The Joy and Fun (Shall I even say Art?) of Print Club!?!

The Joys of Being an English Teacher

I wonder if this is how the JTEs see things!?! :)

You know with all the crap ALTs have to put with at times, I really enjoy my job in the end. The students rock, even when they rather draw pictures of you and not do the actual work you slaved for 2 hours making. My little Angels!!! LOL!

Pop Quiz

Happy Birthday Pam!!!!

She'll always be a rose in our heart!!!














Happy Birthday Pamela!!!

Hope you have a great one in Japan, we're all wishing you a wonderful year!!!

To see Pam in here finest, here's her blog -
http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=5148409

Monday Night

Lots of people started out the night with Thai food and ended up at Shame for come crazy Charity party fun. We're talking guys taking off their pants and lots of table dancing! Oh, don't you wish ever Monday was like this!?!

Sunday Night

Round One - Again!!!





Sunday night

A few of us went to Round One again. They have these new small go-karts that we waited around for hours to ride, but luck wasn't on our side! (Next time.) My favorite part of the night watching Ash and Deccy pull themselves around on the roller skates - their first time...so cute!!! AND the massage chairs that I crashed in for a LONG time, just lovely! All 8 of us got into a huge ball fight in the kiddy ball cage too, never too old for children's toys!!!

Saturday Night

SATURDAY NIGHT - Many people gathered at a local Izakaya near Niigata eki.

Izakaya - (Traditional Japanese Bar)

Did you ever wonder what those big red lanterns in front of the entrances mean? You are standing in front of Izakaya a traditional Japanese bar. Different from other bars is the extensive food menu. Most places you can get yakitori, seafood dumplings, sushi, sashimi, fried chicken.. Izakaya is a place where eating and chatting with your friends is usually as important as drinking.
The drink menu in Izakaya is usually large. You can get Japanese sake, shochu, whisky (perhaps Suntory), vodka, most popular red and white wines, cocktails. The ones wanting non alcohol drinks can also get something they like.
Japanese have custom to eat always something while drinking, perhaps since the Japanese are traditionally sensitive for alcohol and can get drunk very easily. However in Izakaya you usually can't really get large foods enough to satisfy your hunger.
The Japanese salary-men are the main customer group of izakayas, they usually go to eat and relax together after work. Before izakayas were men's places mostly, but nowadays independent women and even housewives go there. It is quite interesting to notice - the change has been happening during few past years.
Tsubohachi is one of the famous izakaya chains in Japan. Izakaya are sometimes called Akachochin which means the red lantern. Izakayas are usually found easily next to almost every train station in Japan.

Last Practice - Dress Rehersal

We had our last dress rehearsal for the musical "Jungle Tale" this last weekend. Boy, was it a LONG weekend too!!! Saturday and Sunday were full days of practice and getting around the coldness that is Niigata and then Monday and Tuesday was the mid-year ALT Seminars. What fun! :P








Here you get to see the play coming along! It'll officially start this coming Saturday - January 28th in Niigata-shi. Hopefully all the costumes will be done in time and the makeup works out. Come and see!!!








Performance Dates and Locations:

Jan. 28 (Sat) Niigata 7:30pm Niigata Kenmin Kaikan
Jan. 29 (Sun) Shibata 2:00pm Shibata Bunka Kaikan
Feb. 4 (Sat) Murakami 7:00pm Murakami Joho Center
Feb. 25 (Sat) Nagaoka 7:00pm Lyric Hall
Mar. 4 (Sat) Joetsu 7:00pm Joetsu Region Plaza
Mar. 5 (Sun) Tokamachi 2:00pm Tokamachi Community Center
Mar. 11 (Sat) Sado 7:00pm Amusement Sado

お誕生日おめでとう

____________________________________
MY 24th BIRTHDAY ON THE 24th OF JANUARY (As Joel calls it - "My Magic Birthday")

The day of my birthday was spent at boring ALT seminars, but afterwards I got to enjoy coming home to a nice warm quiet place where I could nap (not crowded with 4 other girls like it was all weekend, no offense girls - LOVE Y'ALL - but it's nice to have room to walk around and NAP) :) After resting I met up with Shanna and Beth for sushi and hot green tea (I've been craving it all weekend) and after we went to Royal Host (the Denny's of Japan) and had some AWESOME desserts, Beth and I had a Double Chocolate Sundae and Shanna got the Strawberry Shortcake Sweet. YUMMY!
Nice Birthday!





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THAI DINNER & SHAME PARTY - EARLY BIRTHDAY

The night before my birthday I might up with some friends for dinner at this local Thai & Vietnamese restaurant. Afterwards we went to the Musical Charity Party being held at Shame, where I got a kiss from Coo (Yeah!) and had a blast with everyone else and the yummy drinks (esp. the many shots after midnight) THANKS GUYS!!!

お誕生日おめでとう =

o tanjoubi omedeto =

Happy Birthday!

Money Myths

Truth: Floating Yen

The rumor that the 1 yen coin floats is actually true. Maybe that's why they added holes to 5 and 50 yen coins

あけましておめでとうございます

Happy 18 (Japanese New Year)

Happy 2006 (Western New Year)

Year of the Dog (my Chinese animal!)

"Out With the Old, In With the New!" - Japanese New Year

There is no other month as crowded with various tasks and duties as December is for Japanese housewife. Doing some major year-end house cleaning and preparing different foods and dishes is only part of their tasks.

Housewife is usually the person who picks up the task of writing from 20 to several hundred new year cards, nenga-jo. Nenga-jo is similar to the Christmas card tradition in the west.
There are several options for nenga-jo in Japan. Nowadays it seems to be in fashion to print out the cards including family photo, but there are other possibilities too. Post offices and stationery shops have wide selection of various designs, that usually introduce the animal of following year in 12 year calendar. Those who want to add another dimension to the nenga-jo, can buy postcards featuring lottery numbers. Some families design their own cards, by drawing or painting.

Note: Although Japanese don't usually send Christmas cards by themselves - they will be more than happy to receive some. So it's generally very good idea to send Christmas cards too.
Nenga-jo are usually put into special box in post office, and delivered by the post office after 1st of January. Japanese people consider New Year to be closed until it's opening day, 1st of January, so its considered strange to receive nenga-jo before that day. In addition, bereaved families do not usually post any New Year's cards, or go to hatsumode. Instead they will announce the death of their relative by a special card for this purpose, beforehand. Post offices usually employ students who help delivering huge loads of cards.

Osechi-ryori is the typical Japanese New Year's food. It contains various different dishes that have meaning, such as good harvest, fertility, prosperity and so on. No matter how hard you would look for - you can never find osechi-ryori in Japanese restaurant menu. It is only ate in Japanese home, and only in new year.

Few examples of osechi-ryori dishes:
Kuro-mame (sweet black beans, usually decorated with color of gold)
Kazunoko (herring roe)
Ebi-no-saka-mushi (shimp steamed in sake)

Japanese rice wine, nihonshu, belongs to the new year as well. Especially the men in Japan drink a lot in new year, and drinking as much as one desires is even encouraged. Thus you can spot many drunken men in the trains in New Year.

In New Year's eve, people often go out to eat toshikoshi soba, long buckwheat noodles. Toshikoshi soba belongs to new year, as Christmas cake to Christmas, or watermelon to humid afternoons in summer.

Japanese families then gather home to watch the Kohaku uta gassen, Red and White Song Festival on NHK, or New Year's concert from Vienna. Record Awards Show is also popular program in New Year.

Those who are going to Shinto shrine to hear New Year bells, should go there early since very likely it's going to be crowded(!). True essence of Japanese New Year is the ringing of massive bells at famous shrines exactly 108 times. People try to get as close as they can, and throw coins and notes at the doorsteps of the shrine. At the less crowded places, people pray in conventional method, and ring the bell by themselves, praying good things to come in following year. "Out with the old, in with the new."

After going back home, people usually go to sleep, wishing to dream of a hawk or Mt.Fuji, since they are believed to bring the good fortune next year. Those who can't get any sleep, can simply turn on the TV - which is broadcasting through the night. It is important to wake up before the sunrise, since to view the first sunrise is considered to be a good start for the new year. But those who are too tired to go outside or live in unfavorable location - can watch the sunrise from the TV.

First day of new year is supposed to be quiet - just like Christmas day in west. No working is allowed, especially no cleaning or cooking. Families still munch away their osechi-ryoris, and in addition also special rice cakes called ozoni.

Children are given New Year's money, otoshidama in little envelopes. (In Japan, present money is always given in envelopes.) Of course - toystores and candy stores are open, so parents take their children there.

Since their mailboxes are flooding with nenga-jo's, Japanese people usually start to read them - and return cards for those who were forgotten. Usually it's considered OK to send a card until 15th of January. I suspect a lot of writing takes place still then since nobody can anticipate who they will get card from.

Then, it's time go to and pay first visit to a Shinto shrine, hatsumode. Many women wear beautiful kimonos for hatsumode. Popular shrines are amazingly crowded. It is said that The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo gets more than 80 million visitors in first days of new year. People queue in peace, and give offerings and pray for happy new year. They often buy special arrows, hamaya to drive away evil, which they put on display in their homes.

Then it's time to make sure no plates of food, or more importantly, sake, is left to spoil..