Dublin, Ireland, I am back...

I know that you missed me ;)

I got back to Osaka this morning at around 9:30 am. Both flights, going and returning were basically OK. (I watched a total of 5.5 movies on the plane, 4 going, and 1.5 returning) so the time passed quickly. Next week I want to write more about the trip, but for now just some highlights. It was really a wonderfully balanced trip, with a variety of sightseeing in the city, really beauiful nature spots in Northern Ireland and also went to the Aran Islands, which were magnificent. I had to ride a VERY small plane, a 6-seater to get there...I was scared, so I closed my eyes, and my hands were very sweaty...But the beautiful nature was worth the flight!

In Dublin, well, the major theme is BARS...It is really unbelievable, there are just so many bars!!! The Guinness Beer and Murphy`s Stout really does taste delicious and creamy. Most of the bar are really old too so the desing/architecture is cool. I also listened to a bunch of live irish music shows like the one below. I like Irish music so it was cool!
The food was , ah---, just ok. I ate fish and chips, and the fish was huge and meaty, much bigger than in any irish bar in Osaka. I also ordered the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life! It was like half a cow, and I wasn`t even so hungry to begin with so I could`t fnish it...The weather, was, ah--- not good. It was cold. I don`t like cold. And the weather cheanges from cloudy to rainy to sunny many times during the day, almost like every 20 minutes...I`m serious!

I will write more later so hope you check it out next week! Hope you all have a good weekend!

Danjiri Festival and Ireland...

Team "KITA." There are 21 teams or groups in the Danjiri Festival. My friend, Mr. O, is from the "Minami" Group. He said that is is the BADDEST group in all of Kishiwada!!!

I really like the clothes that these guys wear. I would love to get my hands on one of these outfits and wear it while strolling around town.

Two of my friends went to the Danjiri festival last week in Kishiwada. One guy watched, and the other guy participated in the actual festival. He pulled one of the big carriages. I have never been to this festival but I really want to go some day. I heard it is very intense and also dangerous! I heard sometimes people even die in the festival by getting run over by the carriage or getting stuck between the carriage and the wall...terrible...But fortunately this year, no one died. The worst injury people suffered from was heat stroke. That`s a relief!

Tomorrow I will go to Ireland for about a week. It is my first trip to Europe, can you believe it? I will learn about my roots, and check out the sites, see some castles, check out some pubs, and maybe drink a little beer too...When I get back I will tell you all about it! Take care while I am gone!!

Pasta, noodles, and slurping

Mr. M made this delicious looking pasta. It looks like it is a cream sauce with spinach and ham. It is mouth-watering!!!

Just before in class some students and I talked about slurping. In Japan when you eat noodles, for example ramen or soba or udon, it is OK=acceptable=common to slurp when you eat. I heard that slurping is actually a sign to show the chef/cook that the eater thinks the noodles are delicious. In America, slurping is very rude. It is very impolite to slurp anything in America. Soup, coffee, tea, pasta, noodles: It is inappropriate to slurp all of these foods! Some Japanese people also slurp when they eat pasta! This is a big NO-NO in America! Many parents tell children in America "Don`t slurp your food! It`s rude!!!"

It`s interesting how in different countries there are different customs and rules about food and manner. I want to talk more about this in the future. Are there any customs or rules in Japan or foreign countries which you think are strange?

Japanese Wedding

A student of mine, Ms. K, recently got married. She got married in Kyoto and did a traditional-like ceremony and wore the traditional japanese wedding clothes. She and her husband really look great in the photos! In Japan there are a few types of typical weddings. Some people hold a wedding ceremony in a church or chapel, or hotel, or sometimes even a restaurant. More traditionally, some people hold the ceremony at a shrine. You can usually see many wedding ceremonies at shrines on the weekends. After the ceremony, I heard (I have never been to a Japanese wedding so I don`t know from personal experience.) that there is usually a reception or dinner. The bride and groom usually give a small speech and also the bride and groom`s friends and parents also give a speech, or even sing a song like in karaoke ro do a small dance! Japanese style weddings are a little different that American style weddings I think. Walking through the bamboo forest all dressed up really looks cool!
Congrats on your wedding Mr. and Mrs. K! Good Luck!

Track and Field, September 1st, Steeplechase, the clown

Check out Glico`s new uniform! He changed his uniform just for the big Track and Field World Games which are presently being held in Osaka. Tomorrow is the last day, which begins with the women`s marathon first thing in the morning. The course goes right by the classroom, about a block away. So tomorrow morning I am sure it will be noisy with the helicopters hovering overhead to film the race. Women`s marathon is big in Japan, so a lot of people will be outside and also watching on the streets.
My father took these photos while he was in Japan about a month ago. He and I both like the minami area, especially dotombori. All of the neon lights, and tons of people, is kinda mezmorizing. The above Asahi beer neon display is pretty cool, but to be honest, I like Kirin Lager the best!
On the left is the famous crab place. I have never been there but I heard it is pretty good. And it`s a great place to watch all the Hanshin Tiger fans jump off the bridge! On the right is Tsutaya, the biggest dvd/cd rental shop in Japan. It is similar to Blockbuster in America. Some popular American tv series, like 24, Friends, Desperate House wives, are now out on DVD in Japan. Do you watch or like any of them?
There is one event in this track and field competition which I think is ridiculous!! It is called "Steeplechase." It is a 300 meter long race I think. The athletes? run and then jump over hurdles into a small pond of water....they continue doing this the whole course, many times slipping or tripping in the water and injuring themselves. If this was an event in the X-games, maybe I could understand. But in the World Track and Field Championships...Come on! I don`t think so!
Who is that clown?