But what bugs me even more is that it bugs me. I hate not feeling GREAT about WORKING 24-7.

I am very good at tuning in with the "universe" and having things brought to me. But for the last two years I have stopped asking. Just did not have time to ask or even ponder what it is I want.

I have friends who have helped me soooo much to get back on track but SOMETHING just isn't "clicking".

I feel like this cat, waiting in front of a store that sells lots of porcelain cats...

waiting...for something...waiting...

Waiting and "going with the flow" has really done me good these past 40 years but me thinks me is ready for a change.

It's time to start walkin' down that Yellow Brick Road!

Exploring more of this fascinating country and bringing it to life inside me so that I can weave the next chick flick or whatever it is that will make me: h a p p y.

I hope you are happy. If you think you are not then join me on my journey!

A smile will take you a mile!

...

I think the receipt the taxi driver gave me with the year 2023 comes from the traditional Japanese calendar.

It is currently the 23rd year of the Heisei era. Thus 23.

But it still is a mistake...

...or is it?

if it's tested in Japan would that make you feel better?

2011-02-01T20:03:00.000+09:00

A colleague of mine recently sent me a link to a show
called "Ben and Teller". The rest of the title is not appropriate for my blog...(let's just say, it is "cow poo").

The theme of the particular episode is about recycling and how we have been duped into believing that our behavior of recycling will help the environment.

The reason why I am posting this isn't because I have any sort of opinion about recycling (not that I don't), it is because at around 7 minutes and 19 seconds they say that whenever they wanted to close the deal they always mentioned the Japanese because it would help close the deal!

That just cracked me up.

Please note that the content of this video includes the f-word and s-word rather frequently. If you don't mind, then watch away! but if you do, you may want to keep the volume low and have a bar of soap handy to wash out your ears later or, just not watch it all. :-)

the best stationery itemsI used in 2010

2011-01-10T11:53:00.003+09:00

There are several things in this world that help me release stress.

One of them is buying stationery.

Stationery can be divided into various types…today I would like to focus on paperclips and notebooks.

For work and for my “research” I think I have settled on the Cornell Method Note that can be bought in Japan through Gakken.

(http://www.gakkensf.co.jp/lineup/cornell/index.html).

Kokuyo, the largest stationery/office equipment company

(http://www.kokuyo.co.jp/), has many notebooks that I have been using for my book diaries for the past 10 years or so.

http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/).

(By the way, if you understand Japanese, the Kokuyo website currently has videos of Ryuichi Sakamoto talking about Ecology and Creativity. From the second video, Everett Kennedy Brown appears to talk about his experience in Japan etc. and what people can learn from Nature. His website is here:

http://www.brownsfield-jp.com/about)

This year, my schedule book is from Muji (http://www.muji.com/) and I just found out that they have apps for the iPad and iPhone too.

The scheduler comes with a canvas type cover that I am thinking about dressing up with iron-ons later.

I added a trim with decorative masking tape as well as ribbon bookmarks.

The checkbook-like notebook on the right is for the months and the notebook on the left is for the weeks.

I think this will be very easy for me to use this year and I am looking forward to filling it up with fun events!

More notebooks that I really liked last year and kept buying for various reasons were:

The one on the left is from Midori (http://www.midori-japan.co.jp/md/).

The pink one in the middle is one that I found in a store in Kyoto called karankoron (http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/karancolon/index.html). My favorite from last year is on the right.

It is from Tsubame Note and this series comes in all sorts of sizes and shapes (http://thinkbeforesearch.com/) and the pages are perforated but sturdy so they don't fall apart.

Now, for paper clips...

My favorite elephant shaped ones and fruit shaped ones are not here but this is to give you an idea of what is out there and what I actually use.

I use these kinds of paperclips as often as I can because I read somewhere that the most circulative stationery is the paperclip.

This means that more than any other stationery, the paper clip is the least likely to stay in one place. It is reused and passed on to people so you never know where your paperclip is going to end up! I figure if that is the case, why not send around a bit of happiness and excitement too?!

And last but not least one of my most favorite items carries my paperclips and post-its...

(http://www.samiraboon.com/wawcs0116335/furoshiki_shiki.html)

It is an amazing piece of vinyl that I bought at the Nagasaki Museum a while ago and it is awesome. I bought a larger one for my receipts too.

Have a nice day!

http://cementdesign.com/index2.html

Japanese songs that topped the charts in 2010

2011-01-07T15:50:00.001+09:00

The song that made many people cry last year was "Toile no Kamisama" (The Toilet Goddess).

There are many different gods in Japan and apparently there is one for the restroom! My mother use to tell me that if I cleaned the toilet my children would grow up to be beautiful. This made me think she was lying... o_O

The singer/songwriter of The Toilet Goddess, Kana Uemura was told by her grandmother that SHE would grow up to be beautiful if she made sure that the toilet was clean. So it seems there are different versions of the Toilet Goddess story!

The song is a true story written by Kana who use to live with her grandmother. They were like best friends until Kana started to grow up and grow apart from her family. After she leaves her home to go to Tokyo and become a singer, she gets called back one day because her grandmother is in the hospital. She rushes back to see her grandmother...The songs is a long song (about 8minutes) but it got lots of attention on the radio here in Japan.

Another song that got a lot of attention is "I Wish For You"by the group EXILE. They are a singing and dancing troupe that have doing in very well with CD sales and national tours. They also have their own TV show.

And, the third song that I would like to introduce today is by a trio called IKIMONO GAKARI (those in charge of the animals).

It is a song that doesn't not need any translation, at least the title doesn't (I think)...it is called "Arigato".

(They also have an "interesting" song called "Joyful"...

As for who I look forward to doing well in 2011...?!

I will be rooting for Monkey Majik...they have a new song out called "Sunshine" but for first time listeners, I think the following video will give you a better idea as to "what" they are.

By the way, their Japanese is REALLY good.

Their official is website is here.

I hope you finds lots of great music this year!

meditating and multi tasking

2011-01-03T12:00:00.007+09:00

Last year I learned a lot about myself. It was not my intention but it turned out that way.

I was trying (and still am) to learn more about meditation, and this is what I found out.

Meditation is a way to listen to yourself. Many people try to focus on clearing their minds but we know that the more we try to "not think" the more we end up doing just that.

So, you sit with yourself. If you don't listen to yourself then why should others listen?

Sit in a quiet place. If you start to think about something in particular, notice the way you breath and the different places in your body that is tense. Why do you feel the way you do?

Why are you hunched forward? Why is your head cocked to the right? Are you gritting your teeth?

Why does it feel like you haven't been reaching for the last 15 seconds?

Don't try to answer the question, just notice how you react to certain sounds, thoughts and smells.

When you feel how you breath in a relaxed mood then you know what you can try to "imitate" when you are having a stressed day.

These moments of stress free meditation have helped me focus on what my real needs and desires are.

I am not good at meditating for a long time yet, but being able to sit with myself for 5, then 10 and now 20 minutes has been a very interesting journey.

As for multi-tasking, please be careful of the types of tasks you put together. TV can be destructive because of the signals that it sends. If you are watching a program that makes you tense or angry, be aware that whatever you are doing while watching TV can be affected by the tension.

I think religious rituals are interesting because they make you focus on one thing at a time. Being able to focus on one thing will be more productive and you will probably have better quality.

It becomes a form of meditation as well. Aaaah, a good form of multi-tasking!

Karesansui...dry landscapes or "Japanese rock gardens".... They are often called "zen gardens" in English because the making of the garden is part of the meditating process for zen monks.

Sometimes the different designs made in the gravel (with rakes) represent ponds and flowing water.

The above picture was taken at Tofukuji in Kyoto and it looked like a giant chess board.

How the monks make these designs without leaving a single footprint anywhere is beyond me, but I am pretty sure they were not texting and raking at the same time!

I hope this year is filled with fabulous journeys for you!

Good-bye Tiger, hello Rabbit! 2011 resolutions.

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001+09:00

Happy New Year!!!!!

2010 was the year of the tiger.

After the Tiger comes the Rabbit!

My brand new Rabbit (Usagi) ornament that will be displayed in our front hallway throughout the year 2011.

(In some countries it is the year of the Cat...but in Japan there is no year of the Cat because as the story goes...god was going to give away a year to each animal that came to him on a certain day. The Mouse told the Cat when that day would be but he lied. The Cat showed up on the next day after all of the years had been assigned to each animal...thus in Japan, there is no year of the Cat. Oooh, but the Mouse became number 1 because he hopped onto the back of the Cow (number 2) and got off at the right moment so that he could be at the very front of the line!

The Rabbit came in 4th place. Since they like to hop around it is said to be a "hoppin' year" whatever that means...

What kind of year did you have? I hope it was a good one!

My 2010 was a year of self exploration!

Now that I know more about who I am and what I want from life, I think 2011 will be filled with exciting experiences. Why? Because I have a clearer focus on what I want to learn from the world.

One of the many things I have started to study is religion and faith especially Japanese Buddhism and Shinto (I was brought up in a Protestant family). I am finding many similarities with western culture and paganism. It is all fascinating and (funnily) Dan Brown-ish... :-)

Recently, I have found someone of similar mind but of amazing talent. Cristy Burne.

I have not read her book yet but it is the first book I will order in the New Year!

Cristy is the author of a story (series) that seems to have a whole lot to do with Japanese ghost stories and mythology. For more information please check out her website here:

http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/

This whole year the universe has been practically throwing people at me. People that I should learn from. It is amazing. I got what I asked for this year but it has been so overwhelming that I am not caught up. I have met a spiritual teacher, a westerner on a Buddhist journey and amazing teachers and colleagues from around the world.

All that has happened to me this year brings a whole new meaning to "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"

So, for me 2011 will be the year of connecting dots...

...and like a good friend recently advised me...in 2011 I am going to "just do it".

1. Write my book (by the end of December 2011).

2. Visit the UK (this is happening in July, it has been scheduled!)

3. Listen, read and learn as if the world is my grad school.

bit of a rant:

Number 3 comes from what I have seen this past year. So many students pay so much money to universities but they don't do their homework, they sometimes cheat and they often complain. I have been wanting to go back to school but instead of spending the money that goes straight into new buildings and technology that ends up not getting used, I think I will BUY books and LISTEN to people instead. I am sure there are similarities all over the world among college students but in Japan it is tragic... Students study SO HARD to pass their entrance exams only so that they can enter university to start having all night binges and sleep during classes (if attending at all) for 4 years.

ahem...

4. Write, write, write and write some more...

Anywhooo...

I hope that whatever you decide to do in 2011, that you will go out there and do it too!

May your new year be filled with happiness and abundance of the best kind!

what did I see this autumn?

2010-12-31T15:39:00.001+09:00

Nagasaki was beautiful in the autumn.

The bay of Nagasaki was peaceful this day.

One of the most unlikely places to see a gigantic Christmas tree might be Kyoto. But it was pretty.

I went to Inari Shrine (Kyoto, Fushimi) with some friends.

We also visited Tofukuji in Kyoto. I enjoyed Momijigari...looking at the beautiful autumn leaves.

It has been a long time since I have taken pictures of flowers...

Another post about my New Years resolutions will be posted in a few hours! I hope you are having a wonderful OMISOKA (last day of the year) today!

Where have I been?

2010-10-17T12:16:00.001+09:00

Hi! Long time no see!

Where have I been?

Last month I was in Langkawi, Malaysia!

There were monkeys...

and of course a beautiful beach...which I did not get to swim in...

but I did get to stay in a very nice hotel in the middle of a rain forest...

and I did get to enjoy a night on the town with colleagues...

where there was food from around the world...

and after Malaysia I came back to Japan and visited the zoo.

Something I have not done in a long time.

This guy reminds me of someone...

compare the facial expressions with the monkey at the top of this blog post...is it just me or does this dude look bored?

These two were kinda sweet...

The busiest time of the year for people in my industry has arrived... I was really worn out last week but am feeling much better now. Autumn in Japan is my favorite time of the year.

The scent of fragrant olive blossoms, the cool and light breeze, autumn leaves...

2010-08-11T23:43:00.002+09:00

I'm sorry for not checking in sooner...I keep falling off the band wagon...

I need to join a "can't stay consistent/procrastinating bloggers anonymous" club

if there is one out there.

It is hot and humid and there are typhoons forming and evaporating along the coasts of Japan.

In other words, a rather normal Japanese summer. However it feels hotter than it used to, not because of global warming, but because I have gained 5 kilos in the past year!

Right now the obon vacation is underway, which means the souls of our ancestors will be visiting us...I'll post more about this and the memorial services for WW2 etc that have taken place recently here in Japan.

Please take fluids and try to stay cool if you are having summer, and if you are enjoying winter now I hope you can stay warm!

Thank you to e everyone who commented and sent me messages about the pics in my last post! Here are two of them that I took with my phone and can repost now!

unbelievably, reading books about Japan

2010-07-25T00:33:00.000+09:00

Good heavens…you may or may not be wondering what I have been up to lately…

I have been traveling around Japan in my “areas” as a sales representative. On my days off I have finally gotten back “my groove” and am reading, listening to music and watching movies again…

So, what have I been reading? Well, I finished reading Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s “Picking Ash From Bones”. In a nutshell: it was great!

I usually freak out when someone writes about Japan in English. There are often quite a few errors. Names are irritably non-Japanese, foods are mixed up with other Asian countries and the Japanese tendencies are nothing but stale stereotypes.

However, Marie’s book gives you a REAL sense of time and space in Japan, both old and new. Her mother is Japanese and father is American, just like me so it is not too much of a wonder that she gets everything right;-)

The story starts with a mother and daughter and how their lives are constricted because they are a family of two. Japan still holds a bit of prejudice towards single parent families, although not as harsh as in the 1950s, when the story begins.

(You can get a short synopsis of the book here: http://www.pickingbonesfromash.com/)

As time goes by the story gets passed on to the next generation. The new central figure Rumi, is raised in the US and has a chance to visit present time Japan. The reason Rumi flies to Japan is unique from a western point of view. Maybe even mystical since it has to do with a ghost, but being half Japanese myself, it actually seemed natural.

Along with snapshots of homes, schools and society you will learn a bit about the Japanese version of Buddhism and the indigenous religion of Shintoism as well.

For someone who know Japan the way I do (because I live here and like the author am half Japanese) it made me want to give my mom a big hug for raising me up in two cultures.

So what am I going to read next??? Marie seems to have unlocked my ability to read about Japan in English so I think I will follow up with the following titles:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (because one of the characters has the same first name as I do!) and…

the new book by David Mitchell “The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet (my husband is from Nagasaki, which is the stage for this novel)…so many coincidences….

Also:

I am almost finished with “At Home in Japan” a non-fiction by Rebecca Otowa.

This book also is a lovely one to flip through in between stuff as I sip tea and fan myself on the hot summer nights…

“Shojo no Tomo” (the girls’ friend) a magazine for girls that is no longer in print but was loved by girls in Japan during the 1950s…right around the same time Marie’s novel starts off!

Ooooh, look at the hairstyles!

2010-06-21T20:52:00.001+09:00

Oops...

I love my i-phone, don't get me wrong but you get so use to having technology at your fingertips that it gets irritating when you can't get good Internet access or if have too much info that it doesn't fit into the mobile blog format...argh! And did I mention that I now also own a Blackberry? Seinfeld would get a kick out of watching me!

Anyway, here are the pictures I wanted to post earlier!

2010-06-21T20:28:00.001+09:00

Purple, pancakes and presentations...

I am on the train again, this time headed to south western Japan to " do what I do" - talk to teachers about books.

The past month was again filled with rediculous words that start with "p".

I made a blueberry soy milk shake that turned out the same color as the book I had been reading.

A pancake I made on the weekend looked so much like a face, I had to take a picture.

Last but not least I made a presentation in front of about 30 teachers and nearly puked (another p word!). The picture ( if it shows up all right) is of the building I presented at, in the background you can see the Osaka castle! If it doesn't show up I promise to repost soon from my computer as this is being done via i-phone.)

Have a nice week!

2010-05-21T13:33:00.001+09:00

Passport, pins, pigeon eggs pina colladas and a little bit of pressure...

I finally got my new passport...thank goodness it went smoothly!

I found cute pins that can be used to bunch up chords or anything with holes!

Pigeon eggs suddenly appeared on our balconey but I am sad to say that their parents have not returned...

I finally had my first ever pi a colladas!

I finished my first job appraisal and am now feeling a bit stressed as I feel the pressure of this lovely job that I have...

I have also started an online corse in writing and because of my appraisal stress have failed to turn in two assignments.
I will turn in the last two that are coming up if I have to stay up all night to do it!

So...that is what I have been up to. I hope to visit my favorite blogs over the weekend.
If you tweet, please follow me on Twitter as that has been a helpful tool for me these days when I can't blog!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

2010-04-10T13:32:00.001+09:00

My Friday....
----
Started off visiting clients to say thank you.
Lots of schools in Japan have beautiful cherry trees to brighten the mood for freshmen... School starts in April in Japan.
----
After work I hit the town with some colleagues...
Today I am planning on having dinner with friends in Kobe and will try to write a new post about other adventures I have been having!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

My little spring day.

2010-04-03T23:29:00.002+09:00

These flowers were blooming at the foot of a tree in front of the office... What are they?

Spring at last! So, I decided to go see the cherry blossoms!

I went to a place called Sakura Shuku Gawa in Hyogo Prefecture. There were a bunch of people eating rice balls, drinking beer and playing cards under the blooming cherry trees.

I picked a tree, spread out a plastic sheet to sit on, opened up a bottle of spring water and some snacks and started to read with the sounds of laughing children and quite a few tipsy adults as BGM.

I wanted to read a book that would fit with my surroundings...so I chose:

Those are not my hands, by the way.

I took more pictures of the cherry blossoms. Today I have only posted the ones I took from my i-phone because I have misplaced my camera cord thingy... argh.

Tomorrow I am off to Tokyo for meetings. Will be spending half my day in a hotel room getting ready for the meeting and doing an online crash course on how to use PowerPoint.

I also need to get my picture taken somewhere because I have forgotten (yet again) to renew my passport. Yikes!

Happy Easter, happy spring and happy reading!

hiding from a magical flying carpet of desert

2010-03-21T20:16:00.002+09:00

I have just returned from 3 days in Tokyo. I visited clients with a senior colleague to learn more of "the ropes". Then we had some meetings... Then I stayed an extra night so that I could see a friend who lives in Tokyo. I had lots of fun and did a whole lot of learning but it does feel good to be home!

However, terribly strong winds kept me from having a deep sleep last night.

Those howling winds did not come empty handed. They brought along the Gobi Desert.
o_0
What I thought was fog and clouds turned out to be a trillion specks of sand.

I didn't take pictures but you can see a news clip about the yellow sand we had today( click HERE).
The sand has made cars and windows dirty and it has given me a sore throat too!

The dust that covers Japan and Korea (and of course the sandstorms in Mongolia and China) have been growing in proportion these past few years.

Today's blanket carpet of yellow sand was extra harsh....

If you are thinking "well it's just sand!" then please know that it is not only messy but it is also unhealthy.

If you have hay fever, then a spell of a runny nose and watery eyes is "normal". The real danger is in the toxins that attach themselves to the sand as they "fly" over China's industrial zones... of course Japan has industrial zones too, but the chemicals found in the sand are said to be quite toxic and have matched with the chemicals China has been founds to use.... thus the sore throat?

this is a picture I took in Kitakyushu, Japan (2010 March)

So...I have had to hang my wash "out to dry" in the house instead of outside as it is usually done.

socks and shawls

Since I did not want to go outside and get wrapped up in a veil of sand, I decide to clean my room...which ended up being a mini treasure hunt instead.

I found out that I must be liking the colors blue and green since that seems to be my latest buying trend:

blue wrapping paper, green envelopes, blue and green tape, blue bird clothes pin, a blue silver button and
in the very back...a four-leaf-clover tin box

Even a book that I have been meaning to read has a beautiful blue on the cover...

Marie Mutsuki Mockett.

I have not been deliberately looking for authors with an "Asian background"... but one book has led to another...

bought this one by Jamie Ford last week

which led to this one

The Asian American Superhero Anthology "Secret Identities"

which led to this one...

a graphic biography of the mathematician/philosopher Bertrand Russell

Oh dear...the top layer of things on my desk are what I bought last week....what will I find if I dig any deeper?

My 103rd post!

2010-03-07T22:57:00.002+09:00

I started this blog on the 19th of January in 2009.
My first "real post" was on the following day...a post about the new years celebrations here in Japan.
It was the year of the cow... Now it is the year of the tiger...and I didn't even blog about it because I thought I was so busy...too busy to write...

Here is a picture of my tiger that we have had on display in our house since January....this tiger will stay on display till the end of the year...

For a person that has started many "projects"most of which are left to be finished, I never thought that 100 blog posts would be possible. LOL I didn't even notice my 100th post...

With hopes of improving my writing skills AND hopes to take my mind off of a few unhappy moments ...I tried to comb through my life and find interesting bits and pieces that would remind me of why I chose to live in Japan. I used to think it was my mother's "fault" for dragging me back and forth between the US and Japan. However, now I know that once you become an "adult", you really can't blame your parents for anything...it is your life to live and your thoughts only that can control what you do.

I do not know how to express my thanks (yet) for the many people who have taken the time to read my posts, comment, given me advice and support and have been great friends even though we may not have met in person....right now just allow me to say "arigato" (thank YOU).

I will continue to blog because I hope to improve my writing skills, continue friendships, make new ones, learn more about Japan (and of course share what I learn) and most important of all... to be happy.

Although he is not one of my favorite presidents...I do think this quote is rather appropriate to explain how I feel:
"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement; in the thrill of creative effort." Franklin D. Roosevelt

...here is a bit of happiness that I found the other day while waiting in line with my number in hand...

I look forward to my 777th blog post! Have a happy lucky day!

mama's got a brand new bag....

2010-03-01T23:17:00.001+09:00

One of my nice bloggy friends that has a great blog about life in the city (NY), has tagged me for an interesting post about what is carried around in handbags...you can check out Frances' blog here.

Thank you so much Frances for giving me this chance to actually blog from computer and not from i-phone...AND clean out my bags while I am at it! LOL

...and now...the moment you have all been waiting for...

my bags!

That is one of my latest favorite bags that I use on my day offs. It is one of Porter Japan's new line of bags for us gals who like their bags cute but sturdy (Porter Girls) click here for their website, in Japanese...)

Usually in this bag there will be my Muji ( for more on Muji check out this) mini bag that holds all of the stuff that becomes my face...ie; concealer, mascara, lip stick, blush...etc.)

My Paul Smith wallet (also rather new to commemorate my new job...)
and finally, my Franklin Covey scheduler....that looks sturdy but is actually falling apart...LOL

Then I have my bags for work....

Yep...two.
One holds things that I need to pull out really quickly like catalogues, my train pass and name card holder. I also include a bag that zips up and is see through so that I can see the "innards" at first glance:

The "innards" are: funky looking paper clips, mini-mini clothespins (that I use like paper clips), my "hanko" (rubber stamp that we use in Japan like signatures), stickers, thank you cards, scissors, stapler etc...
This bag is also from Muji and is reaaaaalllyyy nice because the zipper is very sturdy and slides real easy.

Wow...this is kinda making me look organized....which is not as true as I would hope for it to be...YET!

I often find myself fumbling for my name card holder...and digging around in that little suitcase with wheels that carries all of the books that I want to show my clients. It can be rather embarrassing and I have had a good laugh with some people about it too.

I will be taking those two bags to work tomorrow too since we will be headed to the northern part of Kyushu.

AND NOW....for something completely different...and random....

I was at the local Seven-Eleven today and found a most interesting bottle of soda... I didn't really want to drink it but how can I call myself courageous, adventurous and curious...if I passed up this chance to have a swig of...CHOCOLATE SPARKLING (soda not alcohol)!!!

sweet dreams...

2010-02-23T18:51:00.001+09:00

A chair made of cardboard and beer with foam so thick you could eat it with a spoon!

Just a few random things that I saw within the last few days...

The chair was one of many stools that was at a small organic yogurt shop in Kyoto. The yogurt was great but I forgot to take a picture of it because the chairs were so neat! They were very sturdy!

The beer was one of many that my colleagues were enjoying after a long day in Osaka. The foam was amazingly thick and everyone said it was delicious. I did not have the pleasure because I chose to drink Ginger ale instead.... I have not been able to drink a whole lot these days because I get drunk easily when I am tired.... so sad!

I wonder if this has to do with my age too. I'll be 39 in a few months... which means this will be my last year of being in my 30s.... yikes!

In Japan right now, people in my age group are called "Arafo". This is actually taken from the English "around forty". Women in this age group are hard working career women and do not seem to be marrying as much as other older generations used to. It seems we have more freedom these days and some people chose not to marry. So now there are a lot of dating companies trying to help women find a partner, there are also lots of companies targeting their sales toward this age group of unmarroed but fairly well off women.

Around forty... I could never imagine myself in this age before but now that it is here I .... Well... I still feel like I'm 19!

2010-02-06T19:10:00.001+09:00

Thank you for all of the lovely messages! I am on the road AGAIN and am really dazed at how busy we are as a company! We have a few seminars scheduled throughout Japan and we have to visit clients in between which really does not leave a whole lot of time for scheduling appointments OR thank you follow ups!!

Reading on the trains to and fro places was supposed to be relaxing but these days I have not been able to pack any extra books in my already overflowing bags!

I can't wait for the mini holiday I actually managed to plan for next weekend!

I am looking forward to reading blogs!!!

The little guy sitting on the chocolate pudding is saying that he"can't imagine a world without pudding"!

2010-01-29T21:21:00.001+09:00

Sometimes I wonder.....
----
I am doing much better now but am still having a hard time getting in front of the computer to do personal things like blogging... However one of my new years resolutions has to do with time management...
I miss reading all of the great blogs more than anything right now....maybe an i-pad will help?!

2009-12-05T20:09:00.001+09:00

Kyoto in the autumn is absolutely gorgeous.

How have you been?
I'm sorry for being away for so long.

----
My new job has me traveling around, which is great...this is what I had been hoping for.

But there is so much more to a job than meets the eye..

Calling people up and asking them to open their busy schedules in order to meet ME is not always an easy thing to do.

Hopefully I will get better at this...
Hopefully I will become a person who people will want to meet...

How is yor autumn ( or depending on where you live, spring!)?

2009-11-01T12:24:00.001+09:00

Unlike the Kyoto I had in my head...

2009-10-21T11:05:00.001+09:00

Been working hard...I've been thinking about my blog friends and have been wanting to update stuff but it has all been a blur... I am in Fukuoka till today but will be heading back to Osaka in a few hours...

I found lots of fish in a river nearby my mother's home...let's see if the video works!

It's huge and it's yellow....what is it?

2009-10-03T10:58:00.005+09:00

Long time no speak... I have been in Tokyo again and am finally back. I am still learning the ropes of my new job as a sales consultant for a textbook publisher. it is so far great fun to talk with a lot of "educated" people and I am learning lots.

I am VERY busy during weekdays and I sometimes will have to work on the weekends as well, but it is fairly peaceful compared to what I have done in the past...

...I am literally crying because I am happy to have TWO DAYS OFF IN A ROW. Which sounds normal but it wasn't for a long time and so I actually feel....well....blessed.

AMEN.

Anyway, on my last day off I went to Osaka's "Aqua Metrpolis Osaka 2009"... it goes on till the 12th of October and I think this is the first year that the city has "celebrated" the waterways.
They are trying to clean up the rivers and make them more popular again.

(There are several rivers in the city that used to be major waterways for distribution but highways and trucks have basically taken over.
The City has a nice website in English over here if you are interested in learning more...)

ANYWAY,
My husband and I went to see what was going on at the festival...which turned out to be much smaller than I had imagined BUT ...it was still rather interesting.

For example, what do you think this is?

Wow...how did you know?!

Yep...it just as well could be one of the world's largest...

say hello to the yellow rubber ducky...

floating in the river that runs through the Nakanoshima Park

It is 9.5 meteres tall (the size of a three story house?)

The duck was designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hoffman.

You can find out more about the rubber duck (and him) by clicking here.

There were also windmills made out of recycled plastic bottles...

Do you see the rubber ducky in the back there?

(The rubber ducky is now in a different part of Osaka...Suminoe-ku)

...

There was also a sand castle....

A Japanese style sand castle.

There was a lot more to enjoy, but since this is getting rather long, I will leave the rest for my next post...

Thank you for patiently waiting for my post...I have heard of some troubles with posting comments...I think the problem is fixed now but if you still have problems with comments could you please let me know by e-mailing me? Click here for the e-mail...no spam please ;-)

I hope you have a great weekend! I know I will!

2009-09-21T17:33:00.001+09:00

The view from the place we stayed at in the Rokko Mountains!

The air was absolutely refreshing!

We also had a great healthy breakfast!

2009-09-19T18:57:00.002+09:00

The rice is growing, making the heads of the rice stalks get heavier...they are bowing in the autumn wind....in Kyoto.

an old tower at the Toji Shrine in Kyoto...I am now going to be traveling to Kyoto quite often for work... yeah!

But I will be headed for the mountains in Kobe tomorrow with friends!

I'll let you know how everything is when I get back...Japan is having several days of holidays in a row so I am enjoying some time resting after a very eventful week at work!

2009-09-12T23:19:00.001+09:00

Have you ever seen a gold elevator?

This is an elevator in a building in Shibuya (Tokyo) that was featured a bit in the movie "Kill Bill"!

...
Don't worry, the gold isn't real...
...I think!

Thank you for your lovely comments. I have been pretty tired from all the studying and "partying".

I can't wait to get home tomorrow night and rest as well as check out my favorite blogs that I have been missing this past week!

2009-09-11T08:26:00.001+09:00

Good morning!
Another view from my phone.
This morning I got to take a bath in the sunrise...

The birds are chirping and flying about. I am grateful for all this nature, the delicious air gives me an appetite!

I will post more pictures when I get home. Today is the last day of our conference and we will be heading to Tokyo for a different seminar!

2009-09-09T22:45:00.001+09:00

The little bath!
I woke up at six am and took a bath in the rain! It was lovely!

2009-09-08T23:17:00.001+09:00

I am in Atami studying about sales and the latest products our press has to offer. There are quite a few people from other Asian offices gathered here for this seminar.

The above picture shows the view from our room. Tomorrow I will post a photo of the little bath that is on our veranda!

I haven't used the little bath yet because we all went to the larger bath. In Japan there is a saying "hadaka no tsukiai" which translates into "naked association" ...
I know ... sounds weird but it means that you get to know each other better AND trust one another more after taking a bath together. It could freak you out at first but after a couple of times you can get used to it...

2009-09-02T22:02:00.001+09:00

Tokyo night lights...are much prettier than I expected.

I'll be back home in Kansai tomorrow night. I have been enjoying Tokyo and life in my hotel room but it will be nice to sleep in my own bed for a couple of nights. I will also get to use my home PC and do some catching up with your blogs! I haven't been able to check out as much as I'd like to since I am "sort of" working...
LOL

2009-08-31T17:31:00.001+09:00

Times, they are a changin'〓

The elections in Japan for the lower house reps, ended yesterday with the Lberal Democratic Party winning a "landslide victory". Please check out this news if you haven't already. I'd love to talk more about this but I am typing this with one finger...on my, yes, phone.

I am in Tokyo because my job is "a changin'" tomorrow. I will be attending a meeting tomorrow and will be here for two more days for...I'm not sure what... but I'll let you know so long as it is not confidential ;-)

Oh, I arrived just an hour or so before the TYPHOON got here too!
The view from my phone:

I love...

2009-08-28T23:19:00.000+09:00

I love my phone. I know you are not supposed to say you love "things" because it makes you sound materialistic...how can a love for family and friends be compared to a "thing"...!

...but I still love my phone...a lot more than my previous one... AND I love Blogger because it has become soooo easy to post AND add a picture...from my phone.

Why is this such a big deal?

Because I will be going to Tokyo and other parts of Japan in September..which means I will be away from my computer. But I am greedy now. I want to read my favorite blogs and update my own blog while I'm on the road...and now I can!

I am doing the hokey pokey now...

Now, that "peach sweet" I posted (from my i-phone!) looks like this when split in half:

The outside is a crust (made from flour and sugar) and the inside is a chestnut paste with peach flavoring.

This was a gift from one of my bosses who traveled to Okayama, a prefecture in south western Japan that is famous for their gloriously delicious peaches.

Hey, I also love peaches.

Oh, and I love you too!

2009-08-28T23:00:00.001+09:00

From my i-phone...a peach manju (a mini traditional Japanese cake)

My trip to Hakata. + More tomatoes!?

2009-08-24T12:00:00.005+09:00

Hi! I am back and feeling great!

I tried getting on the internet with my new phone but the area surrounding my mother's place did not have wi-fi so it has been a week since I have been able to peek at some of my favorite blogs!

The rice paddies are green and looking nice where she lives.

In a couple of weeks the stalks will grow taller, turn brown and start to bow with heavy heads of rice grains.

While I was in Hakata I found more interesting tomato sweets!

Tomato yogurt... it tasted like... cold tomato soup... but more creamy and sweet.

This is white chocolate with tomatoes in it! When you munch on it is rather crispy, kind of like when you eat a kit-kat.
At first the aroma of white chocolate fills your mouth...
but when you swallow there is a light tang and you get a whiff of tomatoes.

...

It was hot in Hakata but I had some errands to run, and one of them took me to my alma mater.
It is a Christian school and I remember attending chapel once a week to hear the pipe organ...which I forgot to check out while I was there....

I did stop to see what was on the bulletin board:

Since my errand had to do with my "new beginning" ( a new job in September) the above bit of scripture seemed directed at me...

I can just see the trees "clap their hands"!

When I got back to Osaka, the trees had a few yellow leaves and the clouds looked farther away than they were before...an autumn sky!

There are a few errands for me to run before my magical merry Monday off is over.
Next week my Monday will be spent in Tokyo! I am so excited!

fireworks, tomato dessert and my new phone

2009-08-16T22:14:00.001+09:00

I will be visiting my mom in Fukuoka from tomorrow...I will probably not be able to do a whole lot of blogging this week since she doesn't have a computer...but with my current blogging rate, you won't even notice that I'm gone! lol

However, I will try to see if I can blog via my new phone...

Yep, you read right, my new phone:

I am a sucker for apple computers...

I have an i-pod too.... but I think my new i-phone is pretty....

Anywhooo...

Last week was packed with fun and work. I got to meet some friends and we had a great lunch and some sparkling wine...

I also treated myself to some interesting dessert that my husband found...

this is a "tomato tiramisu"

It was a little sweet and sour at the same time...not bad really!

There was also a fireworks festival not far from where I live. I got to catch a glimpse of it all between the surrounding buildings!

I'll try to get back on track with more photos and posts about Japanese culture as soon as I get back.

I'll be starting a new job in September but it should give me a lot to write about since I will be a "traveling sales person"! Autumn is my favorite season in Japan for so many reasons and I hope to share them with you too!

Dear Diary, I have been a bad blogger!

2009-08-08T22:16:00.000+09:00

Last week torrential rains devastated the south western part of Japan. Landslides took the lives of people living in the countryside...

We had a few mighty rain clouds hovering over our city as well...

but now we are out of the rainy season and it is ....HOT!
Today it was a whopping 36 degrees C (96.8 degrees F)...

I had to work today but I came home to find my husband cuddling a bag of ice.

I asked him why he didn't just turn on the air conditioning... He gave me a very earth friendly answer...

...

This is also a week in Japan for remembrance.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed on August 6th and 9th and it is the weekend before the Obon festivities begin.

Obon is held in mid August and can be loosely identified with Halloween and Memorial Day (in the States)...it is a time for family reunions and heading down to the family graveyard(s).
Willow wrote a nice poem about this and you can find it over here.

This year I will be heading over to Fukuoka to visit my mother and maybe my grandmother's grave after the Obon festivities so that I can dodge the traffic.

There's more I would like to talk about on the Obon subject but that will have to wait.

I am really posting all this to explain again why I haven't been an active blogger...

I have been away from blogging and even checking out my favorite blogs this past week because I went to Tokyo during a regular work week.

This is the first time I have ever applied for a job while still working...and I vow not to do this again...

Why?

Too stressful... Leaving a job seems to be more stressful than having to find a new one!

I still don't know if I will get the job or not but I seem to be among the last batch of recruits.

I actually had lots of fun at the interviews. I learned a lot about myself and about how I cope in stressful situations. (I have all those lovely, outrageous people who visit me at work now to thank...so everything does have a meaning!)

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I have a day off on Monday and I am going to Kobe for a lunch and book buying! I will update my week's adventures again then!

Thank you for all the encouraging messages!
I have been able to stay focused and happy because of you!

Dear Diary, where is all the zen?

2009-07-27T12:44:00.001+09:00

Thank you for your kind messages and comments... let me explain my current excuse for not being the perfect blogger...

I have been busy. I know, I know, you are too...but, please allow me to whine a bit.

4days of work, 1 day off, 5 days of work, 1 day off, and now I am getting ready for a week of
6 days of work to be followed by...

1 day off....

And work hasn't been all that great. Lots of people whining about stuff that really isn't THAT important.

Why do people threaten librarians? They must have a very difficult life if venting on me makes them feel better.... But does it REALLY make them feel better?

When you are angry and let that anger persist, all it does is consume your energy.
I really don't think it is worth it.

So...while I was being hollered at for not having a particular book at the library (it is not in my power to do anything about it...so very sorry), I decided to meditate.

Right in the middle of being hollered at...I straightened up my back, set my chin straight, looked directly at the hollerer and said....
"yes, I understand" ... repeatedly like a mantra.

I sort of zoned in by zoning out and freaked out the hollerer. hehehe

But this made me think about what the rest of the world thinks about the Japanese people.

Quiet, subdued, polite, tranquil, zen-like....what do you think?

Of course, like any other nation there are stereotypes and much more. You can't really label a whole people, can you?

I have met some angry people over the past couple of months and they have made me wonder...what happened to the mild mannered Japanese?

So, I made comfort food (which is an amazing feat for me)

Pumpkin soup, mushroom, eggplant and goya pizza with marinated beans and peppers...

and I called my mom.

According to her it was all an illusion from the beginning. "Foreigners think Japanese people are polite because Japanese tend to cram their bad attitudes into the closet when they are with foreigners. They are afraid of being disgraced. But with each other, Japanese can be rude, harsh....mean."

My mom has never really liked her own people that much.

So, I thought I would think about it myself.

Maybe it has nothing to do with nationality.

Maybe it's me.

I can't cope with being around angry people. They make me angry for making me uncomfortable.
I'd like to fight back but I know that that is like "oil on a fire"(hi ni abura wo sosogu)...it will just make matters worse.

Or maybe it's the Moon...

The total eclipse on page 1 in all the newspapers....(evening papers from the 22nd of July).

But then again, maybe someone stole the zen from Japan.

Maybe there is some kind of zen sucking vampire on the loose. In that case, I will guard my "peace of mind" with my life! I don't care if the vampire turns out to look just like Robert Pattinson... it will not suck anything from me.... except a little excess fat wouldn't be minded at all ;-)

To keep my mind from collapsing....
...on this very treasured day off, I am still waiting to hear when my next job interview is... while I read....

and meditate/yoga, and do a bit of shodo, Japanese calligraphy...my style...

in the lower right hand corner is the kanji for the word "light" (hikari光)...I have made a mix between kanji and the alphabet in the center.

Here is a more simple one for "dream" (yume夢) ...

(There is an amazing shodo artist named Kunishige Tomomi. I can't find an official website but there was one example of her work for the word "festival" (matsuri) over here.)

...

I am also working on my next "i-ro-ha" series. The next character is "chi"... and will include words like

chyouchin (lantern) ...'tis the season for lanterns and summer festivals in Japan.

My search to find the lost zen will continue...

an overview of my weekend in Nagasaki...

2009-07-18T00:04:00.004+09:00

I haven't been able to check out many blogs this past week, I'm very sorry for being a "bad blogger".

I jumped back into my work schedule after returning from Nagasaki...and I also had a job interview! Yes, I am currently hoping to get a job where I can use my English skills and previous experiences as a teacher and in book sales.

I did my best and if providence is willing I will have a second round of interviews later this month...

Let's see what happens!

Now, here is what I did in Nagasaki...again, apologies...I wasn't able to take very many photos.

It was raining when we reached Nagasaki last week. There is a famous song in Japan...

sung by

Kiyoshi Maekawa titled "It Was Raining Again In Nagasaki"

It was a bumpy flight sometimes but we had a smoooooth landing...

There was a very strange looking (and gigantic) bowl of noodles in the airport to greet us.

It was supposed to be a model of the local delicacy called "chanpon" but it looks nothing like the real thing!

Here is a picture of the real thing...the picture doesn't capture the actual deliciousness of the dish though...sorry!

Chanpon is a bowl of noodles in chicken and pork broth with cabbage, bean sprouts, shrimp etc...
It is a combination of Japanese and Chinese food.

There are many Chinese descendants living in Nagasaki and that is why a lot of the Buddhist ceremonies and other festivities in Nagasaki have a very China-like atmosphere.

For example usually cemeteries in Japan are quiet...but the first summer after a loved one has passed away, in Nagasaki cemeteries...do not be surprised if you hear a lot of people lighting firecrackers. The loud crackling sounds are supposed to scare off bad spirits.

Lots and lots of firecrackers!...this is from the Chinese culture that has become a part of Nagasaki.

(I'd show some pictures from 2 years ago, but I'm not sure everyone would be interested in seeing me in a dark cemetery lighted by an orange-ish flame...;-))

...

Speaking of flames....since it was raining most of the time that we were in Nagasaki and because our main purpose of being there was to "commemorate" the 2nd year after my father-in-law's death, we didn't go out much. So with the couple of hours of free time, I read some of my husband's old manga that he had in his room.

Hinotori (the Phoenix) by Tezuka Osamu.

All 5 episodes are set in different times but the main character, the Phoenix, appears in all of them.

I wanted to bring these back with us but our suitcase was full...so next time I will try to post more about this epic tale of life!

...

In Japan there are many memorial services that are tied in with both Shinto and Buddhist religions.
There is the "tsuya" = kind of like a wake
the shonanuka=a memorial after the seventh day of passing
the shijukunichi=a memorial after the 49th day
the isshuki= a year after
the sankaiki = "san" means 3, but in this term it is actually the second year after...

I know, VERY confusing.

This year was the "sanakaiki" memorial service, the second year since my father-in-law passed away.

We listened to a Buddhist monk chant for about 40 minutes. My mother-in-law, my husband and myself had front row seats. I could hear people getting restless in the back...
I used this extremely long chant to "meditate". I closed my eyes, held my buddhist beads (like Catholic rosaries) and concentrated on my father-in-law's smile.

If someone stands in front of you, or waves their hand in front of your face when you have your eyes closed...you can tell, can't you? You can feel their presence without having to open your eyes...

...I had my eyes closed but I KNEW someone ELSE was there, right in front of me. Unless, the Buddhist monk was doing an unexpected jig around us...

Of course I can't be sure, but I wasn't scared. I felt calm and rather peaceful.

After the chanting, our party of 23 people sat down to eat a huge lunch.

Some relatives stopped by my mother-in-laws home. I had to shuffle around in the kitchen to prepare things to eat and drink. I can't cook, at least not for relatives...and ordered chanpon and other dishes from a local restaurant. I did cut some fruit though! ;-)

(My own "story" reminds me of a book I am looking forward to reading that should be released sometime this September. It is by Marie Mutsuki Mockett and she has written a very interesting essay about Buddhist funerals and Japanese society. Please click here to read it.)

...

..and then the day we had to leave Nagasaki...it wasn't raining anymore!

...and from the car ride to the airport I was able to take a few pictures of the beautiful countryside.

Nagasaki grows a lot of fruit and vegetables... some people have asked me about the effects of the nuclear bombs...they wanted to know if it was safe to eat food grown in Nagasaki..."isn't the radiation supposed to last for a long long time?" they asked me.

There was a news article recently about how a researcher found that people who were in the area of the bombings still carry some radiation in their cells. However, since the bombs went off in the air and not on impact with the earth it is said that there is not enough radiation in the soil to be lethal.

...

The airport is an hours drive from Nagasaki City...in Omura City (Nagasaki Prefecture).

It is has recently been renovated! it is small but it's sparkly clean!

AND there is a new lounge!

This is what I saw from the lounge. You can see some of Omura City at the foot of the hills and the Omura Bay.

Before we boarded our plane back to Osaka, I noticed the green Nagasaki sign right behind our airplane.

It looks like our airplane is being sucked on by a huge elephant snout!

LOL

Hope you have a great weekend!

i-ro-ha #7 "to"

2009-07-10T20:02:00.002+09:00

I spent an hour constructing a post for this splendid character "to"....only to have it deleted in a split second. aaaahhhh%$#"!

So, here is a quickie because I am not up to rewriting a hour's worth of "work"....

"to" is pronounced like the "to" in the word : toe

と is splendid because it means : and

words that begin with to:

tori = bird

I went outside hoping to take a picture of a bird but I was met by clouds....I think all the birds have flown away because it looks like some rain is headed this way...

tobu = to fly

と

a famous peson in Japanese history:

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

1537-1598

Toyotomi was born into a common farmer family. He is often described to have been a peasant.

He had a nickname after being hired by the local warlord Oda Nobunaga... Saru (means monkey).

The nickname comes from his small stature and his always running around wild like a monkey.

Toyotomi lived "The Japanese Dream" by becoming a Shogun from such a low status.

You would think he would be willing to give other people a chance to climb the samurai ladders...

In 1588 he did a national sword hunt and prohibited the change of status. He is a popular figure in Japanese history but I don't really like him...maybe that is why my 1 hour piece of work all vanished into cyberspace...I am living in a city that used to be his home base. A couple of minutes on the train will take me to the remains of his castle...

photo from wikipedia since I haven't visited the palace yet...

....

more words that start with "to"

tombo = dragonfly

と

toshokan = library

と(and) of course the most important one:

tomodachi = friend

thank you for being a friend!

Hope you have a lovely weekend, I will be going to Nagasaki for a couple of days from tomorrow!

(no internet access but I will hopefully be back with something interesting to talk about)

Dear Diary, I believe in wormholes

2009-07-09T00:58:00.002+09:00

These past two weeks have been...very strange. I can't even explain why.

Let's just say that I feel like I have been in a wormhole...

I'd be in one place and before you know it...wham!...somewhere else...

Totally trippy week.

So...instead of going on and on about time and space...here are a few snippets of what I saw and did....

I went shopping for new slacks because I ripped a pair (!?) and at the department store I noticed the displays for yukata...the traditional Japanese kimono for summertime. Times are changing, the bow arrangements (obi) are so different these days!

I finally got my visa renewed....it cost 4,000 yen for a three year VISA.

After you get your VISA renewed in Japan, you have to go to your local city office or ward office in order to have them update your residency status on the "alien registration card" you are required to have with you 24-7.

A few years ago I forgot to do this and got "scolded" at my ward office.

Hilarious.

When I went to my local city office to get this done, I noticed that they had an interesting sign out front...

It says:　photochemical smog official report bulletin board
There are 4 different levels and the higher the forecasts get the more you are urged to stay indoors.

We haven't had an alert since I moved to this city, but it is historically known for pollution with a few lawsuits still pending.

I think it was last year or the year before, a city I used to work in had to actually cancel schools because of this "photochemical smog" stuff... Children where becoming ill from running around outside! Argh.

...

Oh, and then it was the 4th of July and since (according to my passport and all those VISA papers), I am American I had my own little celebration...senkou hanabi! (Japanese sparkler type fire crackers).
The picture came out...really...weird...but here it is:

Happy Independence Day!
I forget who is independent of whom sometimes...but I love America for all it is and all it can be.

And after July 4th comes my special anniversary.

I came to Japan 24 years ago on July 7th.

July 7th in Japan (and I think China too?) is Tanabata.
The day Hikoboshi and Ori Hime (a couple who became the stars Altair and Vega) get to meet in the heavens after a year of being seperated by the Milky Way.

Setting aside the Milky Way's major control issues..it is said that if you write a wish on pretty paper and tie it to a bamboo tree, the two stars will make your wish come true since they are so happy to be together on this one special day... if it doesn't rain.

I use to wonder if I came to Japan to meet my Altair...

as my husband guzzles beer and stares at his mobile phone on the couch...

I wonder....

ANYWHOO

I went outside on Tanabata night to see if I could see at least one star. But even without a "photochemical smog alert" it was just plain cloudy since it is the rainy season...

But I did get a glimpse of the moon:

turned out harry Potter-ish...

In between shopping for pants, getting my VISA and staring at the sky, I did a teeny bit of housework and found a box of books that I had brought with me to Japan 24 years ago...

The one in the middle (Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak) is a new edition (obviously since it was published just a few years ago, a non fiction book about the people behind the name of the author Carolyn Keene):

I use to be an avid reader of Nancy Drew books... I was shocked to find out that Carolyn Keene was not a "real" person... Although I don't read these books anymore I can't bring myself to get rid of them...
I'm hoping that one of these days I will be able to display them on my "mystery-books-shelf"...

(I'm aiming for a look similar to Delwyn's and a tad bit similar to what I found on Jamie's blog with a pinch of Laura's taste....)

Without sufficient shelf space I have recently made my pile of books larger with these:

I also bought a magazine, something I haven't been doing lately since they ARE SO EXPENSIVE...
(2000 yen for the latest issue of MONOCLE!)

The Big Issue is a magazine I buy every chance I get...I wrote about it before here.
And since Willow introduced some of her favorite magazines and I thought it would be neat for me to do too, here are some of my favorites:

I can't buy the New Yorker and Mental Floss now because the company that I used to work for was the importer of these magazines...and well...the company went bankrupt last year.

The Rolling Stone I can still buy as well as Marie Claire idees (which I can't read since it is in French but I just love the pictures and crafts!)

One of my favorite Japanese magazines is Tennen Seikatsu and it features recipes, eco friendly crafts, and lifestyles....

Speaking of lifestyles, hopefully I will be able to get back on track soon.
I will be going to Nagasaki over the weekend for a Buddhist ceremony...my father-in-law's third year after passing away...
...

Before the weekend I will have to write 1 report, update an English manual (all for work) and pack... and all the other stuff in between that people need to do...like read.

!

Which reminds me that I need to write about Pope Joan ( a book I finished reading which was great!) and I still haven't blogged about a concert I went to....

!

which reminds me that I am going to a Simon and Garfunkel concert next week!

...

I better go to sleep now before I remind myself of more stuff...

Hope you are having a splendid week!

i-ro-ha #6 "he" and my attempts at youtubing

2009-06-29T23:57:00.002+09:00

it is important to know that this character "he" is pronounced like the "he" in "head" or "helicopter"

I think it is a "silly" character.

When the "e" sound is drawn out "heeeee" it is the sound people make when they mean "is that so?" or "really?!".

Two nouns that start with he:

he = a fart

...

heso = a bellybutton

...see how "silly" it is?

Well then, how about this...using the characters he, no, mo and ji
you can draw a frowning (but funny) face...
(I have no idea when and who thought this up but it has been around for a long time and I am pretty sure all Japanese people are familiar with this...)

"henohenomheji" starring I_am_Tulsa:

If someone says that your mouth is shaped like a he that means you look unhappy.

(BTW, I couldn't upload video from my computer so I had to make a youtube account....argh. I soooo wanted to stay away from this... I think it is some kind of google conspiracy...)

...

A colorful time in Japanese history, for someone who enjoys literature, would have to be...
the Heian Period. (794-1185)

This is when that famous Harlequin-like story about a prince and his "conquests" (The Tale of Genji) was written by Murasaki Shikibu (a court lady). It is said that Murasaki Shikibu didn't actually finish the tale (some even say that she didn't write it :-S), but with things like this...you just never know.

The Pillow Book, a witty diary written by Sei Shonagon (another court lady!) was also written during the Heian Period.

Then there is "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" ("Taketori Monogatari" ) a story about a moon princess being raised up by a bamboo cutter and his wife, that was written during the Heian Period. There was a great movie that was released in the 1980's titled "Princess from the Moon" which made me realize that this story could very well have been one of the first science fiction stories in the world!

Another era that begins with he is the Heisei Period.
It began in 1989 when the current emperor ascended the throne and since it is the current era, I find this to be a rather important period!

The unveiling of the name for the new era was of course shown on tv back then, and I found a clip on..yes, youtube:
speed it up to 56 seconds and you will see the kanji...

The man "unveiling" the name is Keizo Obuchi.
At this time he was chief cabinet secretary. Later on he became the 84th Prime Minister of Japan.
Unfortunately, he passed away while still in office in the year 2000.

The kanji for Heisei is supposed to mean Peace on earth and heaven....

The word for peace in Japanese is HEIWA

a nice word in any language I suppose...

But, back to the silliness of he

hesokuri = a secret savings (usually a wife's)

a silly phrase...
heso wo mageru = to turn your bellybutton....this means to "become perverse"... which usually happens when a husband finds out that his wife has a secret savings ;-)

Sorry that I didn't have any pictures of Japan to post today.... it has been a really weird week...and I am surprised that I even got this post posted...

Hope you all have a great and heiwa-na (peaceful) week!

5 favorite meme

2009-06-24T00:13:00.002+09:00

Jelica over at Budapest Bits has tagged me with my very first meme!
(You can see her very interesting favorites by clicking here.)

I am supposed to list 5 of my favorite things for the following 5 different topics...so here it goes!

✐5 favorite songs
■Dream On by Aerosmith
■Madeleine Bas-de-laine by Tete
■Dejame Entrar by Carlos Vives
■Eyala by Richard Bona
■Koishikute by Begin (A Japanese band from Okinawa)

(choosing 5 favorite songs was the hardest for me...I could choose at least 5 songs for every country, I have so many favorite artists and songs! )

✐5 favorite movies
■Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
■Lord of the Rings trilogy
■Hotel Hibiscus ( a Japanese movie about a little girl and her interesting family set in Okinawa)
■The Great Dictator
■Stat Wars

(Star Wars was my first favorite as a kid so that will probably stay on the list forever. Amélie has been a favorite ever since it's release too. I love a lot of Charlie Chaplin movies, so tomorrow I might want to choose Modern Times instead...but Chaplin will forever be on my list. I was really tempted to include Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry...and then there are all the Ghibli movies...oh well...)

✐5 favorite books
■Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (ever since I read it a couple of years ago)
■The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (ever since the 6th grade)
■Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (the move from Oklahoma to California overlaps with my own history...of course, totally different times and circumstances but still....)
■Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien (ever since the 4th grade)
■Opposite of Faith by Amy Tan (her autobiography made me laugh so hard...)

(gosh, this was hard too...)

✐5 favorite crushes
■Keanue Reeves (I even went to his band's concert 3 times...the band Dogstar...I don't know what
happened to them though....)
■James Dean
■Denzel Washington
■David Boreanaza (from Buffy, Angel and most recently, the tv series Bones...)
■Jensen Ackles (from the tv series Supernatural)

(These guys are all so cool.)

✐5 favorite random things
■strawberries
■mashed potatoes
■tatami
■the smell, texture and sound of a hardcover book
■bubble wrap (I love popping bubble wrap....)

I think I am supposed to tag 5 people, am I supposed to tag 5 people?
If I'm not supposed to tag...well, these people have great blogs so check them out regardless of this meme!...

Lola at http://agliooliopeperoncino.blogspot.com
Dee at http://lucyslounge-dee.blogspot.com/
Alaine at http://coccinella-ladybug.blogspot.com/
Carol at http://thewritersporch.blogspot.com
Frances at http://cityviewscountrydreams.blogspot.com/

i-ro-ha #5 "ho"

2009-06-21T20:56:00.000+09:00

Some of my favorite words start with "ho".
So for today's edition of "i-ro-ha" you may learn more about me than Japan.

For example:
hon = book
hondana = bookcase ... some people say you can judge a person's personality from their bookshelves...in that case, I could have all sorts of personalities!

hoshi = star

Tonight is cloudy, so no stars. Well...not very many stars can be seen in this city anyways...
(by the way the book you can sort of see in the picture... has been with me for about 30 years)

...

hochoucho = E major ... Chopin's Etude No3. in E major "Vhanson de l'adieu" Op.10-3 is one of my
favorites...(I like Fujiko Hemming's piano performance. She is a pianist who I will post
about someday.)
...

"ho" is also the sound of relief... when you say "hotto shita" it means "I am relieved."

...

Another word that starts with "ho" is "honki", which means "earnest" or "seriousness".
In kanji, written by poet and calligrapher Aida Mitsuo (last name comes first in Japanese), it looks like this

The meaning of the kanji for "hon" means "real" (also is the same kanji for book!)
"ki" means "mind, spirit" (also means atmosphere).

...honki...

This is from the cover of a book my dear friend Blossom gave to me a few years ago...

(book design by happy and happy, book published by bunka shuppan kyoku)

The title of the book "Honki" comes from a poem in the book also featured on the above cover.

This book contains English translations but for the sake of copyright and stuff...here is my own translation of the poem:

Earnestly

Anythings is fine - just be sure to do it earnestly
It will be fun - if you do it earnestly
You won't get tired - if you do it earnestly
And even if you do get tired - it will be a refreshing kind of tired

As you might be able to tell from the above cover, Aida Mitsuo's form of calligraphy looks care free and not confined to strict rules...

So, in the same vein, without thinking too much, yet being earnest...my attempt at writing the letters for the word "hotaru" which means "firefly"... posing with my firefly stationery!

Here's a sentence using some words we learned today...
本気でやればほっとするでしょう。
Honki de yareba hotto surudeshou.
If you try in earnest, you will surely be relieved.

Now I must earnestly go and make (a late) dinner!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

my week of sunshine, memories and lame excuses

2009-06-19T23:50:00.001+09:00

Every year it happens...the Japan Meteorological Agency announces the official start of the rainy season. Then, the next day, it starts to rain....sunshine.

Gloriously hot and partly to mostly sunny weather have been the norm for the past week.

A shortage of rain will lead to a summer with a low water supply. Although this is not such a good thing, I couldn't help but be happy since I finally got to hang out the futon!

I know you may not be interested in my blankets, I just thought I'd show you how Japanese people 'hang out their laundry'. ;^)

As you might be able to tell from the above picture, we live "pretty high up" so it can be freaky to hang things over your veranda, but this is the way it is done, complete with huge futon pins to keep the covers from blowing away. THAT would be dreadful...

Anywhoo...

The great weather also meant I could do a little more digging around in our "still unopened boxes room", ie: the den. What should come out of boxes? More boxes! This is a small portion of the boxes I have accumulated over the past couple of years...

I got to air them out...and then put them back in boxes....lol. I think I need "help"...

...

Then I found an old suitcase, and lo and behold, Tulsa circa 1975!

My passport photo.

I didn't take this picture for posting purposes, it was just a random thing I did since I am practically glued to my camera these days. But when I looked at it later, I realized that I had my picture squeezed in between East and West....My first Japanese fan that I used when I was learning traditional Japanese dancing and my infant dress.

With this first passport I came to Japan with my mother to meet her side of the family for the very first time.

My grandmother's house is in a place that resembles the scenery in the Japanese animated film Totoro, so on that first trip I felt like an Asian version of Alice In Wonderland.

Instead of following a white rabbit, I would follow white butterflies. Instead of meeting a caterpillar I met koi. The Cheshire Cat... well, let's just say...my Aunt was there.

I look at that picture and think, who IS that girl?

That little girl wanted to be a veterinarian. She ended up being a... vegetarian...

She also wanted to be a movie director ended up being a radio show director.

She also wanted to be an author...and well, still does.

I had a great elementary school teacher who taught me the pleasures of reading and story telling.

My mother also played a big part in my love for books. With her "unique" English accent she would read me bedtime stories and I would memorize them. The next day, I would be the story teller.

We come up with so many reasons to let go of our dreams...not enough money, not enough time, too many worries... I've used them all too. But I've also been able to do many things that I dreamed of...

I've met some pretty famous people too... so I wonder why I shy away from the things that I want to do the most. Fear.

Fear of failure.

What a lame excuse...

I think I'll air that out too.

Airing out my fear of failure as we write.

....

Upcoming "i-ro-ha series" will be on the Japanese character "ho".
Coincidentally, a word that starts with "ho" is:
"hosu" = to air, to dry

Hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are!

i-ro-ha #4 "ni"

2009-06-15T18:03:00.001+09:00

The fourth character to introduce in the "i-ro-ha" series is "ni".

Words that start with "ni":

ni = two

niji = rainbow

ningen = human

not to be confused with...

ninjin = carrot

oh, oh, oh NINJA!

and of course another word that starts with "ni" is NIPPON or NIHON. You know this as JAPAN.

a land of grey buildings and red gates...

Here is the kanji for Nihon

Rice paddy near my mother's home...

I started this series as an attempt to describe Japan, and here I am trying to explain the word Japan (Nihon) in one session.

...uh... not going to happen.

So allow me to focus just a little on religion.

Japan is often called a Buddhist country and although that is not a false statement it only captures one side of Japan's spirituality.

Buddhism was popularized in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185~1333).

One of the most well known religious figures of the time was a man whose name starts with todays letter "Ni"(に).

Nichiren (1222~1282).

He founded the Nichiren sect which focuses on the Lotus Sutra.

The most influential sect that embraces the teachings of Nichiren would have to be the Soka Gakkai. They are popular overseas as well, with many famous musicians and other celebrities among their followers. They are known in Japan for their ties with the Komeito, a political party that is now one of the ruling parties.

Other Buddhist sects are the Jodo, Jodo-Shin and of course Zen, just to name a few.

So, if Buddhism doesn't have that long of a history in Japan... then, what is an indigenous Japanese religion?

Shintoism?

The kanji characters mean "the way (or path) of god".

a shinto shrine I pass during my commute...

I'll try to take better pictures someday.

Two chronicles written in the 8th century (the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki) are known as Japan's first history books. They are books that show how mythology and history are intertwined in this country.

Amaterasu-no-omikami is one of the 3 original gods and is part of the root of Shintoism. There are more gods though...Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto were husband and wife and they gave birth to dozens of gods who also gave birth to gods...

Included in the ranks of the gods, was the Emperor. Emperors were deified up until the end of World War 2, after which religion was separated from government.

(I remember seeing a picture of the Showa Emperor (the current Emperor's father) hanging on a wall at my Japanese grandmother's house when I was about 4 years old... I don't know what happened to it after my grandparents passed away.)

Another aspect of Shintoism that started before the word Shinto was put into use, is the belief in...well...almost everything!

Japan is the land of ... Yaoyorozu-no-kami (八百万の神）. It means, 8 million gods.

I'm not kidding.

Eight million gods.

There is a god in everything. Not just the elements like earth, wind and fire, but also in all species.

Animism?

There are spirits in all things and all spirits are divine, and have powers.

There is another saying in Japan...

Iwashi no atama mo shinjin kara. = Even a sardine's head can be worshiped.

This means that "faith can make anything holy".

Although the saying is rather critical and not used as praise, I think there is a lot of wisdom and beauty in worshipping nature.

This philosophy has enriched Japanese culture (example: paintings and kimono designs.) and literature (example: haiku which has now become quite the phenomenon!).

Although the Japan I know of now seems to be letting these ideals slip through their fingers

new buildings being built all over the place...

I have hope that some of the ancient philosophy will be revived and live on.

Movies like "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away" show the basics of the Shinto philosophy...without the preaching.

oh and another word that starts with "ni":
ninjou = human nature
this is always used in a good way, focused on the warmth and kindness of humans...

Thank you for reading this extremely long post...and thank you for visiting!

plates and dishes

2009-06-12T17:00:00.002+09:00

Willow at Willow Manor and her friend at About New York posted some beautiful plates on their blogs and ...well... I thought...

since I still haven't found all the boxes with my tableware in it, maybe this would be the perfect type of thing to give me the incentive to move my butt and get those plates found!

This plate comes in a box made of paulownia. Lots of precious things in Japan are kept in boxes or drawers made of this wood. The Kanji on the box (the one in the middle 皿) is "sara" and it means plate (or dish).　It was made by the potter, Ryoshu. He is one of the many brilliant potters from Arita in Saga Prefecture (located on the western coast of the Kyushu island).

This next plate is from the Maebata China Corporation.

I like how the inside is a simple blue and white with a gold rim and the outside is...

red, gold and black.

This will never go into the microwave...

and now for some smaller dishes...since Japan may have many large plates, we often use lots of small dishes to decorate the dining table...

these are the ones I use on a daily basis. They are from one of my most favorite china makers in Japan... Fukagawa.

..and then there is one very simple dish.

I use this one for "edamame" (boiled green soybeans)...sorry I don't have any today...

This is a simple dish, I have lost the details on who made it.

I like how it fits perfectly into my hand.

There is a shiny glazed area but it also has a rough, granola type feel to it too.

The bamboo leaves are the accent... in which this dish speaks.

Dear Diary, just stuff I saw these past few days

2009-06-08T10:32:00.012+09:00

The last couple of days: taken from my phone camera's point of view....

1. a book I bought a few months ago and totally forgot about...but remembered last night when I was making my list of "100 Japanese authors to read". (click here for an almost finished list)

This is a book titled "a book of women author's - Meiji Era born authors edition" by Ichikawa Noriko. (I just found out that she has a magazine titled....."Iroha" .... unfortunately the last one was published in 2007 and there hasn't been a new one out yet. I'll try to find one of the 5 issues that have so far been published!)

This is a book of 150 pages and it introduces 6 authors (born in the Meiji Era: 1868 ~1912) with timelines, pictures of their most favorite belongings, book covers and sometimes pictures of their homes and offices...

(click here and you will be taken to the publisher's website...all in Japanese but some very nice books...)

2. I found a mushroom underneath the book return box at my local library....

It looks like a shiitake, but I'm not sure!

3. On my way home the other day, I was staring out the train window and I saw a rainbow.

I thought, "awww, if only I could take a picture..."

Then, when I got off at the train station, the rainbow was still there! It was starting to fade away, so I took the picture with my phone...can you still see it?

Then an even stranger thing happened...I was looking at the new "blogs of note" and found out that that person was looking at the EXACT SAME rainbow!

The rainbow is a bit more clear in his picture over here: is my English strange

The world is so big, yet so small...

i-ro-ha #3 "ha!"

2009-06-04T20:36:00.000+09:00

Ha!

This letter is normally pronounced "ha" but when it is used as a "topic marker particle" it is pronounced "wa".

words that start with “ha” (は):

ha = a leaf (also happa is leaf), leaves

ha= a tooth, teeth

(this is a restaurant in Kobe)

hahaha = the sound of laughter ;-)

hai = yes

haru = spring

haha = the sound of laughter?

Well, actually “haha” means “mother”…

For me, the words “laughter” and “mother”, are kind of the same thing.

My father passed away when I was a toddler. So my mother brought me up on her own….in a country that was not her homeland. She spoke English like her life depended on it, and well, I suppose it did.

Despite the grief she held inside her after my father passed away, she is the person who taught me to laugh. There wasn’t a week that I didn’t get scolded but there wasn’t a day that we didn’t laugh out loud. (All my personal “Joy Luck Club-ish” memories can go into another post…)

More words that start with “ha” are:

hashi = chopsticks

hashi = bridge

hashi =edge

If we didn’t use Kanji, it could be hard to figure out what the above sentence means.

But with Kanji....

Pretty chopsticks.

♦

A pretty bridge.

♦

A pretty edge.

I know this picture does not make a whole lot of sense, but that is the point...after all you COULD be talking about the edge of your seat!

There are many other words like "hashi" that seem to be the same but are very different.

They will continue to pop up in upcoming editions of the "i-ro-ha" series.

(hasami = scicors)

✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄

Since I received a wonderful question from a fabulous bloggy friend about how Japanese is written...here is an example of a short paragraph. This first one is written in only the Hiragana characters (I keep calling them letters).

(Hiragana are the letters that I am featuring on this "i-ro-ha" series.)

(watashinonamaewatarusadesu.nihonnokotowoburogudeshoukaishiteimasu.

kyouwa,hiraganano"ha"dehajimarumonowoshoukaishiteimasu.nihonnituiteshitumongaareba

komentowonokoshitekudasaine.)

Yikes! Of course it is still readable but VERY confusing...

Since Japanese is written stuck together (except for the occasional commas and periods), the above paragraph is hard to read because there is no break. So, let's change some of these words into Kanji characters and Katakana letters, which will help divide the words.

(Katakana letters are used for words that are of foreign origin or for onomatopoeia. )

Now we know that this means: My name is Tulsa. I am introducing Japan on my blog.

Today, I am introducing words that start with "ha". If you have any questions about Japan, please leave a comment.

(Sorry the blue didn't turn out so well in the above paragraph...but "Tulsa" is a foreign name, so it is in katakana and "comment" is also a foreign word used in Japanese now, so also gets written in katakana.)

✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄

Pictures of "hashi-oki".

Hashi-oki are chopstick rests. Most people have them but not everybody uses them everyday.

Always use when you are having guests at the table! The one that has chopsticks resting on it has a hidden compartment in it for a toothpick! I bought this in Hokaido a few years ago.

And of course when I found elephant ones, how cold I resist!?

Now, it is time for me to rest....

haPPy day off...

2009-06-01T10:52:00.008+09:00

I don't have a whole lot to say today... been busy getting things together for renewing my visa etc...

But just to let people see what I saw the other day...

Things I bought and saw on my HaPPy day off...

polka dots

iron-on patches

pretty beads from Indonesia...

purplish hydrangeas

more purplish hydrangeas

and of course...pink!

What's coming up soon on "the art of living in Japan":

◆the letter "ha" (は）

◆"realistic things" you have to do to "live in Japan"

◆Japanese book list

i-ro-ha #2 "ro"

2009-06-01T00:35:00.002+09:00

ro : the second letter of the “i-ro-ha”.

This is only the second letter but it is probably going to be the hardest one to feature.

There aren’t very many names that start with “ro”…. Rosanjin!

Rosanjin is a famous calligrapher, potter and food critique. He passed away 50 years ago but his philosophy on food and the dishes that they should be served on has continued to influence Japanese cuisine.

I wish I could take a picture of the real thing, but this will have to do for today...

a book about Rosanjin and his ceramics.

The most well used word that starts with “ro” would have to be…

the number 6 = 六 = ろく= roku

Other words that start with “ro”:

roba = donkey

roudou = labor

("rou" is pronounced like "row" in "row a boat" but the "r" sound is actually in between an L and an R... it can be very hard to say correctly at first)

roudoku = reading aloud

rouka = hallway, passageway

There is a very strange passageway in Osaka.

There is “trick art” painted on the walls.

rou = wax

rousoku = candle = ろうそく

These are Wa (Japanese) Rousoku. Traditional Japanese candles are “vegetarian”. They are made from wax taken from wax trees.

The candles in my picture are about 9cm in length and will stay lit for about 55 minutes each.

Wa Rousoku need tending to.

You can’t just light one and walk away. The wick needs to be cut off after a while so that the flame doesn’t get too big and start to smoke.

You could call this inconvenient but the purpose of the candle is not just to light a room.

A candle is also used for guiding the soul…

In Japan when you pray to your ancestors there is almost always a candle lit. Whether the religion is Shinto (like my mother’s side of the family) or Buddhism (like my husband’s side of the family) there is a candle.

In Shinto there is often more than one candle.

Buddhists light one candle and with that flame you burn incense.

When you tend to the light of a candle it becomes a natural way of meditation.

Be careful not to cut off too much of the wick, make sure you cut off enough.

The light of a Wa Rousoku is bright enough to read by…even the tiny one that I lit.

roudoku by rousoku

(reading aloud by candelight)

Dear Diary, my tiny shopping spree

2009-05-28T22:18:00.000+09:00

It was rainy in the Kobe, Osaka area today. It was also my day off.

Since I needed to get out of the house after being cooped up a lot, I went to Motomachi, Kobe.

The suppressed shopaholic in me went a bit bonkers at my favorite bookstore. You can seen what I bought here.

The following picture is a stack of papers I bought at a Fair Trade store at the very end of the Motomachi mall.

Made in Bangladesh and very beautiful. The textures are rather unique too.

Then I went to a lovely store that sold all things Japanese.

Kimonoesque patterns for hair bands and clips.

I wish I could have taken pictures but the books were pretty heavy....lol