Okonomiyaki..Christmas..

The picture of the children is one of the first grade classes that I volunteer for at the local elementary school by our apartment. There are many more pictures of the students under the photo's link. They are so fantastic, I love every time I get to go. The second picture is from Sunday night when Michael and I went out to dinner with Hayashi-san and his family. They took us to an okonomiyaki place that cooks it right in front of you. We probably did not get to cook as much as the other tables considering it was our first time. We tried three different styles, first was Osaka style where the meat, veggies and okonomiyaki batter is mixed into one big thing and then pour onto the griddle. The second style was Hiroshima and the batter gets poured onto the griddle and then topped with meat, veggies, yaki soba and topped off with a fried egg. The final style was Tokyo style (second picture), we have to cut up the meat and veggies into small pieces and then the batter/sauce was poured onto and we used little spatulas and ate right off the griddle. Overall, it was a great experience and I really enjoy okonomiyaki. The final picture was Christmas Day. Matt, Annie, Arnulfo, Dinorah, Michael and I did a secret santa gift exchange plus dinner. I made spring rolls and shrimp/crab wontons. Dinorah and Michael helped with wrapping the spring rolls. Thanks! Dinorah also made a vegan carrot cake which was delicious. Annie brought over some iced sugar cookies and wine. Matt brought a cake and homemade eggnog. Arnulfo made peppermint hot chocolate. We have such a nice group of chefs! We had dinner then enjoyed all the yummy desserts. During the desserts we did our secret santa gift exchange. I went first and Matt was my secret santa. He got my lots of rilakkuma items which was awesome. I really like rilakkuma and he got me this pencil case I was actually looking at a couple of weeks ago. I had Annie and I got her a nabe pot, sake set and some red bull. Annie had Arnulfo and he got some running shirts. Arnulfo had Dinorah and she got a big fuzzy super soft cozy pillow. Dinorah had Michael and he got a nice Mashiko sake set. Last, but not least Michael had Matt and he got a Gun O'clock and a Oishi (Utsunomiya Restaurant Guide). It was a great time. I'm glad we decided to do the gift exchange! We finished off the night with some Mad Gab and Taboo. It was a great Christmas! Thanks!

Oarai

We finally got the rest of our stuff Thursday. It's so weird that I thought we shipped more stuff, but didn't. Oh well, we've been able to find pretty much everything here, but of course with a premium. We also exchanged our rental Fit, for our newer and more awesome YELLOW Fit. I love it. It's so cool! The back up camera is probably my favorite part so far. We took a day trip Saturday to Oarai, which is 1.5 hours east of Utsunomiya. Matt, Michael and I went to check out a famous fish market, see the Ocean and go to an aquarium. The fish market was very neat. I mean, i've seen them on tv, but really don't get the opportunity to experience them since we lived in Ohio. There were so many types of fish that we have never seen before. Truly amazing. Of course it smelled fishy, but once you get over that you can really take in everything the fish markets have to offer. There were fresh, as in swimming and moving, fish and crabs. It was weird and cool at the same time. We saw whole salmon fish the length of my arm. I arms are not super long, but still they were pretty big. There were so many pieces of sushi grade fish available that you could open and eat with a little wasabi. After walking the fish market, we grabbed lunch at a kaiten sushi place that Michael's co-worker recommended. The "neta" = fish on top of the rice ball in nigiri sushi was huge. I mean you could barely see the rice. It was awesome and delicious. After lunch we drove to the beach area and even though it was a bit chilly there were quite a bit of surfers out. Michael's co-worker surfs so maybe that will be something we will learn in the summer. Matt and Michael bared the cold and soaked their feet in the water for a short period of time. They did confirm that the water was FREEZING. brrrr. I was just cold walking along side the beach. It was beautiful though. I have now seen both sides of the Pacific. We drove alongside the ocean seeing if there were campgrounds, beach house rentals, etc. The information was hard to find, it is not as easy as looking for a house with a "For Rent" sign on it. We finished off the trip with a visit to the Oarai Aqua World. This was one of the best aquariums I have ever been to. It was so big and beautiful. There were many species I have never seen, but they there were those familiar ones. I think the tank with the sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, etc. was the big tank I have every seen. I could watch the fish for hours. They are so fascinating. The day was cut a little shorter because I had my first nomikai to go to. It was a ladies night nomikai (all you can eat and drink special). We went to a yakiniku place called Kagaribi. It was delicious, but lots of food. I tried my first Calpus Sour drink and those might be dangerous. I liked them. I only had one though because I was tired from the day. I called the night after eating because we had spent all day in Oarai. Next time I will venture to karaoke festivities.

*Check out photos of Oarai through the photos link.

Oarai

A smile to my heart!

Today was WONDERFUL, i need to blog about it now! This morning my sensei, Eiko-san, and I went to a local elementary school to volunteer. We taught English to two first grade classes. I was already overly excited when Eiko-san told me about the opportunity. As we were waiting in the teacher's lounge, Eiko-san went over an ideal schedule for the class. We were going to teach the children the numbers 1 through 10. The door opens at the teacher's lounge and one sensei with 3 first graders greet us. They were so adorable. They proceeded to say "Hi, how are you?". I almost melted. They directed us to the classroom and 40 first graders were in rows of 5 awaiting us. After arriving in the classroom, one girl said something in Japanese and everyone stands. Then she says something else in Japanese and the class says "Hello and nice to meet you!" Again, a little more melting of the heart. After the intro, they sang a song..."BINGO". They were so precious. After the song, Eiko-san proceeded to introduce me and explain a little bit about our lesson plan. The first activity was saying the numbers 1 through 10 and having the children recite after me. I could see them making a big effort to watch how my mouth is forming certain letters as they don't have "f", "v", or "l" in the Japanese alphabet. They did great! We did several of activities and the time flew by. After about an hour our time was done with the first class. We said our goodbye's and see ya's and the teacher along with 3 first graders walked us back to the teacher's lounge. Awaiting for the second class of first graders, I could not tell Eiko-san enough how thankful and enjoyable the opportunity was. *the door slides* "Hello, yoroshiku onegai shimasu!", the second class of first graders come to pick us up and again directs us to the classroom. At first, they seemed a little more shy, but after moments of getting to the classroom it was all fun and games. We did a similar lesson plan as the first class, but there were more students in admiration. They would look at me with fascination, maybe it's because I am a native English speaker, maybe they were just attentive, or maybe they were thinking why does this Asian girl not speak Japanese. I would like to think it was the fact that I am a native English speaker and Eiko-san said that this may be the first time that they have met a native English speaker. Regardless, their beautiful faces made me smile. As I left this class, they extended their "see ya" into the hallway and they seemed so happy. I can't even describe in words the emotions. Just know that they were wonderful and I can't wait til next week to do it again. Eiko-san said that if they see me at the local grocery store or mall, don't be surprise that they will come running to say "hi". I hope that happens. I feel so fulfilled. I will get pictures next time. I didn't want to creep them out. =) *thank you Eiko-san for giving me this opportunity!*

Nama dai

old friends reunite...new adventures...appreciation...

Mari came to America in 1989 because of Honda. Her dad was sent to the states for 5 years and we became friends. After 5 years in America, her family moved back to Japan. It's been about 14 years since we last talked and through some crazy miracle we reconnected through facebook. Ah, yes, the power of facebook. I met up with Mari in Tokyo Tuesday and she was just as beautiful as I remembered. We had lunch by Tokyo station and caught up on the last 14 years. It's still mind boggling that this happened. What a small world! After lunch she recommended that we take a Skybus tour of Tokyo on a double decker bus. We drove around to more historic parts of Tokyo including the Imperial Palace. We stopped by Ginza and I definitely need to go do some shopping there. It's like the Beverly Hills of Japan. We spent half the day together as I wanted to be home to meet Michael for dinner. I am still amazed that this has happened. The rest of the week remained mellow. Wednesday, the most eventful part was getting our second cell phone. Oh my goodness, can the plans be more complicated! The round to the 30 second, not minute. We spent about 2 hours at Softbank (cell phone provider), but thankfully Eiko-san was there with us. I feel so bad that she has to go through all the chaos with us, yet she is unbelievably patient!!! Thursday, Dinorah, Heather, Eiko-san and I went to ABC Cooking Studio in Lala Square to take a cake roll baking class. It was so much fun. Eiko-san was our translator and miraculously we all ended up with a cake roll. I still don't know what I have put in it to create such delicious-ness, but I must find out. It was very fun and I am so thankful because Eiko-san wants to do a cooking series with me. We still need to work out the details, but I am overly excited. Have I told you how awesome my sensei is. I am so fortunate to have a good sensei before Japan and now in Japan. I do miss Mariana (Sensei in America) and wish she could visit Japan, we would have so much fun. Friday was again another mellow day, but we met up with the gang for some beer and chit-chat at Gastronomy. Michael and I ate prior, but I want to go back to try the food. It's like a small plates place, plus it's super close to our apartment. Saturday, we went to Hayashi-san's (Michael's old TE from America) house in Takanazawa. We chatted for hours and they were super nice. I never met his family in America, but they were wonderful. This was our first visit to a Japanese familys' home. They had a beautiful home. I had a really good time getting to know them better. Hopefully this will be the first of many meetings. Saturday, we also ventured to Fukudaya (FKD) shopping plaza. Michael and I have grown very fond of mall food courts. The food is delicious and cheap! Haha, it doesn't take much to amuse us. Sunday, Michael had his JLPT 4 test in Oyama, so that was basically the morning and in the afternoon we went to the Riggsby's to celebrate Joe's birthday. It was a surprise birthday and I think that he was definitely surprised. It was a good time chatting up with everyone.

A little more Thanks...

Many things have happened in the past week. Thanksgiving. Clubbing. Badmitton. A New Bike. Appreciation. The week began slower as I will still recovering from this throat/cold issue. Once things started getting better, the adventure continues. I had my first Japanese language lesson since I arrived. Wow, it's amazing how much you lose when you don't use it. Thanksgiving day, I was anticipating Michael to come home at his usual 9:45pm-ish, but he came home a little earlier and we were invited to Matt's place for an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner. Matt made mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, mushrooms with red wine, and a plate of sushi. It was sentimental! Friday, Michael and I went to the Okonomiyaki place by our apartment and it was delicious! Yes, I have said a lot of stuff is "delicious", but I really enjoyed it. I must learn how to make this! Now for the fun. Dinorah and I decided to make a night of it since our significant others has work functions. We ventured to orion dori and had dinner at a yummy udon shop. Dinorah has never tried udon before, but seems like she really enjoyed it! Oishii desu ne. Sigh, so I literally had 3 sips of beer and felt a little buzzed. How sad that I have become such a lightweight. I have heard the beer is stronger here. Yea, that's it...Anyways, Matt and Michael met up with us before hitting the club, BASQ. This place was awesome. We got there kind of early, , but nonetheless it was fun. They play old school hip hop and R&B, it was great. Even though it was kind of slow, I had a blast. I feel like I can be who ever I want to be here! I think Dinorah found us our "spot" in Utsunomiya. Oh, and you buy beer out of a vending machine! How crazy. Saturday afternoon, we were invited to a badminton with some of Michael's co-workers. I would have never guessed in a million years how exhausting badminton could be. Maybe I was out of shape, maybe it was difficult. Whatever the case, it was fun! We did lose all games we played *sad face*. I don't think that will be the last time we play, but note to self: "stretch, stretch a lot". Michael and I decided for dinner we were going to do KFC as our "Thanksgiving" meal. Yes, we've had several Thanksgiving meals. I must say, I was a little disappointed in KFC. It was tender and moist, but not so crispy. The cole slaw tasted the same, but the corn was served cold. It is a luxury here! Michael and I went to kaiten sushi and ate til we were stuffed and it cost about as much as KFC. How crazy! Anyways, somehow I don't think we will venture there again. Pizza Hut is next on the list to try, but I heard it's yummy. Now off to Sunday...waking up a little late because we were super sore from Badminton we went on our way to "Joyful Honda"...the name should be "Overwhelming Honda" if you go on Sundays. It is a superstore that is a mix with Home Depot, Lowes, Michael's Craft, Target, Garden Center, Food Court, Home Furnishings, and Food Court all under the same roof. I have never seen an individual building as big in Columbus. I thought the Japanese were limited on space here?!?! I was overwhelmed!!! I adored the arts and crafts section, but it was so big that I ended up only buying 2 pencils, because I couldn't decide what to buy. There was a lovely scrapbooking section, so I guarantee I will be back, however NOT on a Sunday. I would like it to be "Joyful" Honda. After Joyful Honda, we went to Nitori to buy a coffee table and now our home is 90% complete. Still waiting on the second shipment and then it will be "home". I will have to post new pics as we have changed up the living room quite a bit. Last event of the weekend was...I got a bicycle. It is a traditional Japanese bicycle with a basket in the front, for when I go grocery shopping. It's so cute. I would probably never be caught dead in one back home because it's not really practical. It just makes sense here!

*Photos link updated

Pimped Van Sighting

From Random Things in Japan

Tokyo/Thanksgiving Celebration

Hi everyone! Friday, Michael and I had to go to Tokyo to get some things notarized at the US Embassy, but we decided to make a day in the city. We started off at the Embassy and completed everything by 9am, so we ventured off to Shibuya, a famous shopping area and the intersection with the Starbucks that we see in so many movies . He showed me a few shopping malls, but of course, I am trying to refrain from buying things until I scope out every scene. It is very tempting to buy everything, from clothes to plates. We had breakfast/lunch at a little ramen shop, but they served up big, big bowls of ramen. Delicious. After more walking around Shibuya some more, we took a break at the starbucks and watched the people from the window. It's amazing the variety of people in one intersection. There were business men and women, young kids, grandma and grandpas, early 20's, it was endless. What amazes me is even though there were so many people, it was rare that they bumped into each other. It's as if there is a certain respect for individual space. From Shibuya we went to Shinagawa because there was a temple that Michael said was big and famous. After getting to Shinagawa station, we were searching the phone for the location and the police stopped us and checked our IDs. Good thing I had my passport on me! They were undercover cops and I was now wondering why there were undercover cops in Shinagawa station. He was nice and saw that we were trying to figure out where to go on our phone and then assisted us. The weird thing was when we asked him about this temple, he didn't even know where it was. Can people really know each little area in Tokyo, I think not, so it should be common that people are trying to figure out where they are going, especially in a train station? Now I wonder why he pinpointed us to check ID?!?! Anyways, the temple was further away than originally anticipated, so I was afraid we were going to get lost, then we stayed in Shinagawa and ended up at the Epson Aqua Stadium. The Aqua Stadium was much smaller than anything in the US, but they focused heavily on a sealion show and a dolphin show. The sealion show was cute, but a little awkward since it was in Japanese and I didn't get the humor. The dolphin show was out of this world. The tricks were beyond anything I have seen in the US. The trainers would be in the water with the dolphins and incorporated themselves into the tricks. The best was when 3 dolphins simultaneously threw their trainers in the air. I've never seen anything like that before. We spent about 2 hours at the Aqua Stadium and then decided to go to Ueno to get a snack. Right outside Ueno station there were tons of streets filled with small shops. It reminded me somewhat of NYCs chinatown, but much bigger. There were lots of vendors selling fresh fish and then random food vendors that had prepared food. Michael had a gyro but I opted for takoyaki and yakitori. It was delicious! I forgot to take pictures this time around, but next time I shall! We called it a night around 5pm, because we were out of the apartment around 6:15am, needless to say we were tired.

Saturday brought another adventure. We started off the day at Nitori, which is similar to a bed, bath and beyond with ikea mixed. We still needed a few things for the apartment. I love these home stores. I don't know if it's the sense of feeling like I have something from home or the fact that I love home stuff. I don't know, but it's definitely awesome to have. We got a nice super soft rug and a few big pillows and I now have a pillow pit in our living room. It's so comfy. I just want to nap in it all day. Next we went to the Thanksgiving/JJ's birthday celebration that the Riggsby's organized. The found this tatami room, I still haven't figured out what the location was , nonetheless it was nice. It was a potluck style except for the Riggsby's provided the lovely 8 lb turkey and some sides. We brought some cake from Ueno because we are still not completely settled. There were 50+ people there and everyone was so nice. I finally had the chance to meet most of the OAP spouses and reconnect with the ones that I spent time with in San Francisco. Looks like everyone is getting settled and doing well. I look forward to getting to know everyone more! We ate lots of food, I think I have sushi, gyoza, turkey, green bean casserole, corn, chips, cheeseballs, cake, etc. Wow, I ate quite a bit looking back at it. I'm so glad that we were invited because I am used to spending Thanksgiving with my family which is big, so to be in a big group setting was fulfilling. In the evening, we gathered at Annie's. She has a very nice place, I really like how she has set it up, very cozy. We hung out there for Dan's birthday and later they went to Iceman. I opted out because I could feel my throat getting worse and I didn't want to push it.

Sunday, we went back to Nitori to get a few things, but then watch football the rest of the evening. OSU vs Michigan and OU vs Texas Tech

**Pic from Thanksgiving, go to our photos link for more pictures of our trip to Tokyo and Thanksgiving*

Random additions

Life in Utsunomiya.

Wow, is this really happening! Michael has been in Utsunomiya since 11/01 and I (Kwan) arrived 11/15. The apartment we have is very nice and we've managed to open our first shipment of boxes. Things are still trying to find it's place, but it's coming along. Michael started work the Monday after he got here and he was staying at the Richmond Hotel for 2 weeks. So far so good...The first weekend he went down to Tokyo to hang out with his old college roomie, Shu. There are pics posted on our pictures link of them at a golf simulator. Pretty cool. I landed Saturday at Narita and immediately the sight of vending machines caught my eye! They are everywhere, it's like Starbucks in NYC. Today I saw my first beer vending machine! I have a grocery store named Otani close by and I probably go there daily. They have sushi with 15 pieces of nigiri for less than $10. It's amazing, not just salmon, tuna, etc...but uni and ikura (the expensive stuff). I must say that cheap and fresh sushi is going to be my vice, good thing it's healthy! There is also this cool dollar store called Daiso that I have grown fond of. It's about 15 minutes away by foot and I probably go there daily too. So far every day is a new adventure for me and I am liking it a lot.

*Pic from our balcony, go to our photos link for more pictures of our apartment*

Time to Move

Today was the start of the big moving session. Nippon Express came over with their crew of 6 people and are going to spend 3 days packing and storing most of our stuff.

Our first house goes on the market...

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