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But, it turns out, it's just an international campaign.
Oh well!
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Merry Me a Little
Love me just enough.
When I found this, I thought I was hitting the Engrish jackpot, all the Starbucks workers wearin' their red t-shirts, all of them emblazoned with "let's merry" in capital letters.
But, it turns out, it's just an international campaign.
Oh well!
But, it turns out, it's just an international campaign.
Oh well!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Christmas in Nara
Nara is like the poor man's Kyoto. ~somebody
Nara was the capital before Kyoto was the capital (which was before Tokyo was the capital) of Japan. So what's left there is mostly very old stuff, some temples and other cultural property from when Nara was the most prestigious place to be. It's a lot smaller than Kyoto, and the feel of it is a bit less pretentious. You can take it all in within about one day, whereas Kyoto requires a lot more time (and cash).
I had never been before this Christmas, which was the reason Osaki-san offered to take me. M joined up as well and the three of us used train tickets that function kind of as all-day passes. It was snowing very lightly as we left, and I worked on New Year cards on the train.
Our first stop was Horyu-ji, a very spacious temple area with a cool onsite museum full of historical art stuff. Horyu-ji is home to the oldest surviving wooden building in the world! Wiki-travel says to expect to wait in line to get in, but we wandered about at will in the chilly December wind. The grounds were very lightly populated with tourists, and a light snow continued to fall at intervals.
It was pretty magical.
From there, we had lunch, tried to unfreeze our hands, and hopped a train the rest of the way into Nara.
There were deer everywhere, a thing for which Nara is known. I was told they would bow to passersby, hoping for a handout, like a dog that gets so excited when it sees you holding a treat it spontaneously beings doing all the tricks it knows, hoping one of them is the one you're about to say.
They didn't bow much, but I figured that would change once I bought some treats. Later.
First, Todaiji.
We went into the temple and wished Daibutsu (literally, Big Buddha) a merry Christmas.
Inside the temple, Osaki-san showed me the pillar hole which Miriam said was the size of Daibutsu's nostril, and which was supposed to bring good luck for a year if you went through it.
Osaki-san said she'd never seen it without a line before. So I thought, what the hey, when am I going to have a shot at doing this without an audience of strangers ever again? And I told her I believed that I could fit. This was a lie. I did not believe I would fit. I was going to try anyway.
Incredulous.
To my surprise:
If you turn your shoulders diagonally, you can totally do it. Osaki-san never lies.
Then it was back outside into the freezing, beautiful day.
The deer, they look so peaceful...
Who would even believe what people say about them?
Yeah, except:
Even more upsetting was that just a little further down the path, I encountered a deer which was perfectly civil and did bow to me, and I no longer had any treats to give to it!
Next we went to Kasuga shrine, famous for its lanterns (of both stone and hanging varieties).
As it got later into the evening, we made our way over to Nigatsu-do, famous for the Omizutori festival in March, culminating in a big event involving fire which Osaki-san pointed out had blackened the wooden beams.
After this, we walked back toward the station, enjoying the brisk (BRISK!) air and occasional snowflakes. We stopped for warm drinks in a place called Benten, where the very nice owners warmly invited us to visit them again.
And that concluded our stay in Nara!
(that deer guy is Sentokun, Nara's kinda weird mascot, who made an appearance [along with Santa Claus and our own town mascot] at my elementary school recently!)
Of course, we still had to ride back to Himeji (all covered under the seishun kippu) and drive home. We stopped in Himeji and by some stroke of awesome, found a Christmas special with half price yaki-niku. There was no better way to end the evening.
The end!
Nara was the capital before Kyoto was the capital (which was before Tokyo was the capital) of Japan. So what's left there is mostly very old stuff, some temples and other cultural property from when Nara was the most prestigious place to be. It's a lot smaller than Kyoto, and the feel of it is a bit less pretentious. You can take it all in within about one day, whereas Kyoto requires a lot more time (and cash).
I had never been before this Christmas, which was the reason Osaki-san offered to take me. M joined up as well and the three of us used train tickets that function kind of as all-day passes. It was snowing very lightly as we left, and I worked on New Year cards on the train.
Our first stop was Horyu-ji, a very spacious temple area with a cool onsite museum full of historical art stuff. Horyu-ji is home to the oldest surviving wooden building in the world! Wiki-travel says to expect to wait in line to get in, but we wandered about at will in the chilly December wind. The grounds were very lightly populated with tourists, and a light snow continued to fall at intervals.
It was pretty magical.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
From there, we had lunch, tried to unfreeze our hands, and hopped a train the rest of the way into Nara.
There were deer everywhere, a thing for which Nara is known. I was told they would bow to passersby, hoping for a handout, like a dog that gets so excited when it sees you holding a treat it spontaneously beings doing all the tricks it knows, hoping one of them is the one you're about to say.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
They didn't bow much, but I figured that would change once I bought some treats. Later.
First, Todaiji.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
We went into the temple and wished Daibutsu (literally, Big Buddha) a merry Christmas.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
Inside the temple, Osaki-san showed me the pillar hole which Miriam said was the size of Daibutsu's nostril, and which was supposed to bring good luck for a year if you went through it.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
Osaki-san said she'd never seen it without a line before. So I thought, what the hey, when am I going to have a shot at doing this without an audience of strangers ever again? And I told her I believed that I could fit. This was a lie. I did not believe I would fit. I was going to try anyway.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
To my surprise:
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
If you turn your shoulders diagonally, you can totally do it. Osaki-san never lies.
Then it was back outside into the freezing, beautiful day.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
The deer, they look so peaceful...
Who would even believe what people say about them?
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
Yeah, except:
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
Even more upsetting was that just a little further down the path, I encountered a deer which was perfectly civil and did bow to me, and I no longer had any treats to give to it!
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
Next we went to Kasuga shrine, famous for its lanterns (of both stone and hanging varieties).
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
As it got later into the evening, we made our way over to Nigatsu-do, famous for the Omizutori festival in March, culminating in a big event involving fire which Osaki-san pointed out had blackened the wooden beams.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
After this, we walked back toward the station, enjoying the brisk (BRISK!) air and occasional snowflakes. We stopped for warm drinks in a place called Benten, where the very nice owners warmly invited us to visit them again.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
And that concluded our stay in Nara!
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
(that deer guy is Sentokun, Nara's kinda weird mascot, who made an appearance [along with Santa Claus and our own town mascot] at my elementary school recently!)
Of course, we still had to ride back to Himeji (all covered under the seishun kippu) and drive home. We stopped in Himeji and by some stroke of awesome, found a Christmas special with half price yaki-niku. There was no better way to end the evening.
 |
| From 2010_12_25 |
The end!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Things to do before dying:
Go to oldest capital of Japan (Nara)
Hit Kyoto and Tokyo while at it, in order
See an emperor in real life
Make a New Year visit to a significant shrine
Visit a tropical paradise
Fly through best airport in world
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Luminarie
I can't believe it's been a full week since I even looked at this blog. Alas. This is the problem, with this time of year as well as most of June and July. My trained inner seasonal clock says, we should be out of school. Or, at least the kids should, and my days should be pointless go to work and sit there days, which I could happily fill with trip planning, blogging, studying Japanese, keeping up with my reading, corresponding, and Christmas (eek, er, NEW YEAR) cards.
Alas.
We're still having class, I'm still planning lessons for elementary, making materials, trying to put together presentations about Christmas. It's kind of like rubbing salt in the wound, 'round here.. Thanksgiving, now Christmas... please make a presentation and a game about this holiday you don't actually get to go participate in. So I grumble, and I do it, and then I'm standing in the classroom, listening to Mariah Carey for the 31st time in three days, and I suddenly feel in the Christmas spirit. But by then it is December 23rd or something crazy like that and my inner clock is just confused as hell.
ANYway, last weekend, Adina and I went Christmas shopping and then to Kobe Luminarie. Although Luminarie seems a lot like Christmas lights, it is actually a memorial to the Hanshin earthquake victims, 1995.
It was the sort of thing that would have bothered me more not to see than actually gratified to see, if that makes sense. It was pretty, and nice, but really crowded (a theme, Japan?) and ruthlessly crowd-controlled by megaphone-toting, sign-holding policepeople. It was worth going just to see this, actually.. they sent us all through a long roundabout walk all around the area, sort of like when you are waiting in line at Six Flags.. then, much like Six Flags, the actual attraction was pretty short, compared to the waiting part.
But it was pretty, and it was cool, and I did get some Christmas presents (mostly in Himeji, and including a couple things for myself ^_^).
Alas.
We're still having class, I'm still planning lessons for elementary, making materials, trying to put together presentations about Christmas. It's kind of like rubbing salt in the wound, 'round here.. Thanksgiving, now Christmas... please make a presentation and a game about this holiday you don't actually get to go participate in. So I grumble, and I do it, and then I'm standing in the classroom, listening to Mariah Carey for the 31st time in three days, and I suddenly feel in the Christmas spirit. But by then it is December 23rd or something crazy like that and my inner clock is just confused as hell.
ANYway, last weekend, Adina and I went Christmas shopping and then to Kobe Luminarie. Although Luminarie seems a lot like Christmas lights, it is actually a memorial to the Hanshin earthquake victims, 1995.
It was the sort of thing that would have bothered me more not to see than actually gratified to see, if that makes sense. It was pretty, and nice, but really crowded (a theme, Japan?) and ruthlessly crowd-controlled by megaphone-toting, sign-holding policepeople. It was worth going just to see this, actually.. they sent us all through a long roundabout walk all around the area, sort of like when you are waiting in line at Six Flags.. then, much like Six Flags, the actual attraction was pretty short, compared to the waiting part.
But it was pretty, and it was cool, and I did get some Christmas presents (mostly in Himeji, and including a couple things for myself ^_^).
 |
| From 2010_12_12 |
 |
| From 2010_12_12 |
 |
| From 2010_12_12 |
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Aaaand...
I managed to spend one classless day accomplishing a whopping TWO things on my to-do list. Don't be impressed. If I had put my nose on the grindstone I could have done most of them. But the kids were practicing for a school-presentation-festival which I may or may not attend, and they were cute.
IN OTHER NEWS Christmas is approaching. I have heard tell that packages over like 400 grams might have to be sent from Japan by boat, which can take up to 2 months, so your presents are already late.
But let's talk about what you can do for me. There's not much I lack in the land of the rising sun, but I have two desired things if you feel inclined to send anything. Feel free not to.. that's not what Christmas is about of course, but here's the thing. Every house in Japan has a hot-water maker. It comes standard, right after fridge and stove, probably before microwave-oven. There are like two in every staff room I've ever been in. These exist mostly so you can make yourself instant coffee. Or instant ramen. But Japan for some reason does not have instant oatmeal.
I know. wtf right? So I bought eight boxes this summer and unboxed them and put them in plastic bags and packed them in my suitcase and brought them here, and at the time of writing I now have one solitary packet of oatmeal left. And everyone knows you need two packs at a time anyway.
I like the reduced sugar stuff because it's not too sweet, but really any flavor is okay, excepting maybe plain, because that would require me to be creative at 6:30am and that is pretty hit or miss. But, if plain is in a collection or something, I suppose I could stir some yuzu jam into it and call it even. Hmm.. that sounds kinda good.... okay, all flavors are a go. And with this gift you can't go wrong, because no matter how much oatmeal I receive, it will never be too much.
Secondarily, I really like the body cream type of lotion that comes from Bath and Body Works. Body cream usually comes in an upright tube that is round at the bottom and kinda.. triangular at the top. Like this:
In my youth, I used all kinds of crazy scents, but these days I like it pretty tame, so if you want to send me one of these, please exercise discretion in scent choosin'.. nothing too sweet or fruity. If you find yourself unsure, just send oatmeal. I am particularly fond of the brown sugar fig (third from right in that picture). Unlike the oatmeal, though, I can have too much lotion. I kind of already do, although it's all different, inferior, non body-cream kinds. Except this 99cent bottle of Walgreens lotion which for some reason is also awesome. Accept some substitutes?
Also if you want to give me lotion, please wait until the twice-a-year B&BW sale to buy it.. that sale should be like just after Christmas sometime. Trust me, it's worth it the wait.
IN OTHER NEWS Christmas is approaching. I have heard tell that packages over like 400 grams might have to be sent from Japan by boat, which can take up to 2 months, so your presents are already late.
But let's talk about what you can do for me. There's not much I lack in the land of the rising sun, but I have two desired things if you feel inclined to send anything. Feel free not to.. that's not what Christmas is about of course, but here's the thing. Every house in Japan has a hot-water maker. It comes standard, right after fridge and stove, probably before microwave-oven. There are like two in every staff room I've ever been in. These exist mostly so you can make yourself instant coffee. Or instant ramen. But Japan for some reason does not have instant oatmeal.
I know. wtf right? So I bought eight boxes this summer and unboxed them and put them in plastic bags and packed them in my suitcase and brought them here, and at the time of writing I now have one solitary packet of oatmeal left. And everyone knows you need two packs at a time anyway.
I like the reduced sugar stuff because it's not too sweet, but really any flavor is okay, excepting maybe plain, because that would require me to be creative at 6:30am and that is pretty hit or miss. But, if plain is in a collection or something, I suppose I could stir some yuzu jam into it and call it even. Hmm.. that sounds kinda good.... okay, all flavors are a go. And with this gift you can't go wrong, because no matter how much oatmeal I receive, it will never be too much.
Secondarily, I really like the body cream type of lotion that comes from Bath and Body Works. Body cream usually comes in an upright tube that is round at the bottom and kinda.. triangular at the top. Like this:
In my youth, I used all kinds of crazy scents, but these days I like it pretty tame, so if you want to send me one of these, please exercise discretion in scent choosin'.. nothing too sweet or fruity. If you find yourself unsure, just send oatmeal. I am particularly fond of the brown sugar fig (third from right in that picture). Unlike the oatmeal, though, I can have too much lotion. I kind of already do, although it's all different, inferior, non body-cream kinds. Except this 99cent bottle of Walgreens lotion which for some reason is also awesome. Accept some substitutes?
Also if you want to give me lotion, please wait until the twice-a-year B&BW sale to buy it.. that sale should be like just after Christmas sometime. Trust me, it's worth it the wait.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I suppose one of the prerogatives of my blogging endeavor is honesty, so it's not really fair if I only write about the sunshine-and-roses days. There are those, of course, where everything goes really well, and I'm on top of my game. There are also those where those little brats will not oh-my-God-shut-up and just play the game right, which requires at least pretending to listen to what I say despite the fact that I am speaking English.
So it's kind of funny to me that I was using basically the same lesson plan this day:
Seriously. Feel the joyful sweetness of that golden-leaf sunshine and those cute kids.
as I was yesterday, when my smile was actually plastered tightly to my face only by the grinding of my teeth.
But is it possible, dear reader, that children who are always little angels, serving daily to enchant and delight me with their happy antics, had turned into disobedient little wretched creatures for the entirety of yesterday? Or, is it more likely that they are always cutting up, and usually I am in good humor and it makes me laugh, while yesterday I was at the end of this thing they call patience, and that shit was not. funny.
Patience require endurance, of course, in good times and in bad. I'm sure we all come to moments where we look up and wonder just why the hell we tolerate certain things. I sort of feel like I've been on the edge of punching someone in the face with the boxing glove of the Awful Truth [, as I know it] for the last week or so. Just waiting for someone to ask "why" to any of my choices. And I may yet. It's not a bad thing to demand what you're worth from those who maybe are just forgetting to pay.
But you've got to pick your battles, and you're never going to make a roomful of unceasingly noisy third graders understand (especially within the space of 45 minutes) that you need them to shut up and listen to you because what you offer them is valuable. So you're going to have to grind your teeth into a smile instead and play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" one more time. And take your value issues elsewhere.
Oh, yasumi.
So it's kind of funny to me that I was using basically the same lesson plan this day:
Seriously. Feel the joyful sweetness of that golden-leaf sunshine and those cute kids.as I was yesterday, when my smile was actually plastered tightly to my face only by the grinding of my teeth.
But is it possible, dear reader, that children who are always little angels, serving daily to enchant and delight me with their happy antics, had turned into disobedient little wretched creatures for the entirety of yesterday? Or, is it more likely that they are always cutting up, and usually I am in good humor and it makes me laugh, while yesterday I was at the end of this thing they call patience, and that shit was not. funny.
Patience require endurance, of course, in good times and in bad. I'm sure we all come to moments where we look up and wonder just why the hell we tolerate certain things. I sort of feel like I've been on the edge of punching someone in the face with the boxing glove of the Awful Truth [, as I know it] for the last week or so. Just waiting for someone to ask "why" to any of my choices. And I may yet. It's not a bad thing to demand what you're worth from those who maybe are just forgetting to pay.
But you've got to pick your battles, and you're never going to make a roomful of unceasingly noisy third graders understand (especially within the space of 45 minutes) that you need them to shut up and listen to you because what you offer them is valuable. So you're going to have to grind your teeth into a smile instead and play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" one more time. And take your value issues elsewhere.
Oh, yasumi.
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