Burger Update #5: Very Berry Cafe

This burger update, a month late, comes from last month's week vacation. Very Berry Cafe is Hawaiian, I swear I'm not lyin', but here they have a pretty good creation. A whole sweet onion and barbecue sauce, when Smile Burger is closed this place is the boss. Though the price is a little pricey, like its superior, the price is an indication that what you'll get is far from inferior. Sadly, there is only one downfall to Very Berry Cafe. The patty is delicious but can get a little choppy, and when the bun starts breaking, things get pretty sloppy. While I don't look down on finger-licking, it's hard to eat when your burger is left for picking. But don't let that keep you away, as it's your best burger option on an idle Tuesday (assuming you're in Kyoto).

Burger Update #4: Smile Burger

Tucked away at the bottom of a hill, below the most famous temple in the most historic city in Japan, and around the corner from the dwellings of dozens of geisha, there is a small-time, one-of-a-kind hamburger shop. Always spic and span, the nine available seats inside prove to be just enough, as the two cooks behind the counter can only make so many burgers at once. Not that there is ever a line out the door, as this place seems to rely on a steady flow of customers throughout the day. Their hours are 11 a.m. until they are sold out, which can be as early as 5:30 in the evening, to the disappointment of many who venture all the way through Gion. It's even more disappointing when you arrive hungry for lunch on a Tuesday, only to find it is the one day of the week they are closed. You have no choice but to look up at the big red and white sign above you and come back the next day. Come back to the one and only Smile Burger.



It's safe to say Smile Burger was a beginning for me. I would by no means call myself a hamburger connoisseur, but it wasn't until Smile Burger that I really started giving hamburgers any extra thought. In the past year, I have tried a few dozen different hamburgers, and the fact of the matter is only a few come close to Smile Burger. What's even more impressive is that Smile Burger is so ahead of the game while only using standard ingredients. Quite a few places will add different toppings: egg, chili, guacomole, onion rings, spinach, etc. As Smile Burger became a measuring stick from the start, I felt the need to try a place's burger with both basic toppings and their special toppings. With Smile Burger as a 10 on my scale, only a few places made it to 8, and even if they got a 9, there was a lot of distance between a 9 and a 10.
What stands out on the first bite is the patty, which I have found to be uncontested in its field. Supporting the patty is also the best bun I've had on a burger, a soft and doughy sourdough you can squish to fit your mouth around, but doesn't start breaking apart until it's in your mouth. The bun is the most surprising factor, as one doesn't usually look to a bun to play an important role. When a bun is this good, it can't avoid being a factor, which must be why they feel the need to stamp "SMILE" on it. The other ingredients in the burger are spot on. The ketchup, deli mustard, and secret sauce are a reliable to trio to support the fresh lettuce and tomatoes. The two slices of cheese aren't by any means necessary to make this the best burger I've ever had, but I prefer them to be there. All of the ingredients are a cohesive starting line up, with the bun being Scottie Pippen to the patty's Michael Jordan. The 1-2 punch coupled with a great supporting cast is destined to impress anyone who likes a hamburger. The actual eating of a Smile Burger is definitely the highlight of the visit, but the experience doesn't end there.



One other thing the separates Smile Burger from a lot of other burger places is that they don't serve fries. Instead, they serve potato chips, a lighter, simpler choice. Where they really come into play is that they don't fill you up. The main part of the meal is big enough to fill you up, so serving potato chips prevents you from walking away with any kind of bloated feeling. In addition, you'll notice the only oil stains in the aftermath of a Smile Burger come from the potato chips. Thanks to a Smile Burger not being greasy, you can walk away from the shop with a little more pep in your step, ready to make it back through Gion for a nice walk along the river. Unlike a lot of places, it's a very honest meal, with no added grease disguised as taste.



Are you hungry? They dare ask, though it seems quite rhetorical. Not only am I full, but also incredibly satisfied. The question I always ask myself before I take my first bite is "How do I even start on this thing?" It can be quite intimidating for a first timer, stacked high and wide. Here's my advice: grab it with two hands, and dive right in!

Back to Ueda

I've made it back to Ueda from Kyoto, and am now safely back at work. I have a bunch of pictures on my phone, but haven't put them on my computer yet. When I do so, there will be surely be some more posts coming here. Kyoto was once again inspiring on all kinds of levels, and even though I left, I for some reason didn't feel like I was actually leaving. Maybe it's because I know I'll be back there again, but who really knows. Over my four days there, I managed to get enough material for two burger updates, so keep an eye out for those. I have also recently been told of a great burger here in Ueda, a Brazilian burger place. I'm very excited about it, as it would mean I have options other than Mos Burger and McDonald's when I need to "get my burger on".
I have a lot of plans in the coming weekends, but hopefully I'll have enough time to keep things posted on here better than I've been doing. Sorry for the lack of posting, but thanks for reading~

Going To Kyoto

A week from right now, I'll be on an overnight bus headed for Kyoto, and I can't wait. Really, I just might go crazy, we'll see. At the top of my list of reasons for going crazy: Smile Burger. My buddy and I just decided that after we eat there the first day, we will also order the "Smile Burger Q", the quadruple burger that must be ordered a day in advance. Just so you don't have to ask, we will be splitting the Q between two of us, and hopefully all goes safely with it. I've never had it before, but always wanted to get it. Some have asked whether a hamburger is really worth all of this anticipation, but clearly none of them have paid a visit to the only hamburger shop in the historic Kiyomizu district. It's like trying to explain to someone why The Beatles were so good without them having heard the music themselves. Talk is cheap, words are cheaper, but if there's one thing I'd like to do, it's to introduce my Stateside friends and family to Smile Burger without them having to buy a round-trip ticket across the Pacific.
Other plans for Kyoto include seeing friends, climbing Daimonji, karaoke, visiting Kiyomizu Temple, Arashiyama, hitting the tea shops and cafes, strolls along the Kamo River, biking around the city, and maybe a few more Smile Burgers. I don't know if a Hanshin Tigers game is in the mix, but if it's possible that'd be amazing to go to too. Kyoto will be plenty for me, and three nights there may not be enough. Will I move operations there again in the future? We'll see, as I'll be sure to keep an eye out for potential jobs in the area while I'm in town.

This American Life

For the last few weeks, I've been hooked on listening to the popular radio show, This American Life. For those of you who don't know, it's an hour-long show featuring stories (usually true, sometimes fiction) revolving around a certain theme. The stories are usually told by writers or reporters, and are always worth listening to no matter what the theme is. It's not centered around be American necessarily, it just captures stories from all walks of life, which happen to be in America. I tend to listen to them in the morning when I'm just getting started, during breakfast, etc. You can listen to past episodes for free on their website, so I've been taking advantage of that. If you go under favorites, you can hear some of the best ones too. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
You can also hear it on NPR, though I'm not sure when necessarily. I have one student who is pretty advanced, so I will be recommending her to listen to things like this online, as it will help her improve her listening and real-world vocabulary. She already does some translating, so I think it will be a good next step, as well as a window into American culture.

Classroom Shaking and Ancient Traditions

Over the past few weeks, the surprising amount of "classroom shaking" has slowly come to my attention. The rumbling can be felt when it is time to sing the "Letter Song" and I must chase my 7-8 year old students around the room. Surprise surprise, it's everyone's favorite part of the lesson. The other kind of classroom shaking is due to my school's location adjacent to Ueda Station, and the kind of 20th century advances in ground transportation that whiz through the station at 200 miles per hour. While that kind of shaking isn't too distracting, the occasional student might ask what it is, and another student will nonchalantly respond, "It's the bullet train.". The real distracting kind of shaking is the one that convinces me the building is going down (though it's still standing) and makes everyone's heart skip a beat. We all pause for a few seconds, we all look at one another, we all hear the pre-schoolers losing control four rooms away. It makes me not want to go outside, mostly because I probably forgot my umbrella. After all, it was sunny this morning. I am of course talking about the loudest thunder I've ever heard, and the rain, lightning, clouds, and fear that come with it. Ueda's own weather pentaverate.
This weather pentaverate had been a regular for the month of what is known as "Rainy Season" (tsuyu 梅雨). It suddenly disappeared about a week and half ago, and the main topic of conversation while chatting in the lobby was how difficult the heat's been. So this morning, a co-worker of mine starts telling me about the Ueda Gion Festival, which was happening later in the day. He eventually tells me about how it rains every year on the festival, without fail. I tell him no way, as it's been hot, sunny, and clear for a week and a half now, and I didn't think this city had any rain left in it. I go out for lunch, and there's not a cloud in the sky. Then, six-thirty rolls around and my classroom is shaking. It's too much for it to be a bullet train, and my eight year olds have been long gone for seven hours. We hear pouring and feel more shaking, and sure enough the pentaverate is paying us another visit. While it is still relatively close to rainy season, it's incredible that it rains every year on the night of this festival. I asked my co-worker, who has lived in the area his whole life and this city for fifteen years, the simple words, "Divine intervention?", and he smiled but did not answer. The Gion festival, originally from Kyoto, was started to appease the gods of fire, floods, and earthquakes. Maybe the weather pentaverate of Ueda just feels a little left out?

New Developments

The past few weekends I have been a little busier than normal. My school had a welcome barbecue for me last Sunday, so I had a great opportunity to talk to my students outside of class and get to know them a lot better. It was also fun to see the other teachers there dressed casually and not working. This coming weekend I will be heading back down to the Tokyo area for a mandatory follow up training. The last one we had was successful, though the travel and everything back and forth was pretty tiring. It should be a little easier this time, but hopefully it doesn't wear me out for the week.
In my free time, I have been getting around town and trying the food at different places. Many of my students recommended a few Indian restaurants, so I made sure I tried those. They were all pretty good, and I think it'd be funny if Ueda became famous for Indian food somehow. I am yet to find another hamburger place in town, so with only Mos Burger and McDonald's, I may be forced to start making my own at home. I've started experimenting with grilled cheese sandwiches, inspired by my experience at The Grilled Cheese Invitational in April. Raisin bread and grilled onions are terrific with grilled cheese, and even some marmalade spread too. I'll let you know if I make any noteworthy discoveries.
The best news I have is that next month I will be returning to Kyoto! We have a few days off, so I decided I must make a return to Kyoto. I will be taking the overnight bus both ways, and first on my list of things to do there is to stop at Smile Burger. That will without a doubt be the ultimate burger update, though I don't know if I will be able to write anything I don't already know. I still have a few friends in the area and there are many things I want to do, so it will all be a lot of fun. I'm staying in a hostel with a friend who's teaching in Gifu, and we'll be there for three nights. Seeing as I'm taking the overnight bus, I will have four very full days there, arriving at 6 a.m. the first day and departing at 10 p.m. the last day. That assures me of at least three trips to Smile Burger.

Eric vs. Ueda Garbage Collection, Pt. 2

After that first run-in with the notorious garbage rule enforcers, no one was more surprised by our month of peace than I was. As a token of my gratitude (and strict rule observation!), I decided to make the effort of finding the garbage collection center myself to properly dispose of some old sheets that have been taking up space in my apartment. From what I understand in the garbage collection manual, that is the only way to get rid of such items. After about 45 minutes of walking along the river, or up and down streets, or past Chapel-like wedding venues (they look like chapels, but I assure you they're only for weddings), and getting rained on in the process, I decided to head back to my apartment and save this for another day. I was lucky I did too, since had I even found the place, I would have been there during their mid-day lunch break off-hours. The manual clearly states the Receiving Hours of the collection center, which are 8:30-11:45 a.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m. I think we're all pretty sure my sheets would not have been collected.
Luckily, I was able to get back to my apartment, dry off, refuel for the day, and head out to lunch. I tried a new place for lunch that many of my students recommended to me, an Indian place called Jaipur. The lunch special came with curry, some amazing rice, and naan bread. All three were very good, but I was very surprised by the light ginger flavor of the rice. I'll definitely be making more trips there when the opportunity arises. That lunch really got me going on the right foot again after the moderately disappointing morning. I then took a train to a part of the city I had yet to visit, and walked to an art museum I've been meaning to go to for a while. The walk was about half an hour and took me through some real farmland (rice paddies, etc.), until I got back up into the actual mountains. There was a bus I could have taken, but I really enjoyed being out there in the open air. I was the only person out there and could here the frogs croaking and birds chirping. The clouds were lower than usual, covering up the tops of most of the mountains. It was a real relief taking my time and walking the path all that way, wet and tired none the less.

Burger Update #3: Teriyaki Egg Burger w/ Cheese

When comparing two countries or cultures, especially two as different as Japan and the United States, I become very interested in things that are surprisingly the same. For example, linguistic similarities between people of the same generations (transcending language and culture), or that certain posture a baseball coach might have while his players are warming up. These things are not baffling, but in fact very revealing, as they show us that we are not as different as we may all think. There are of course many other shared qualities across the Pacific, and one of them is big, bad giant of the fast food industry.
Unlike socio-linguistic research, McDonald's is something that brings more disappointment when I find things to be exactly the same. The Big Breakfast tastes the same, as does the Quarter Pounder. They don't even use pounds here, as they have the metric system. So as a result, a rare trip to McDonald's in Japan usually includes something unique to the Japanese menu. The Teriyaki Burger. The Chicken Tatsuta. The Karakara Chicken. What is even the same in Japan with all of those is that they too taste okay going down but leave you in a mess an hour later.
During my last trip to McDonald's I had to try a sandwich I had not seen before: the Teriyaki Egg Burger w/ Cheese, pictured below.

This strange combination actually sounds like it could be a good idea. If you have tried the Teriyaki Burger from the golden arches over here, you may agree with me that it is more of a sausage patty than a hamburger patty. A little peppery, and with the teriyaki sauce, a decent combination. When they added egg and cheese to that, I found it to be surprisingly similar to a Sausage McMuffin with Egg. But, you know, with teriyaki sauce. Bad is definitely too strong of a word, but I don't think I'd order it again from there. From another place it might work, but with McDonald's world-renowned quality (or lack there of), it really just didn't deliver. Unless of course, your idea of delivering is that same bad feeling in the gut that all of their other sandwiches bring me too.
I'll have to get started on making a better one myself at home!

Nagoya/Gifu/Wide View

I made a quick trip down south this weekend, visiting my buddy James in Gifu for the 4th of July. Gifu itself isn't a big or famous city, and despite being in a different prefecture, it is part of the greater Nagoya area. We met up at Nagoya station and killed time by losing money in an arcade to a bunch of those claw machines, tempting us with Hello Kitty frying pans, huge boxes of candy, and stuffed animals that could have potentially been ours. We eventually met up with our friend Chie, who also went to UCSC and is a local, and we walked around some interesting parts of the city. James introduced me to Tonmusu, which is pictured below. It is a very simple idea, but also happens to be incredibly delicious. It's a ball of rice wrapped in thin slices of pork, and either with a topping or as is. It was great with no toppings and great with cheese on it, and costs about $3. A pretty good deal if you ask me...


The train I took down there is called the "Wide View", and took me through some new territory. While most roads and tracks from Nagano to Nagoya or Gifu go through Tokyo, the Wide View train goes around, through the mountains, and on a quicker and more direct path. It not only saved me time, but also money, and I had some really beautiful scenery to look at. It was about three hours each way, so I had plenty of time to doze off, read, and listen to music. Here's a little video I took.

Naturally, with so many mountains, trees, and rivers, I had no choice but to listen to one of my favorite albums of all time. With lyrics poetic enough to take my mind from the middle of a busy city to the epic wild of Alaska, listening to all seven songs of David Conner's Ursus Horribilis while on that train was a one of a kind experience. Seeing as the Wide View is a cheap and convenient way to get to the other side of Tokyo, I hope to have that experience a few more times. If you're interested in hearing a few of those songs, you can hear them here. Or you can see one here.

Burger Update #2: Mos Burger

For those unfamiliar with Japanese fast food chains, Mos Burger is a large chain with locations all over Japan. Not quite as many as McDonald's, but still they're all over the place. They have quite a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and other things, and are also known for using higher quality ingredients than the run-of-the-mill fast food place. To top things off, the food tastes very good and doesn't break the bank. So what stops Mos Burger from annihilating any and all competition? Well, as my friend Jake pointed out to me during my first Mos Burger visit in Kyoto, the quantity of food leaves a little bit to be desired. For the same price, you can get more food at most other places. That's my only complaint about Mos Burger, and it's really not that big of a deal. As I get used to the smaller portions over here, after a few months I probably won't even notice it that much.
My favorite thing to get at Mos Burger is THE Mos Burger, which comes with their special sauce. The regular hamburger or cheeseburger is good too, but the special sauce isn't simply a thousand island imitation. It's hard to put my finger on it, but it's a tangy sauce that seems to have some curry spice as well as some tomato in it. Either way, that's the deal maker for me, so I usually get that. The burger also comes with tomatoes and onions, which go great with the sauce. In addition, I noticed on the wall there was a sign mentioning how their hamburger patties are a mix of beef and pork, which makes sense. They taste a little bit different, but by no means taste artificial.
As I was getting to earlier, thanks to the quality and taste, Mos Burger is superior to McDonald's and just about any other fast food chain in Japan. It's actually very impressive that they've been able to maintain such high-quality on such a large scale. Taste-wise, I'd say Mos Burger is on par with In-n-Out and Tommy's, but again because of the portions, the duo from southern California win out.
Here are some pictures of my burger run to Mos Burger last Sunday:
White Grape Soda, Fries, and a Mos Burger with cheese.


They also have a list of where all of their vegetables come from (the name of the farmer and the location!), pretty cool I think. Every Mos Burger I've seen has this.

Last Names

Since arriving at my school and seeing my list of students, as well as co-workers' names, I have noticed a large number of names I have never seen before, as well as a lack of names I have seen very often. I am yet to see a Tanaka, Matsumoto, Yamada, Takahashi, Kuwahara, Ito, Ono, Fukushima, or Kimura, as well as many other common names. In addition, there are many names I have never seen or heard of before, like Yanagisawa, Nagawatari, Ego, Ogihara, Uchibori, Horiuchi, Aruga, Kirikubo, and the best of all, Yoda. The dramatic difference in names is probably related to location more than anything. From what I've heard, back in the day a lot of people chose last names based on where they lived or what they did for a living. Seeing as the terrain out here is a little different than that of Tokyo, Osaka, etc., it's not that surprising that names are little different. The process or tendencies in making names was probably different too, since they were separated by a fair amount of distance. I have seen a lot of names out here with "sawa" which means stream, as well as "hori" or "bori" which means to dig. I am sure there has been plenty of linguistic research on where names come from and evolve, but I'm not so interested in that I'd actually go looking for any of it. Of course people move around or change last names all the time, so I'm sure it's somewhat hard to keep track of who comes from where. It's not a big deal or anything, I just find it interesting.

Eric vs. Ueda Garbage Collection, Pt. 1

If you've ever been to Japan, you know trash over here generally gets separated into two categories: burnable and non-burnable. Sometimes, the third category of recyclable is there too, but that is also part of non-burnable usually. Despite understanding the above very well in previous residences, the garbage collection agency in Ueda have not made my disposing of garbage very easy. When I look at the color coordinated trash map they gave me, I see at least seven different categories of trash, all of which have their own day, place, and colored bag to be thrown away in. So I put some real time into it and studied the map very closely, buying all of the different colored bags (yes, we have to buy them, and guess who makes them...), and checking the calendar to see what day is what. I was glad to get so much of the trash out of my apartment, since a lot of it had been left over by the previous teacher (his things, not his trash). So, you can understand my frustration when I got a knock on my door and had all of my trash returned to me for being put out in the wrong bag, or on the wrong day, or at the wrong place. Apparently there's a recycle center we have to take our recycling to ourselves, while the garbage collectors collect the non-recyclable things. Oh, except for plastic bottles. They can take those too on the non-burnable non-recyclable day. Whatever you do, don't think for one second they'll take any other recycling on that day, it's your job to take bottles, cans, and cardboard to the recycle center yourself. Oh, and make sure you use the separate green bag that says "recycle" on it only for plastic bottles. Or else, all hell breaks loose.
So since having my trash returned to me, most of it has been sitting outside on my little balcony, and will probably do so until I figure out what to do with it. With work and so many errands on the weekends, as well as general frustration with the system, I haven't been able to properly get rid of it, whatever that my entail.
Let's get one thing straight: I'm all for being environmentally friendly and all for assimilating into the community. Those things are fine, I'll do my best. But do these garbage collectors care more about the colors of the bags than actually collecting what's in them? After this first encounter, it definitely seems that way. In my Japanese reading class last year in Kyoto, we read an article that was kind of a social commentary about how a lot of people here follow rules and structure very seriously, and often forget to be "flexible" or "adjust to the situation". Maybe quite a few people are like that, but just like anywhere, there are all kinds. I'd like to make it known that there are two people at my school that run the show, and while one loves rules and is quite serious about them, the other wears goofy ties to work (we're not supposed to), never shows any anger if you forget something, and pulls out his shirt and puts on slippers after the last class of the day when we're in the office. So just like anywhere, there are all kinds.
In a somewhat related note, speaking of following rules, apparently there is a ramen shop in the town next us that has a bunch of rules, the main one being that people aren't allowed to talk. I immediately thought of The Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, so I'll have to try out this Ramen Nazi sometime and report back.

Burger Update #1: Freshness Burger

When you go to try a burger in a shopping mall food court and you see a sign posted below the menu saying that today is the place's last day of operation, you are probably not the only one to immediately lower your expectations. However, today's burger run to the Freshness Burger in Ueda was surprisingly good, and apparently just in the nick of time. The sign on the menu didn't get into details, but thanked its customers for their long time support. While the line was never as long as the bibinba or okonomiyaki places in the same food court, there was a steady flow of customers that clearly felt the need to get their burger on.
As I mentioned, I wasn't expecting this place to be as good as it was. Upon further investigation, I found out this place is a decent sized chain, though this was their only location in Nagano prefecture. So as a chain burger joint in a food court, shutting down for whatever reason, and called Freshness Burger, the last I was expecting was for my burger to actually be fresh. The fact that this burger was very good and fresh is not only a testament to the product, but also to the employees who were still working their butts off. It was by no means mind-blowing or life-changing, but it is definitely a place I'll miss having around. It would have been a good go-to place for a burger run. There's still a Mos Burger in town, which is also a chain and known for fresh ingredients. I'd say Freshness Burger is on the same level as Mos Burger, where it's better than your average fast food, but still not as good as Tommy's. I might have to try and make my own Tommy's here.



A friend from training told me about a Hawaiian burger place that has a few locations around Tokyo. That may not be the next burger update, but hopefully down the road. It's called Kua Aina, and sounds like it's pretty good. The last Hawaiian burger place I went to was in Kyoto, called Very Berry Cafe, and that was delicious too.

Curry

This is the curry section of the giant grocery store in town. Pretty much all of that is curry, and I really didn't know what to do after seeing it.

Guitar!

So I've been attempting to post another video this whole week, but for some reason it's not working. Maybe the video's too big, or maybe there's a firewall of some kind. I figured I should just post something anyway, and try to stay up to date.
I finally picked up a guitar last weekend, and have been very occupied by it since then. It was used and cheap, and all in all seems to be pretty good. It was made in Nagoya by a company called Morris, who I've never heard of, though I don't know a whole lot about guitars, etc. I've made a habit out of coming home for lunch, saving money, and rocking out for a few minutes before going back to work.
I've also made some progress in cleaning up the apartment, which had a lot of things left over by the previous teacher. While a lot of them are very useful (dishes, tools, a bike), a lot of things were taking up more than their share in the room (bedding, books, snowboard). The other foreign teacher is actually taking a lot of it off my hands, as she snowboards and will probably get a little more use out of the beginners Japanese textbooks than I will. Once I have the place how I like it, I'll be sure to post some pictures.
Things to coming soon on the blog: Burger Updates, Eric vs. Ueda Garbage Collection Pt. 1, and maybe some photos of some dishes I cooked and want to introduce you to. I cooked Bitter Melon Champloo and Mabo Eggplant, and think some of you might enjoy those things. Ingredients should be available at your nearest Asian supermarket.

Scenery

Here's a video of some scenery I shot while on the train coming back from Nagano city this past weekend. There's a pretty good variety of restaurants and stores, so that might be the place to go if I can't find something here. It's only about 40 minutes by local train, so it's not too difficult. I also heard Karuizawa to the east has some things to offer, so maybe another weekend for that.

Reading Material

In my journey across the sea, my two suitcases were filled mostly with two things: clothing and things to read. The clothing is mostly for work, which means suits, ties, shoes, etc. The reading material, though substantially less in number, is a lot more varied. Prior to my departure my buddy Eug gave me a terrific book, one that had me hooked in these first few weeks during every moment of free time. It's called An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese-English writer, and I finished it a few days ago. I highly recommend it for anyone at all interested in post-WWII Japan. I have since moved on to a book I've been reading for the past year off and on, 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I'm about halfway through book one of three, so hopefully I make a lot of progress with my after-work reading habit. Here's what else I brought with me to read:
The Beatles (authorized biography) by Hunter Davies
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck
Double Nickels on the Dime by Michael T. Fournier
Five copies of Waxpoetics
It Ain't Got That Swing (If It Don't Mean A Thing) by Haruki Murakami (Japanese)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (translated by Haruki Murakami into Japanese)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Coffee in Kyoto (a guide to coffee shops in Kyoto)
Chinese phrases book
Constructive Living by David K. Reynolds
The Complete Guide to the Music of The Beatles

So actually, it's a little less varied than I'd imagined, but whatever. Hopefully I can finish reading everything.

World Cup

The World Cup is coming soon, and just in case you didn't know, the ramen aisle at out big grocery store is ready. Yes, those are the same flavor, just that the blue is home and the white is away. I bought one of each, and have not yet decided whether I will actually eat them. I should try to get the TV in my closet out and working before the World Cup starts, though I may not be home enough to watch too much. The other foreign teacher at my school is from England and is a "football" fan, so maybe we'll watch a few somewhere. Oh yeah, guess who we play in our first match on the 12th.....England. I'm sure Landon Donovan will show those colonial lobster-backs what we're all about!

Online!

In what should have been very simple, but by all accounts required a few strokes of luck, I am now online from my own humble apartment. Despite breaking post office's very standard operating procedure on non-received packages, this morning I was able to get my hands on the envelope the necessary username and password for connecting to the internet. Multiple forms of identification and documentation proved to be of the utmost value in pleading with the rule abiding counter attendant, as well as politely mentioning I was waiting for "something important". In addition, once said materials were home and safe, actually connecting to the internet was another difficult task. However, as I type now at 11:38 pm, after a long day of lessons, and with a stomach full of pasta and instant miso soup, I can finally say I am connected with all of you in what I hope will be a much more consistent way.
Now now, don't be fooled by the rambling of the first paragraph. I do have some goods to share with all of you tonight. Here are some photos I've managed to take in the last month or so.










This is the outside of training center we stayed at for the first two weeks.











This is the same training center, just the view of the road and Camry.




















This is a shot of the room I shared with two other teachers during my stay there. I'm glad everyone got along so well, or else it would have been tough in such close quarters.


Now, this is where things start to get a little better. This is the view from my porch, from which, on a clear day you can see a few more mountains.


This is a view of the city from a bridge I biked to the other day. My apartment should be on the other side of that brown building, what looks like it could be a parking garage. Below are some more shots I took from the bridge.


The Chikuma River, facing north.


Facing southwest.


Facing south.
As is clear in the pictures, we are situated right where the mountains have started, as they are of a significantly larger to the north, west, and east. I'm sure it was a very strategic location to build Ueda Castle, which Masayuki Sanada's army defended from Ieyasu Tokugawa's army of three times as many more men. I can't wait to go check out the castle, I rode my bike by it this morning on the way to and from the post office, but that's it. That will be another day.
I am a little exhausted, so after posting this I will be forced to pick between going to bed or reading (and finishing) the book I've been hooked on the last few weeks, An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese-English writer. Once I finish it, I will tell you all about it~

First Post

Wow, has it only been three weeks? My perception of time has been pushed back and forth thanks to a number of things, first and foremost not having regular internet access, but also keeping irregular hours during two weeks of training and one week of work, being essentially on the run everyday, and of course registering for this, that, and a few other things.
I am now in Ueda, Nagano, and will be teaching regularly from here on out. This first week in Ueda was comprised of moving in, registering with the city, starting a bank account, getting a cell phone, observing classes, meeting students, teaching classes, and getting all the advice I could from the emergency teacher I replaced. I am still waiting on the internet access at home.
The two weeks of training were in Saitama, just outside of Tokyo. We spent most of the time practicing the structures of the different lessons, teaching tactics, and learning a few other things that will be useful for us. The other teachers I was training with were all very easy to get along with. Since most are still in the Tokyo area, we exchanged contact info for what will probably be some kind of gathering in the future. The training center could have been a little more convenient with a few things, but we all made do pretty well. During my very valuable free days in Saitama, I ventured from city to city visiting some friends in the area. Some even came all the way to my part of Saitama, which I was grateful for.
Ueda is about an hour and sixty dollars one way on the bullet train from Tokyo, so going there to visit won't be impossible. Before training I already had quite a few friends in the area, so now I have a few more. It's been a tough three weeks in all kinds of ways, so I think it's really appropriate to start this blog off with on the left foot with a joke. My friend from Australia told it to me, after he saw my Jason Clackley shirt.

A frog walks into a bank and walks straight to the teller who is wearing a name tag that reads "Patricia Wack". The frog says to her, "Hello Miss Wack, my name is Kermit Jagger, my father is Mick Jagger, and I'd like to take out a loan out for $100,000. As collateral, I will give you this tiny porcelain elephant." The frog hands Miss Wack the tiny porcelain elephant, who, baffled, takes the elephant to the back of the bank to show her manager. She walks into his office and says, "Sir, a frog just came in claiming his name is Kermit Jagger, that his father's Mick Jagger, and he wants a loan for $100,000. As collateral he gave me this tiny porcelain elephant!" She puts the elephant on her manager's desk and adds, "What is this!? I mean, what... the hell.... is THIS?!?" Her manager stands up, looks her in the eye, and yells, "IT'S A KNICK-KNACK PATTY WACK, GIVE THE FROG A LOAN, HIS OLD MAN IS A ROLLING STONE!"

My friend said he heard this joke from a color commentator during a cricket match.