I was Santa!

Today was my last teaching day of the year; I'm on vacation for a couple weeks now! We had our children's Christmas party today and in addition to teaching a bunch of regular classes and playing Christmas games, I spent a while taking photos dressed up as Saint Nick.

I've mentioned gift giving in Japan before. A few of our students brought Christmas gifts this week, and one of my adorable ex-students (now being taught by a different teacher due to a schedule change) gave me a great little box. Inside are some appetizing-looking chocolates!

So while it was a busy day (and difficult because I said goodbye to another of my favorite students) I had a great time!

Meanwhile, the blog has been kind of silent lately because I've been busy prepping for my vacation. I plan on posting from South Korea starting around Tuesday. Yep, Christmas! If I don't write until then, have a great weekend!

Christmas Wish List from Japan

Since it's now officially Black Friday in America (and in some stores, it started many hours ago), I figured I would go ahead and post my wish list for Christmas. Not that I expect anything on this list; it's just a collection of tangible things I miss from America.

How about kicking it off with some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? I got some this summer through a friend, but I can never get enough chocolate and peanut butter together! Too bad it's really unhealthy for me.

And along the lines of peanut butter, how about some of those MnMs or Reese's Pieces. Seriously, candies in Japan don't combine peanut butter and chocolate. It's so rare, I don't even see it at Don Quixote - though I have seen mini peanut butter cups (non-Reese's) at Costco. And I have two boxes of chocolate-peanut butter brownie mix that I need to use.

Another rarity in Japan is mint, so York Peppermint Patties are nowhere to be found. I was lucky enough to find some mint chocolate instant coffee, though it runs me 50 yen per cup. I guess that's cheaper than the nearly 600-yen white mocha drinks I like from the local Starbucks.

The recent news has reminded me how much I love Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Cupcakes. I know they won't disappear completely, but I could go for a package of each!

OK, let's get a bit healthier. Pumpkin pie is my favorite kind of pie, but I haven't had any since I left the States. I haven't looked too much for canned pumpkin, but then I would have to find small pie crusts that would fit in my little oven...

Mexican food. I brought packets of taco seasoning with me, and I can buy them here (they aren't cheap!), which means I get the same basic tacos I made in America. But I can't get the awesome ones that I love from San Francisco's Mission District. And nachos are pretty difficult too, though I guess they can be done. Perhaps some more taco seasoning packets could be brought my way.

And while we're talking ethnic food, I really miss kung pao chicken. Send me some sauce that I can mix in here (preferably in dry-seasoning form - just add water!) and I can add the chicken and everything else. I found one place way out west of Tokyo, several months ago, where I was able to get some kung pao-style chicken. It was awesome. I've replaced my spice craving with curry here in Japan, which I can easily make at home. But a little bit of that familiar flavor would be great. (I suppose I could probably find all the ingredients somewhere around my local supermarket.)

I miss many of my favorite TV shows from America. I've considered Hulu, but the Japanese version doesn't carry most of the ones I want to see. And there are a few movies I didn't get on DVD before coming out here that I really want to watch, most notably the Blues Brothers movie. (Why can't I just stream Netflix like I did in San Francisco!)

While I keep myself pretty busy most of the time, I've returned to reading. English-language books that I want to read are either really expensive or difficult to find. Maybe a gift card I could use on Amazon.JP would do wonders here! I have a bunch of books in a couple boxes left in San Francisco that could be sent over, but you know how heavy books are and thus how expensive it would be to ship them.

Of course, there are many other things I want, and I don't really need anything.

I'll run out of deodorant soon, but I have heard that can now be found in Japan so I'll start my hunt in the next few weeks. I have a lot of toothpaste, and I think good toothpaste is also available. I've lost enough weight that I can fit into (3x-large-size - basically a size L in the US) Japanese clothes and I've had some luck finding new shoes (any guys over a size 10 will probably have some trouble).

Really, I wrote this post with the hopes that those who come to Japan will get an idea of what they might miss while living here and can plan accordingly. As I've tried to convey in the past, there are lots of new and exciting things to be tried, from different food dishes and sweets to exploring the back streets of Tokyo. While I don't have chocolate and peanut butter keeping me fat, I can get some amazingly delicious baked goods and packaged candies to keep my sweet tooth pleased. And while I can't read all the time, I'm pretty happy spending my time trying to figure out what, exactly, is in that package of food, or poking my head around some new-to-me neighborhoods.

So for those of you buying all kinds of stuff this weekend, happy shopping! My address is...

Japan celebrates Thanksgiving too!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in America. It's still Thursday over there, and most folks have finished their turkey and stuffing by now. But America isn't the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving.

While I'm sure there are several others, I'm referring to Japan.

November 23, specifically, is designated a national holiday, called Labor (Labour?) Thanksgiving Day. Established in 1948, obviously with American occupation influence, it's a time for praising labor, celebrating production, and giving thanks. However, before 1948, it existed as a harvest festival. Unlike America, Japanese holidays are usually celebrated on specific days, though four of them are celebrated on the closest Monday. It just so happens that this year's Japanese Thanksgiving falls in the same week as the American Thanksgiving. Next year, it will be celebrated on Saturday - before Thanksgiving in the US.

As a national holiday, government offices and banks are closed, professionals are given the day off, and school children have a day to relax. However, most people just enjoy it as a day away from work. Nobody serves turkey and stuffing, and pumpkin pies are nowhere to be found.

Mmm. Pumpkin pie.

I'm sure Japanese people do get into the spirit of things a bit and reflect on what they are thankful for, but none of my students have mentioned that they are doing anything other than taking a short trip (three day weekend!) or staying home and relaxing.

However, I do have a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm thankful that I have a fun job in an exciting, new part of the world. I've lost a lot of weight this year and despite catching frequent colds thanks to my preschool classes I think I'm a good bit healthier. I have much less stress than I can remember for a long time. I've been able to travel around Asia and I'm continuing to do so for another year. My friends are healthy and happy - one of them is about to have her second child. My mother's so much healthier and happier than two years ago, and maybe for decades. The rest of my family is doing well and given the state of things in the world (the economy, Hurricane Sandy, tensions in the Middle East and here in Asia) things are at least okay with everyone I know.

I'm spending the day writing blog posts, doing odds and ends, and hopefully spending a good bit of time just relaxing. I hope all of my readers and friends out there can use this day as a time to reflect on the good things in their life, because it's so easy to focus on the negative. Until tomorrow, Happy Turkey Day!

White Day/Shake, Rattle and Roll

Today is a special day for ladies here in Japan. One month after Valentine's Day, Japan celebrates White Day. No, it isn't a sale on bed sheets at Macy's. White Day is when men give women gifts in return for gifts received on Valentine's Day. Many students bring gifts for one or both of the days for us teachers (shared with everyone of course) and I brought a box of chocolates. I probably didn't bring enough, but I can't afford much else now. I think I'll add to the pile once I get paid next month. Maybe I will pick up some of those cream puffs everybody loves!

Meanwhile, right around 9pm, we had a pretty big earthquake/aftershock. The nearby quake was reported as 5.7 by the USGS, though the local news called it a 6.1. It was the biggest earthquake to come from Chiba since the March 11 quake. There were also a couple stronger quakes up to the north. I was surprised that nothing fell off the shelves in my apartment, as I had given no concern to earthquakes when I placed stuff. I guess it just comes naturally? Anyway, everyone's fine although the news said there was some minor(?) damage in the Chiba area.

Hey, there's stand up comedy on TV. In Japanese. I didn't know Japan had stand up comedy. If only it was in English!

Valentine's Day in Japan!

Gift giving in Japan is a big deal. There's an art to it here - people are in a constant struggle to provide equal-or-better gifts in return for previous gifts. So it should be no surprise that Japanese culture has adopted a few gift giving holidays from the west, including Valentine's Day.

Things are a bit different here, though. On Valentine's Day, women give men gifts - usually chocolate - but men don't give anything in return. It's a time for women to show men they like them, where normally they might be too shy or reserved to say anything outright.

Not all gifts are signs of love, though: women might give all the men in the office a small "obligation" gift. And the holiday carries down to the children, as girls bring sweets for the boys in class.

So is this fair? The women do all the shopping while the men don't have to buy anything! Well, not quite. One month later men give gifts to the women on a day known as White Day.

Most of the stores have Valentine's Day advertising campaigns, with sometimes quite-large areas of the floor devoted to chocolates and other gifts. Kiosks and tables are set up in the malls with even more sweets selection. It's a big deal here!

I received my first gift yesterday (Friday) evening, from one of the children. It's very kawaii (cute)! Chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles and little silver balls (are those edible? I think they are). And it came in a cute Mickey and Minnie bag!

Should I receive any more gifts this weekend and Tuesday, I'll be sure to share!