That time I went to Japan

Last year I was sitting in my apartment in Portland watching Doctor Who, wondering what I was going to do with my life. Also I was thinking about how hot David Tennant is, and how much fun it would be to zip around time and space in a police box. Fast forward one year and I am sitting in in my apartment in South Korea, eating seaweed (salty and delicious) packing up some things I will need for my random bus adventure tomorrow. But, that's tomorrow.

Last week I went to Japan. I have always wanted to visit Japan, but honestly never really thought I would... I also never thought I would be living in Korea, so there you go. Polly and I agreed to meet there during my vacation so I was doubly excited. The trip started on January 17 at 6:30 in the morning, which is when I woke up. 30 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I was excited. I dressed, ate, threw the last of the needed things in my bag, and with half an hour before I needed to leave for the bus station I decided to update my ipod. That was actually pretty stupid as it took 45 minutes and I almost missed my bus. Never mind though, I caught my bus and headed for the airport. Two hours later I started my first independent and unassisted navigation of a Korean airport. I managed to make it though and then it was time to wait. And wait. And wait. Luckily I had a book. Unluckily I was so ready to be in Japan and see Polly I was doing a pretty good impression of a tiny, perpetually cold, dog.

The flight

I love flying from one non-American country to another. Things seem easier even though you don't speak the language. Security didn't seem as tight, the flight staff seemed more pleasant. Even the food was better.

Arrival
See! Look at how pretty and non-touchy it is. There were 4 different kinds of rice (one was under cheese with crab, a strange combination but good), chicken, veggies, egg, and pickled plum. Oh, and on my itinerary this was described as a light snack. Thankfully for me I had a light lunch of yogurt before boarding.

Upon arriving in Japan I had to figure out how to get to the terminal Polly was coming in to. This proved more difficult when I discovered there were two airports in the area, and no one seemed to agree on which one a flight from Portland, OR might be coming to. Because I am so savvy I decided to go to terminal 1 in my airport and check the board first, then if there was no Northwest flight from Portland, I could just skedaddle over to the other airport. I made the right choice (which is why I think I would be good on one of those game shows where you have to pick door number one or door number two), saw I had a little time to kill, changed some money, then tried to figure out how to find the place Polly and I had agreed on meeting. Meandering through terminal 1 I happened to look up just as Polly walked out the arrivals door. Hooray! I frightened some poor travelers with my screech, but the nice thing about travelling is that you will probably never see the random strangers again, so you can do what you want (up to a point. Don't be rude.)

Reunited and it feels so goooood

Yay! Polly and Jenn together again! I was pretty energized because I had no time change and it was only around 5pm. Poor Polly on the other hand had pretty much lost a day. Still, she persevered and off we went to find out hotel for the first night. We stayed our first night in Tokyo, at a hotel near the train station. The plan was to get up early and take the train to Kyoto in the morning. That night though we wanted to eat, look around, and sleep.

The first hotel was nice, and we were offered a "very spacious" room. I assume that they confused "very spacious" with "you can pretty much walk around the bed." The room was tiny, but as we were only there to sleep, it didn't matter. We dropped off our stuff, I tried on this lovely number,

and out we went to forage for food. There'

s a lot of neon in Tokyo. Sometimes I wonder if natives of Tokyo have ever seen total darkness. Maybe they are afraid of the dark like Canadians? Who knows? The neon was pretty and distracting and it took us a while to find dinner. How could we eat when there was craziness all around us? My dad would love it. Every building has a TV attached. I loved it. Eventually though, we did need to eat. We looked at a few restaurants and chose the one with the best looking plastic food. Japan has turned plastic food into an art form. It seems most restaurants have plastic food or pictures in front so you know what they serve. Maybe not all, but I don't see how Polly and I would have known it was a restaurant without tempura art decorating the glass case in front. The moment we walking into the dining room I had a sense of deja did it again. It sort of smelled Korean in there. Hmmm. How could this be? We opened up the menu and BLAM! We had picked a Korean restaurant. Whoops. Oh well. I like Korean food and it was fun for me to share some of what I learned about the food with Polly. We got seafood stew and I finally got to be the one to b

e in charge of cooking on the table.

Hooray!

After some walking around of the Ginza district, Polly and I headed back to the hotel to share the one tiny bed I had reserved for us. This is why Polly is the Plan Pony. She is better at it.

Faster than a speeding bullet locomotive
The next morning Polly and I hopped on the Kyoto bound bullet train for some speedy travel to, you guessed it, Kyoto. We were excited because we thought there would be crazy food vending machines on the train, but alas, there were only beverages. Cart lady to the rescue! She provided us with some very tasty bento boxes, much better than you would ever find on Amtrak. The train ride was a lot of fun. We saw Mt. Fuji, a crazy valley that had snow, when none around it did, and little villages and what not. Bullet trains are the way to travel. The seats were comfy, there was that wonderful trolley lady, and no air turbulence. Bullet trains for all!!

Kyoto
We spent 2 days and one night in Kyoto. The days started with Polly shaking our tiny Tokyo bed at 6:30 in the morning, in an attempt to get me up. We took the 2.5 hour train ride to Kyoto, dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and went in search of Japanese history across the street at the Nijo Castle. It was beautiful there, and Polly and I have decided that when we move to Japan, that will be our home. There were some rooms with funny names, like "Shogun arms" and "Head of maid." So many body parts. The floors squeaked in a way that sounded like birds chirping, in order to warn of intruders, and the gardens were very relaxing. We also met a swell old man who told us there were 4 seasons in Japan... as opposed to other parts of the world I guess.
Later that day we saw the biggest pagoda in Japan... after wandering around for quite a while. It was worth it though, learning about the different religions and beliefs of the world is always worth it.
The next day we headed over to a shrine from the movie, "Lost in Translation." There was a park next to the shrine we meandered through for about an hour, ending up at the world's longest line to see an old well. We decided not to wait in the line, because the guide book said nothing about the well granting the power of flight, or anything else for that matter. Finishing up our tour of the shrine, we headed over to the Kyoto zoo. Zoos are fun, right? They are whimsical, magical places where you can see animals from all over the world, right? This one was sad. It was tiny, and they had 3 giraffes penned up in a cage about the size of my apartment. The elephants looked like they were waiting for the sweet release of death, and the big cats were more lethargic than other cats. It reminded me of the crazy tiny zoos in Warner Bros cartoons. We did see a red panda, which is the greatest non panda of all, so that was the highlight. I even bought a cellphone charm of said red panda to remind of it always. After the zoo we headed back to the hotel, picked up our stuff and went back to the train station. Before getting on our train we decided to have some lunch. Oh this lunch. Never have I had sushi so good, and it was on a conveyor belt! Tuna, salmon, and uni. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Oh, but wait! This was actually the 2nd time we had this sushi. We had it the day before, at the same train station. That's right, we went there twice because it was SO FUCKING GOOD. I am going to marry this sushi. I know I say that about a lot of things, but this time it is true. I have finally found the one and its name is Ahi.

Back to Tokyo we go
After lunch we got back on the train and headed to Tokyo to spend the rest of our time. The train ride back wasn't quite as good at first because the train was packed and we couldn't sit together at the beginning. Luckily I am like a seat ninja, a trait I get from my father, and the moment the seat next to Polly was free, I was in it like lightening. Arriving in Tokyo we managed to navigate our way through the subway system to our hotel where we were bumped up to a deluxe double room. Swank. Well, it was a little swank. It wasn't premier class, just excellency class.
Stuff safely stowed in our room we went out to do some exploring. It was later in the day, so we just wanted to look around the neighborhood and take some pictures of the bright lights. Eventually it was time to eat again, so taking a page from Tony Bourdain, we decided to eat in a non touristy restaurant where we probably wouldn't be able to speak the language. Eventually we found a little udon joint where we actually had to take the owner outside to point to the foods we wanted. Oh, that is something to note, the plastic food in Japan looks almost real. There is an artistry to it. Anyway, udon achieved, we wandered a bit more and headed back for some much needed sleeping.

The next day was jam packed with temples, shrines, and city exploring. That night we went to a bar on the 52nd floor of the Hyatt for an amazing view of the city and the world's most expensive drinks. The day after we went to the Imperial Palace, which was less exciting than I had hoped, but we did get to walk around a park. We also went to the Tokyo National Museum, another park, the Sony technology center (land of 3-D tvs!!!) and Harijuku for some weirdo watching. The next day was more shrines, and markets. The market was packed, frantic, and cool. I got all my souvenirs there, including a snow globe and the cutest little doll you ever did see. We also ate sweet potato ice cream, a chocolate pudding fish, and Polly made a new friend by accidentally throwing her chopstick at her.

Final thoughts
Japan and Korea are similar in a lot of ways. In both countries I generally have no idea what is going on, and have a very difficult time speaking the language. A few differences I noticed were better drivers in Japan, less shoving (I really hate the Korean shoving culture), less shouting, and better food. At least I can read Korean characters though.

So that was my trip. More pics to come.

Some pics of my students

Hey, did you know I am a teacher? Here are some of my students. Sorry, they don't stand still much.

Lazy days in the dead of winter

It is currently winter break in South Korea. This means the regular Korean teachers get time off from school. They can just chill at home, take enrichment classes, work on things for next semester, whatever. What does it mean for English teachers? Winter camps, desk warming, and in a stoke a good luck for me, a week where I can come straight home after teaching. I am currently camped out in my bed, all the blankets piled on, ondol blasting. My computer is opened to gmail and facebook, and I am ready to veg. I am especially happy today because Marie is finally back from her adventures in China, so I have my chatting buddy back. Yesterday, I was in much the same situation, and after accomplishing nothing but eating too much chicken with noodles (Jim dakk) I made a promise to Marie. I promised to be more productive. Unfortunately, everything outside of my bed is cold. This is supposedly the coldest weather Pohang has seen in 100 years. I question this due to the tumultuous history of Korea and the safety of weather records. Still it is cold. Marie tried to convince me that looking at photos on FB was productive, but maybe she was pointing out that I am just lazy.

So, here is what I need to do today, buy milk. This involves going outside and I need to mentally prepare for that. Clean my apartment. This involves cleaning, and, well... Do yoga. I don't want to do yoga until I do the other two things.

Maybe I will just stay in bed.

Vexing through texting

This morning I taught English to the Pohang teachers. Today's lesson consisted of, "here are funny superstitions westerners have." The teachers loved it. One told me she thought that westerners were less superstitious than Asians, but I changed her mind. Look at me, bridging the cultural gap with, "step on a crack..."

After the class I was dropped off back home where I changed and headed out, in the snow and sleet mind you, to my regular school. Bundled up and ready to roll I decided to walk to a) get some exercise, as shivering and hypothermia burns a ton of calories, and b) save my last 2,000 won in folding money for some kimbap. The best kimbap place is by my school. I dream about their kimbap. They don't take cards at the good kimbap place. I didn't want to go to the atm. I had to walk. 10 minutes later, uphill, through the snow, I had my kimbap and walked to school. I said hello to the principal who told me to leave. Great. My food will be cold if I walk home and eat it there. Also, I don't entirely trust my understanding of whatever comes out of the principal's mouth. His English is poor and his manners are worse. He looks like he should be shilling some crazy spin mop on Korean tv. I went to the VPs office to eat my kimbap and see if he told me to go home. He just looked confused that I was even there and spoke to me in Korean. I sort of love the VP. He never gives up on his dream that one day I will speak fluent Korean and understand everything he says to me. He is like a hopeful little boy playing dress up in a 60 year old man costume.

Anyway, after I ate I went to my office/classroom to look something up and text my co to see if I had to be at school. I did not. Back into the cold I went, this time bolstered by the knowledge that I could snuggle down into bed for the rest of the day... even though I still needed to go to the store to get those stupid missing banana bread ingredients.

I will skip the borningess of puttering around the apartment, and bring us to present time. A text message from my co teacher. "Today did you go to the school? During this camp you dont need to come to school. I said it to you. Did you forget it? after the class you can go back home. The supervisor allowed it." Vexing! Yes, that is why I sent you a text, from school, asking if I could leave. I responded letting her know that in an earlier text tonight she told me I had to give my attendance record to the admin, so I had to go in on Tuesday anyway. "I will do it. I'm taking a training course near my school. It's easier I walk there." That sound you hear is her back breaking as she bends over backwards for me. I express my undying gratidude. "You'r welcome. I just want to help you. After class, you just enjoy your time." I love the fact that I don't have to go back to my school for the rest of the week, but this woman can give a Jewish mother (though not mine because mine is wonderful and perfect) lessons in guilt. Finally, after telling her that I was going to try making banana bread tomorrow, and if it worked I would let her try some, I got this, "You really enjoy cooking. That is very good for you. Someday, but I hope not too long from now, your husband will be very happy with your skills." Yes, my future husband will be most pleased with my rice cooker baking skills. Sorry, that wasn't finally. Here is a new one, I responded saying thank you and got this, "Probably you resembled your mom. Try to keep your mind." Um, I don't recall ever saying anything that could be interpreted as my mother losing her mind. My mother is very much sane. Is she saying I am losing my mind? That is a distinct possibility, but it isn't very nice to call attention to my deteriorating mental status. Maybe she meant, "Try to keep her in your mind, you must miss her." Yes, that is the kindest, lets go with that.

Oh co-teacher, whatever would I do without you?

I want to bake some banana bread please

So I found a recipe on the interwubs for banana bread. I can make it in my rice cooker. I bought bananas, flour, and eggs. I hauled them all back home. I read through the recipe again. I forgot the ever loving baking powder and baking soda. Here are my choices: go back to the store in the freezing cold and snow and buy what I need or eat a pound of bananas. Sigh. I don't even know how to say baking powder or baking soda in Korean.

Update:

Here are some pictures of the banana bread experiments. You mouth can begin watering now.

My first attempt, in pre-cooked batter form.

The first one, finished. I burnt its bottom.

My chocobanana concoction. Again, with a slightly burnt bottom.

Finally, a perfect loaf. This was given as a present to my co-teacher.

The recipe can be found here:

http://www.wideislandview.com/?p=906

Happy New, oh, it is January 3rd...

Oh my, it is already 3 days into the new year and no blog post. Let's fix that, no matter how inane the topic. Wow, January 3rd already. In only 20 days it will be Anna's birthday. Then she will be 29 too. Sorry Anna, I had to say it to make myself feel better.

Speaking of Anna, a long, long time ago she and I realized that New Year's Eve pretty much sucked balls. It was one of the worst days of the year because you got all geared up, and had all these great plans, and then the party ended up being boring and Ben had to steer you to the BART station, running into your brother along the way, or you were stuck in a cab when the clock struck midnight. People were overly excited for something that never really seemed to deliver. That is when we came up with Anna and Jenn's Non-New Year's eve. The recipe was simple, take two girls (later additional garnish of boyfriend/husbands/friends were added), some movies, some frozen appetizers, and absolutely no plans. Whatever happened, happened. Sometimes we stayed home with my youngest brother, sometimes we ended up watching Josie and the Pussycats in San Louis Obisbo (a highly underrated movie), sometimes we would go to a party. What we did didn't matter because we had no expectations for the night.

In honor of this past tradition I decided to try out Jenn's Korean Non-New Year. I had been worrying over the holiday for a month, being in a new country and all. What would I do? Where would I go? Would I be alone in my apartment at midnight? It was all very distressing. I ended up deciding on staying in Pohang. The bigger cities seemed too crowded and hassle like. A friend of mine was hosting a party at a bar close by. I could head there, and if I didn't have fun I could always come home, pop in Josie, and heat up some dumplings. Out into the below freezing conditions I went. As luck would have it, no Josie or dumplings were needed. I ended up having a great time, and got to ring in the new year with friends.

2009 was pretty awesome, I started a new adventure, made new friends, and got a job. I am excited for 2010, as it will bring with it Japan and Polly.

Now I very tired and must pass out. Happy New Year!