Vlog

I've created a slightly lame Vlog (Video Log). Hit the play button to play.



Most of my future blogs will be in this format. We've actually begun recording (finally!) again and will have at least one song up in simple--as in, no editing, just girl and guitar, not even Ryan!--format by the end of next week. お楽しみにしてください！

Thief! Thief!

A few times I have "stolen" Ryan's posts, or so he kinda says. I guess I should agree with him since I was tempted to post his experience at the Tobu World Square.

Since that would be actual thieving, I'll just tell you all to visit this post of his and tell him how cool all the little 1/25 scale of famous world things is!

I think all my friends will probably consider the park that's displayed to be one of the coolest places on earth! I'd also like to say that before Ryan ever heard of this park, he had in mind the creation of a huge park with life-size recreations of many of the buildings you see. We both agreed that a park like that would belong somewhere in the desert areas of New Mexico or in the further reaches of Montana or North Dakota. Like Wall Drug, only with stuff to see...

Tanaka Ballet Studio Performance

Most of you don't know that I had been taking ballet lessons with a sweet friend of mine named Hitomi. I went to lessons from lastDecember through half of April in Mobara, which is a 20 minute train ride from Toke. When Hitomi moved in April, I stopped going to lessons, mostly because I was too shy to go alone. I've wanted to begin again, but a recent leg injury has kept me from even keeping up with my daily runs.

Yesterday, Tanaka Ballet Studio had a wonderful recital at the Mobara Theatre House. Ryan and I went to the 2 1/2 hour show, which was very varied and entertaining. The lights were pretty dark and we had to use digital zoom, so they're a bit blurry, but suitable I think.

The children's recital was first. It was a 45 minute set of small and large group shows displaying all the students from the adorable little girls to high schoolers who spun on point (using toe shoes to stand on the tips of their toes) very naturally. We didn't manage to get any good images of the junior high and high school students group performance. Sorry.



Next there was a 45 minute set of performances by those who are still amateurs, but have been studying for a very long time. It was also another chance for the school girls who were very advanced to show their stuff. The (only) man and the woman in white are are around 40-50, the rest are in high school or junior high.

Ryan really wanted to wear the guy in the middle's Bluebird Costume.



Then there was a final 30 minute group show in which all the little girls were flower fairies--soo cute! This was also the show in which most of the junior high school girls had the opportunity to do a solo dance on the center stage as well.

So Cute!

Yakitate! 焼きたて！

When Melissa visited last summer, she loved the characters from the show Yakitate! Japan. Yakitate means something like "hot and fresh." Since "pan" is the Japanese word for "bread," Hot/fresh Ja-pan is a cute pun. The Japanese initially learned about bread from Portugeuse missionaries (and later Dutch as well) in the 16th century, which is why "pan" is called "pan."

Recently, Ryan and I have been watching many slow-moving, dialouge-overloaded episodes (i.e. anime) of this show in which Azuma Kazuma and Friends work to be the best breadmakers ever. Azuma's goal is (very cute) to create a bread called "Japan" that will be more delicious than rice. It will also represent Japan to the world, as French bread represents France. Ryan loves it for the drama and wierdness and I love it for the drama of Ryan being super happy about a bread cartoon of all things. There's a lot of yelling from the computer (where we watch it) and from Ryan on the couch.

Anyway, the point is, we were getting a bit down about not having an oven lately, since we both love to bake and create. Ovens have yet to become a staple of the Japanese household. In our apartment, we live using a 2 range gas stove, a rice cooker and microwave. So, especially after watching the bread show we truly desired to make some homestyle bread! Japanese bread is very different from Western bread, it's very spongy/doughy feeling, most breads here are wonder-bread-white and it's difficult to find nutrient&fiber-filled wheaty bread. While the breads here are yummy, I really miss the not so sweet, yet flavorful, wheat bread loaf that you can find for just 60 cents in any U.S. market (or, better yet, fresh and for free at Ryan's Mom's house!). Also since eating brown grains is known to prevent weight gain around the belly and the fiber in brown breads is VERY important in digestion and can also assist in dieting or just daily calorie balance ^_^

So we were delighted when the 27th episode of Yakitate! Japan demonstrated how to cook bread in a rice maker! I made my first (and second) ever loaf(ves) of bread yesterday!

The first loaf was milk-tea (chai)! (Sorry, for some reason this upright picture only tranlates sideways.)
It's a white bread loaf (only white flour in Toke! Wheat'll require a trip to the big city) using a bit of brown sugar and milk tea mix. The texture is a little heavy, yet soft/fluffy and the taste is sweet with a hint of tea spice flavors--good for eating while having black tea!


The second was made with cranberries and oats. It was a bit like a soft scone really. It was thicker and a bit more crumbly than the first since the oats soaked up the extra water I added while baking. Next time, the plan add a bit more water and some marmalade jam to make an oaty orange-cranberry flavored bread! YAY!


In other news, Ryan wore the 1/2 piano-key necktie I found for $4 for him in Harajuku! When he stepped into the living room that morning I thought he was on his way to go play in a ska band, but instead he just went to school and recieved many many compliments and even played a duet rendition of "Heart and Soul" on his necktie with a student.

So Completely Charming He Is.

Book List

I thought I'd make this a post since Jenny posted some of her favorites in comments in the previous post, (which I have simplified) and it was so interesting to hear about what type of books she enjoys.

So here're my favorites. Many of these aren't just current favorites, but are here because I've read them more than three times and they've become a part of me. Please post yours in comments too if you like!

#1 (the only one I'll number)

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

My favorite book of all time, combining fantasy and theology to give some slightly tangible feeling examples to the intangible. Also, Ryan and I became nearly inseperable when we discovered one evening that both of us shared this book as our favorite. It was a really strange feeling since few people I knew had ever heard of or read it.

The rest are in no particular order.

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

It's the second in the Out of the Silent Planet series and, talking theology, my favorite. Again, it helped put many questions I had into a different light and another angle which made it more visible.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones

A lot of her other stuff is a bit strange and inconclusive (as in, really, the conclusion doesn't make any sense), but Howl's Moving Castle is a wonderful new fairy tale. It doesn't try to twist any old ones and it doesn't get too cocky, it's just a cute story.

The Book of Revelations by God

This is on the list since it's strange, I spent a year of Sunday's after church in 4th grade, reading the entire book of Revelations. By that I mean, almost every Sunday that year was spent reading it from start to finish. No one knows why, maybe I'm just a skip to the end kinda person. When I read it now, I feel that I grasped it better as a child.

The Gospel of Matthew by God

I like Matthew's writing style. I understand it better.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Stacey and I relate a bit too well to her character I think.

The Secret Garden by L.M. Montgomery

Who wouldn't want one?

Ender's Gameby Orson Scott Card

I think Card has a way of depicting how both strong and innocent children can be, I was blown away by that concept in his book. Also, it's just a really well written and thrilling story.

Veinte Poemas de Amor y Una Cancion Desesperada by Pablo Neruda

So I don't understand it as well as I used to, I don't even know who to type an accent over the 'o' in 'Cancion' but I still get the gist and I love the way the words sound. Pablo Neruda is the best writer of love poems ever.

Much Ado About Nothing by Mr. Shakespeare

Love is a silly happy and frustrating thing and I think 'ol Will had the idea down correctly when it came to that play. I used to read a bit of it every week if I felt down. During freshman year in college I once made Mark Durand and Justin Baker read through the 1st 1/2 play with me. Mark and I were very enthusiastic about acting it out in the little dorm room I shared with Megan; I think we frightened Justin with our yelling and theatrics.


Series and other stories that I love include:
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis, and the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, The Silmarillion by Tolkien, and Full Metal Alchemist (manga series) by Hiromu Arakawa.

Although I really love and enjoy LoTR and Earthsea I've never felt the urge to read them more than once (or twice).

The War Obsession

I decided to edit this since it was a bit overboard. So the simple version is:

I like Miyazaki films: Kiki, Totoro, Spirited Away

I understand and am perfectly ok that books are edited when they become movies, but I am bothered when characters are stripped, renamed, replaced and the movie doesn't make any sense.

There's no need to ADD a war to a story that has none.

I was sad that they did the two items above to Howl's Moving Castle.

I'm a bit disturbed that they actually inserted the words War Saga into the title of the Tales of Ged.

la~~ that's all I really needed to say.

Kyoto last day!

Our last day was Saturday, April 1st. It was expected to be the biggest tourist day for cherry blossoms. Ryan and I had planned on going hiking to avoid the crowds. We split off from Jeremy and Stacey, who decided to linger a bit and see some last sites, at around 10am. We were too meet up with them again around 3.

But when we got to Kyoto station to drop off our bags, there were Maiko,or Geiko (Geisha) in training, all over the station. They were advertising for a dance they would be doing later that week. It was one of the rare opportunities in which normal, not filthy rich, people could simply ask for a picture with the girls without interrupting their busy schedule.





We realized we couldn't see the dance they were advertising since it would occcur later that week, but we did realize that if we canceled our hike we could go to see the Miyako Odori, a yearly celebration of spring that is put on by a classical dance school for Maiko that is famous in Kyoto. So we set off for the Gion district as quick as we could to Gion Corner a famous theatre in the heart of Gion.

We opted for the expensive tickets which included viewing the most highly formalized version of the Japanese Tea Ceremony that we have ever seen. The girl in blue is a Maiko, the girl in black is no longer in training and is officially Geiko.




Only one person was actually served tea by the Geiko and Maiko. There were many girls there with carts of bowls and plants, serving tea and sweets to the rest of us.


The tea is powdered green tea and is mixed (not brewed) with a bamboo whisk in a small bowl. The method of serving is extremely formalized, the method of drinking is as well: The bowl is served with the "best side" of it facing you, you should not drink out of the best side, but hold it with your left hand and with your right, turn it clockwise twice so the best side is facing away, then, it's most polite to drink all the matcha in three gulps, or in a few sips, either way you pick it up once and drink it all before setting it down. Matcha is served with a sweet to balance the bitter taste.



After that we were allowed to tour the garden behind the hall and then were ushered into the theatre to watch the Miyako Odori.

First, there was an introductory dance.


Next came a dance depicting a story from The Tale of Genji. Note the Heian Period (around 1,000 years ago) dress and hair style. It's very different from the more recent, although not as recent as Western dress, Kimono and dramatic updos that currently represent Japan to many of us.


Then there was a scene from Urashima Taro, a legend about a boy who caught a sea turtle while fishing and let it go. The turtle then gave Urashima Taro a ride to the underground palace of the sea people. When he returned after what seemed just a few days, everyone he knew was dead and gone.


Then there was a dance celebrating the Fall.


One celebrating Winter.


And, of course there was adance for the Spring


All the characters and dancers came out for The Finale.


After that, we were able to catch up with Stacey and Jeremy and they went to see the later showing of the dance since plans had changed so quickly that we weren't able to contact them until after the first show. So we didn't get to see the show together, which was sad. But at least we were both able to see it and talk of it afterward. While Stacey and Jeremy were watching the show, Ryan and I went to Keninji a temple extremely close to Gion Corner. It had the most interesting classical rock gardens I have ever seen.



It has also recently had it's ceiling repainted with a now-famous image of a dragon. We thought that was pretty cool.


When Stacey and Jeremy got out of the show, it was by then around 6pm. We went down the street to Maruyama Koen again where everyone was out picnicking around the famous old cherry tree.


When the sun set, torches around the tree were lit up.


From there, we left to go to Kyoto station. Stacey and Jeremy took off for Osaka and from there had many adventures of which I have no images to show you, but I hope to see the things they saw someday soon. Ryan and I lingered about Kyoto station to wait for the night bus back to Tokyo. We arrived in Tokyo at around 6am and went straight home on the early commute train.

The End!