Kon’nichiwa!
We had a round 2 of heavy snowfall in Tottori, that may have been worse than the first, but this time people were prepared. And we did what any Floridian would have done in that situation… stayed home.
Continue reading
Windy Days
It gets windy in town, what with winter fronts moving through the mountains.
And yes, my umbrella was only 50 yen (about 47 cents US), and I did get it from the second hand store, but it is a very nice umbrella. It just no longer “umbrells” very well.
Until next time,
-R
Precipitation
I haven’t lived in a place with constant snow fall for years, and Andrea never has. That said, besides the de-centralized heating, we’re handling it pretty well.
And Andrea got to build her first snowman!
Until next time, Stay Warm! And Awesome!
-R
We’re Back (Merry Belated Christmas to You Too)
Greetings and Konnichiwa from Tottori!
Sorry for the long break between posts, but we just got back from Tokyo. I’ll be making several posts about different aspects of the trip, so be sure to check back in a few days for updates. As for the comic, if you are unfamiliar with Japanese culture, allow me to explain.
There are no Turkeys in Japan. So back in the 70’s when tourists and US Soldiers were looking for Christmas dinner and there was no turkey to be found, they opted for the next best thing: Chicken.
Kentucky Fried Chicken then seized this opportunity and made a huge campaign pushing the idea that an authentic American Christmas dinner, is a bucket of KFC chicken. Many other stores have also embraced this, so you’ll see special holiday chicken buckets on sale everywhere.
While in Tokyo, there may be many KFC’s, in smaller towns and prefectures, you sometimes have to order your bucket 2 months in advance via an in-store order form.
My wife and I decided to skip the KFC lines, and just had some chicken from the local SunMart.
Greasiest chicken I’ve ever had.
Until next time, STAY AWESOME!
-R
Spiders of Tottori
Konbonwa ‘Er’body!
I’ve been meaning to draw this comic for a while.
When I first arrived to Tottori, I noticed something…
http://www.natureoz.net/zukax301.htm
This is Joro-Gumo, scientific name Nephila Clavata. This is considered the queen of Japanese spiders, because it is found EEEEEEEeeeeeverywhere in the fall, from Hokkaido all the way to Okinawa. Even when I visited Tokyo, this spider was found in city far away from parks or nature of any kind.
With the onset of Winter, most of these spiders will die off, leaving their eggs to hatch late next summer.
Oh Joy!
Until next time, STAY AWESOME!
-R
Sunday Summary, Dec 11, 2016
Konnichiwa Ya’ll,
The temperature here is dropping, so we’re not going out as much, but we’re still having a pretty good time.
Here’s a Sunday Summary of some of the little every day things we do.
Book on Japanese Culture I’m Reading:
Bushido
by Inazo Nitobe
In the late 19th and Early 20th Century, Japan was undergoing a huge cultural shift. Inazo Nitobe sought enshrine and explain the Samurai Martial Culture in this book.
Food I’m digging:
Donburi
My favorite japanese dish being KatsuDon, Donburi is a dish that puts an egg, onion, and broth mixture over rice, usually with a meat. I occasionally make a variation of it for breakfast.
Book I’m Using to Learn Japanese:
Read Japanese Today
by Len Walsh
Many Japanese learning channels will preach the “gospel” of Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji, which is a fine reference book, but is a terrible starting point for kanji beginners as the book has NO pronunciation, and is altogether as exciting as reading a dictionary.
I instead recommend Read Japanese Today which not only gives you the On’Yomi and Kun’Yomi pronuncations, but also the etymology (Word History) of 400 basic kanji and radicals.
Until next time, Stay Awesome!
-R
Sunday Summary, Nov 27, 2016
Konnichiwa Ya’ll,
I hope all of you are doing well out there in Internet Land (is that a thing?).
As most of the news we post on the blog has to do with major things we do in Japan with our free time, I’m sure some of you are curious as to what some of the day to day Japanese items we interact with are.
So I now present to you a Sunday Summary:
Book on Japanese Culture I Just Finished Reading:
Winning Pachinko -The Game of Japanese Pinball
Most Westerners are confused by Pachinko, because at first glance it looks to be a game similar to slot machines, but where you don’t actually win any money.
This book clears up some of the confusion of this “totally not gambling” game, and offers some history and strategy.
Food I’m Digging:
Yakisoba
Popular dish at cultural festivals and street carts, Andrea and I have been making our own versions at home, usually sticking to soba, chikuwa (fish cake), onions, mushrooms, and peppers. Pan fry and top with with yakisoba sauce for a delicious and filling meal.
Cultural Activity I’m Trying:
Shodo (Calligraphy)
“Ri”= Logic; “Naru”=Growth, “Do”=Fight
At one of the local community centers they offer bunka (Japanese culture) classes. As I’m not fluent in Japanese, or familiar with writing kanji, I’ll be sitting in the kid’s class for now.
You gotta start somewhere.
Japanese Band I’m Liking:
While J-Pop can be enjoyable, it often ends up being very repetitive and too bubbly for my taste. I love Frederic because they have a very unique sound among bands from around the world. The above song is one of my favorites.
Book I’m Using to Learn Japanese:
Japanese for Busy People – Vol 1 & 2
Let’s be honest, we’re all busy people.
At first glance, this book doesn’t seem very alluring with it’s somewhat dated cover, but this book really helped me in my studies by allowing me to get full lessons in nightly. The biggest hurdle when you’re first learning a language is sticking with daily learning until the seeds stay planted. The first volume’s chapters are short enough to get done in 1-2 hour sittings depending on your pace. After two weeks there was a noticeable difference in my Japanese comprehension.
I recommend trying any of these activities for yourselves, to get a taste of Japanese culture.
Until next time, Stay Awesome!
-R
Hiroshima – The Homecoming, Pt 1
Over the weekend of November 5th, Andrea and I went to Hiroshima. The main thing I want to let you know before we go any further:
Hiroshima is not a desolate wasteland ruined by the nuclear bomb.
Although the city is known for being the first city to be attacked with an atom bomb, it has long since recovered.
There is a thriving city and tourist culture there as it is home to two World Heritage sites, Miyajima and the A-Bomb Dome .
They have a thriving nightlife and successful sports teams.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is home to the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Museum, which commemorate those who died, and also seeks to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons, as well as the benefits of peaceful transactions between countries.
They are like the Boston of Japan, with the bay life, oysters, and city transportation.
Just take a look at this video of our trip:
As Hiroshima lays closer to home with Andrea, she’ll be posting Part 2 along with pictures.
As always, I highly recommend that when you come to Japan, you take a few days to explore the city and the surrounding area.
Stay Awesome,
-R
Random Japandom 1
Konnichiwa Ya’ll,
Andrea and I tried some random drinks from a local convenience store.
Check it out:
Closeups for those curious:
A Quaking of the Earth
There was an earthquake here in the prefecture on Friday. We were about 20 miles from the epicenter, and thankfully, it wasn’t devastating overall.
As a person that has never experienced an earthquake (that wasn’t above a ground tremor) it was a shortly terrifying experience, because once you’re in your safe position, you’re just waiting with the concious thought that the earth is literally moving under your feet.
Interesting day that I will add to the list of my life experiences.
PS: I lived in Utah during 5th grade, and earthquake drills were a common occurence.
Tottori Awesome 