Ireland notes continued...The Spire

Can you see the needle sticking out into the sky in the above picture. That is called, "The Spire"!? Personally, I didn`t like it nor think it fit in the city, Dublin. Dublin is an old city, and looks a little run-down. Most of the buildings that I saw are not tall buildings. Most of them are about 4 stories high. In general the buildings are low, and so are the clouds...so the city feels small. But The Spire, only The Spire, points up wat into the sky. I read it was built as a millenium project, like modern art, but I just didn`t see the point to it and I didn`t like it. But it does have one good point. It is a good place to meet if you are a tourist because it is very easy to see and find from anywhere in the city.
I took this photo to show two things. First, the rain. It rained at one time at least every day. Two, the yellow and blue double-decker buses. They were everwhere, tons of them...I watched dozens and dozens every morning pass by my hotel`s window. But I never saw so many people in them, so I don`t understand why the City of Dublin needs so many of these buses.
The Temple Bar area is an area filled with bars, all different types of bars. Old ones and new ones are all mixed together. The architecture of many of the old ones is pretty cool, old and nostalgic. The guy in the black pants and jacket is the bouncer. That means that he is the security for the bar. He usually stands outside the bar and checks all the patrons coming in. Usually bouncers and big and not so friendly.

I took this photo during my layover at the airport in Amsterdam. This is a plane of the Irish company. I forget the exact name of the airlines. But the clover on the wing of the plane is neat!! Inside the plane, it was a normal cabin, nothing special, though.

The excursion to The Guiness Beer Factory and museum was great. From the top of the factory, we drank one delicious, creamy, Guiness while looking at the city of Dublin. It was a great view. But as my cousin said, "This is the ugliest city I have ever seen."

Have a good weekend!

The Biggest Steak Ever!!

This was the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life!!! It was 16 to 18 ounces big, I don`t know exactly, but that`s what it said on the menu. I have eaten some pretty big steaks in my life, and always finished, but not this time. The steak beat me. I lost!!! Honestly, on the night of that dinner I felt a little like I had a cold, and I had a little jet lag, and ate a big delicious appetizer, and when I ordered the steak I didn`t know that it would be that BIG! So I wasn`t in my best condition to try to tackle this monster of a steak. I am not making any excuses for not finishing the steak, but if I was in my best condition, I think that maybe I could have finished it. But I would have had to work, work very hard, sweat, to finish it. It was HUGE! And it was a little tough. I prefer more tender steak. Also, it was cooked well-done. I prefer my steaks rare or medium rare. How about you?
This was the appetizer. Some delicious mussels! But I don`t think this is traditional Irish food. You can eat good mussels any place near the ocean I think. But these mussels were really good. Usually mussels are served with red sauce or white sauce. I like both. It was a good starter! And dipping the bread in the sauce was also delicious!

Some traditional Irish food or drinks which I saw or tried are the following: Irish stew, Boloxy(fish or beef or chicken wrapped in a pancake), Fish and chips, Irish coffee...That`s all that I can think of right now.
The portions overseas, especially in America, are really just too big. That`s one of the reasons many of the people are overweight. In Japan, the portions are small. So I think that`s one of the reasons people are small. What do you think?

Ireland notes...

The nature in Northern Ireland was really something! On one hike, I think it was a national park, we had to cross this rope bridge. Even though I am scared of heoghts, I crossed it no problem! But my father was a chicken and too scared to cross it so he decided to wait with all the children and babies as I explored the other side. Situated next to the ocean, the cliffs provided a great view and a pleasant cool breeze.



Speaking of rope bridges, have you ever crossed the high and long and narrow rope bridge in Totsukawa town? I have! That is scary!!! Compared to that, the bridge from Ireland was Nothing!!



Besides heights, I am also scared of tight places=I am claustrophobic. Do you have any phobias?



Norman, the Guide! Norman was a great guy! He was retired, about 65 years old, and very friendly and informative. He really made the tour more interesting with his tid-bits of knowledge. He spoke a lot, but not too much...He was perfect.
The pilot! :) I rode the above plane...a 6-seater propeller plane!!! Above I already said that I am claustrophobic...well, guess what, I am also scared of heights, so being in a small tight plane very high in the sky is not my idea of a good time. But that was the only way I could get to the Aran Islands. So I guess the 15 minutes or so of misery in the plane was worth it...because the Aran Islands were truly beautiful!

It`s a rainy day in Osaka today...Have a good one!

IRELAND-THE COUNTRY, NATURE, AND CULTURE

The above picture might just sum it all up, the original reason I wanted to go to Ireland. GREEN. I wanted to see the green of Ireland, the grass, hills, farms. I took the above pic on the way from Dublon to Northern Ireland. For some reason, the above scenery (the grass, the hills, the blue sky, the houses) just struck me as amazing...
This is my favorite pciture of all. I can`t explain why, but just because it portrays a "normal" life in the country of some family in Ireland. There is a garden, a clothes line, clothes hanging on the line, a little shed, some bushes. Actually the was a big-whitehaired old man in the yard too, and I took a picture, but the picture didn`t come out so well, so I put this one on the blog.
This photo was taken in Northern Ireland at "The Giant Causeway." It might be a worl heritage site, I am not sure. But I walked(light hiking) for about 90 minutes around the cliffs, hills, shore. It was peaceful and calm, truly beautiful.
This photo was taken from Aran`s Island. This area, I forget the name, was unbelievable, breath-taking!! I walked for about 2 hours all around the area, which included cliffs next to the coean and a wide grasslands. The wind was crazy strng, like a typhoon. I will never forget the little time spent there!

My favorite photo of the town. I took this in Galway, a small town/city, on the way back from the Aran Islands to Dublin. A regular passerby, a fiddler, and an old man on a bike. It was quiet, in a small alley off the main strip...

Next week I will put up some more pics from my Ireland trip. Hope you all have a good 3-day weekend!

Airport and Wine

On Friday afternoons I teach at Kansai Airport. It takes a little over and hour to get there door to door, it`s a little bit of a long trip, but it is definitely worth it because all of the students are really enthusiastic and willing, wanting, and ready to learn. Soon many of the students will be bust because the opening of Beaujoulais Nouveau is coming. Every year they are really busy at this time because huge amounts of this wine are imported from France for this day! I like wine and I especially like this wine!! It is a little fruity and every year a like to drink a bottle or two during this season. Luckily for me this wine is red, and I prefer red wine to white wine. I heard that many French people or Europeans drink a glass of wine every day. I also heard that drinking a glass of wine every day is healthy, good for the heart. Now I am thinking to add one glass of red wine to my daily drinking menu...It`s a good idea I think.

October

It is Ocotber. The month of my birthday...I will be 33 years old. Actually many people I know have birthdays in October. Because I travelled last month, I just want to take it east in Ocotber and hopefully train a little for the marathon I plan to run in November. In October, now in Japan, finally it is a little cooler, less humid, so when I go to work every day I don`t have to change clothes every time I go outside. This is good because I don`t have to do so much laundry now, so I will have more time to run :) But if I run more, I will have to wash my running clothes more, so in the end, the quantity of laundry is the same ;( I know a couple that will get married on October 7th. I want to wish Mr. and Mrs. Kosuda a very happy marriage full of smiles and laughs!! :) Good luck!!! Also in October is the playoffs of American and Japanese baseball, also the Japan series and the World Series. I want to watch as many games and highlights as I can, because I am a huge baseball fan and after the season ends it is a long time before spring training begins...And in the end of October, there is also Halloween! Now I am thinking about whether or not I will dress up or not this year.

The Grand Canyon, and the Phillies!!

These are pictures from the Grand Canyon, one place in America where I really want to go. Last week, Ms. R went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with her friend for a vacation. (I was jealous!!) In Vegas she said she didn`t gamble so much, but she saw two shows. She said they were good, but it was too cold in the theater, like winter, because the air conditioning was too strong. About the Grand Canyon, she said it was truly unbelievable, a MUST see for everyone!!

Near the Grand Canyon is the Rocky Mountains. I went skiing there many times when I was a child. The mountains and scenery in that area are magnificent. Speaking of the Rocky Mountains today theColorada Rockies, a baseball team in America, will play the San Diego Padres in a one-game playoff to go the Playoffs. The winner of the game will play the Philadelphia Phillies, my team!!!
The Phillies were champions of the Divisin this year! Congrats!! It is the first time in 14 years!! A longgggggggggggggggggg 14 years! Iguchi, a japanese player, now plays for the Phils! He is good and will be a key player of the Phils are to go all the way! Little Matsui plays for the Rockies. I hope the Rockies win today, so then Iguchi and Matsui can play against each other. Either way, I will be busy in October watching many Phillies games on TV ;)

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?

The city, suburbs, or country...

Which do you live in, the city, suburns or country? In the future, where do you want to live, or what is the ideal place for you to live. When I was a child, I lived in the suburns, right outisde of the city. It was very convenient with supermarkets close by, and also there was a lot of green; trees, grass, and parks and stuff. My hometown city, Philadelphia, is one of the top 5 biggest cities in America I think. Many people say, "Philly is dangerous..." I disagree. Of course there are bad parts, areas, neighborhoods of Philly, but there are many good parts too. I think that the good parts outnumber the bad parts!
This is a photo of Tokyo, one of the bigest cities in the world. I have visited Tokyo a few times. I always get lost on the subway and when I walk around the street. I like Tokyo but I don`t want to live there. I prefer Osaka. My ideal place to live is in the country! I really like being outside and exploring nature. So near a river or the ocean, or in the mountains, or in the middle of many rice fields...anyplace would really be great. How about you? Tell me what your hometown or current house is like.

No words...Just feel.


Who is that Cowboy?

M-i-c---k-e-y M-o-u-s-e

Do you know the Mickey Mouse song? This cute girl got to meet Minnie Mouse during her summer vacation. Her parents took her to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. Her parents are also big fans of Mickey and Minnie and Donald and Goofie, so they had a blast!

But it must of been crazy hot I think...Out in the sun all day...waiting in lonnnnngggg lines! I hope the whole family drank a lot of fluids so they didn`t get dehydrated and even worse heat stroke!

I have never been to Tokyo Disney Land, but I want to go one day. Did you see the news the other month about the "fake" Disney land in China!! The characters looked thin and weak and not bright and colorful! That`s illegal!! I was surprised! And shocked! And disappointed! That theme park was not privately run!! It was run by the government!!! Unbeleivable!

Tonight and tomorrow there is an OBON Festival in Honmachi, at Kita-mido Temple. Next week, the 27th and 28th, there is another festival at Minami-mido Temple. Both of the festivals are great, but I prefer the one at Minami-mido. Anyway, if you have time, check it out!

"Chicken Beach"

Like the last two years, I went to Tottori for Obon vacation. The first day I went to "Chicken Beach." My friends and I call it "Chicken beach" because usually we go food shopping before and buy a lot of fried food, A LOT of fried chciken. It is very hot on the beach so fried food is the safest to eat I think. Sushi is a NO-NO! Also, anything with mayonaisse in it is a little dangerous I think. This "Chicken beach" is really small, like a private beach. You can go snorkling if you want too! It really secluded and a special place. The sunset is also really beautiful! I will post some sunset shots from "Chicken Beach" on the blog later this week. The below sunset pic is from another beach.
On the first day we arrived at the beach before 11am. There weren`t so many people there but I raced to get a spot in the shade! I can`t imagine staying out in the sun all day with no shade. If I did that, I would look like a boiled octopus, sunburnt and in pain and miserable. So I was very careful and used a lot of sunscreen and stayed in the shade and even wore a tee-shirt when I swam in the ocean (this is very NOT-cool!!) So I thought I would be Okay...but I still managed to get sunburnt a little. So the next day I took it easy and did some other sightseeing in the area and went to another beach to see the sunset only.

All over Japan, there were record high temperatures last week. The highest temp recorded was 40.9 degrees Celcius I think. In America, that equals 105 degrees Farenheit!!! Thats`s a BOILER! A SCORCHER! YOU COULD FRY TO EGGS ON THE PAVEMENT IN THAT HEAT!!!

And, fortunately, I could see my friends Grandpa again. How old do you think he is? He was the same as before, making many jokes about my bald head..he was funny and we laughed a lot. We drank and talked about many interesting topics. He also talked a lot about World War Two and MacArthur...encounters, destiny, farewells, and again my bald head ;)!! Hopefully I will be able to talk to him again sometime.

Have a good week and be careful in the heat! Drink a lot of fluids! Be careful not to get dehydrated! And defintiely be careful not to have a heat stroke!

Kawazoe is back!!!

Mr. Kawazoe is a friend of mine. About a month and a half ago, he broke his collar bone in a freak accident. He is a "2-dan" blackbelt level in Akido. He was doing some routine Aikido practice and he slipped and fell awkwardly on his shoulder. After that he went to the hospital, had surgery, and stayed in the hospital for a few weeks. He said that the pillows were too hard and the food was terrible. But he said "There are many pretty young nurses, so it is like heaven! ;) "

"Ma-chan", Mr. Kawazoe`s nickname, has a restaurant in Kitashinchi. The restaurant`s name is very original, "Kawazoe" :) He works there with one or two other employees. One of them you can see above! But because he got injured he had to close his restaurant for almost 2 months. He will re-open August 17th!! I really want to wish him success and say "welcome back!!"
The restaurant`s atmosphere is very simple. Just a bar with about 10 seats. There is no music in the restaurant. The focus is on the food. And the food is truly delicious! It is a little pricey though, about 10,000 yen per person plus drinks. If you are on the mood for a night out on the town, and really want to taste some delicious food, I highly recommend "Kawazaoe"!! Check it out if you can!!
A wonderful assorment of raw and cooked fish
raw whale meat
Some Americans get all fussy abotu whale meat...you shouldn`t eat it because it is an endangered species, blah blah blah...but I like it and it is a traditional food of Japan. It used to be served in the school lunches in all the schools in Japan. The above dish was really a delicacy. I have also eaten raw whale sushi which I like too. But my favorite sushi is still yellow tail! How about you?

Have a good Obon vacation!

It`s ungodly hot outside!

It feels like a sauna outside. I just heard on the radio that today is the hottest day of the year...34.7 degrees Celcius. How hot is that in Farenheit, America`s measurement of temperature? (I don`t know...) But also strangely, according to the old Japanese calendar, today is the first day of fall. Now I understand what it is called the "old" Japanese calendar! Because it is way too out of date!

Today I want to talk about haircuts. Yesterday I went to the hair-cut place to get a hair cut. I have a shaved head so sometimes I just do it myself, but in the summer it`s really hot and my head is sweaty, so it is easier to just go to the barber. Besides, it only costs 1000 yen and it is very convenient for me, close to the classroom.

Believe it or not, I used to have hair!! In high school and university my hair was normal length for a guy. After I came to Japan, I grew my hair out and it was shoulder length. I wore it in a pony-tail. But then my hair began to fall out, and quickly I began balding, so then I decided to just shave my head. I usually get a hair cut about twice a month, or once every two weeks. How about you? BTW, I think a shaved head fits me ;)

Some people tell the hairdresser what to do, for example "I want to cut my hair short/long/shoulder length." For girls, "I want to get a perm/highlights/extensions." (Maybe!! I am not a girl so I don`t know for sure because I have never done it!) Also, in America, you should tip the hairdresser!!! Some people tip a few dollars, but big spenders might tip 10 ro 20 dollars per hair cut. Now my head is shaved, BUT it is NOT GOOD because it is so sunny outside, so I have to be careful not to get sunburnt!! Or else I will look like a tomato head!
There are many different kinds of festivals in the summer in Japan. Of course firewokrs, and also many interesting festivals in Nara, like you can see in the deer photo above. Obon Vacation is coming! What plans you got?

Soft and cuddly!

The stuffed animals below really look soft and cuddly! It has been a little while since I last wrote because I was busy showing my parents around Japan. I needed one of these stuffed animals last week to rest my head on and go to sleep. Because of a number of factors, I was wiped out!

My parents visited Japan for about 9 days. We did a lot, like visiting the local spots as well as going a little far to a hot spring in Tottori. It was not my folks first visit to Japan, so they were familiar with some things. But many things are still very different from America, and combined with the heat, and jet lag, both of my parents must have been tired too. But they did a good job. Also, like I thought, food can be difficult.

At the Japanese ryokan, as usual, very unique and original food is served. Unfortunately, this food isn`t the best for most Americans. But this was expected! The whole experience of a traditional japanese hot spring was worth it I think. I will post some pictures from their trip in the near future. Please check them out! Have a good week!