Back to the Grill

Greetings Friends, Family and Foreigners

First of all, a Hearty Chag Sameach to all family and friends across the world, for now is the time to remember yet another-quite important-Jewish holiday; they tried to kill us, we survived, so let’s reinterpret it, discuss, laugh, think and eat. It has been quite hard for me in this past week to get into the Passover state of mind, though. I am an ocean away from the smell of my Grandmother’s matzo ball soup. My local grocery stores do not have a kosher isle. I am the only practicing Jew in my programme and what’s more the nearest synagogue is in the next prefecture-the chabad in Kobe is the only one of its kind in Japan. With that said I have found other ways in which to honor the Exodus of the people of Israel. In the past few days I have been taking every opportunity to tell who ever I am with the story of Passover. Of course I sound like a bit of a Grandfather when I do so, but it does bring me joy to have expose my friends and fellow students to a significant era in my people’s history that they would have otherwise remained oblivious to.

In other news, the new semester is in full swing in many more ways than one. My new Japanese classes, to my delight, are very fitting for my skill level and I look forward to my progress in the next four months. However, my teachers, compared to last term, are sub-par. I do not doubt their ability to teach the material, but I have noticed, in a few, but all of my teachers, a lack of enthusiasm and interactive drive during class. I’m not saying that I am being taught by teaching certificate totting robots, but class could be a bit more exciting and the teachers could be a bit more approachable. On the other hand I have had wonderful encounters with my teachers from last term when I see them in the halls between classes.

Besides my academic endeavours, I have just recently joined the Ritsumeikan Cycling Circle (RCC). I heard word from my good Korean friend Segun that the RCC was where it is at in terms of extra curriculars at Rits. Taking the chance, I contacted the RCC via email and that same night I received a reply saying that they would like for me to join them for spring semesters first meeting. I showed up after class to the empty classroom, ate some chips, drank some pop, flipped through some cycling magazines and was profusely complimented on my Japanese skills, to which I replied, いいえ、いいえ、全然。(Oh no, not at all).

The RCC gathered on the following Saturday at the nearby Hidano Shrine and after a quick tutorial about useful hand signals for city riding, we were off, riding, in the city that is. After an hour plus of steady-paced city riding to the south of Kyoto we took to the hills-still paved. Our destination was Karazaka-ya Chouyu-en (Karazaka Bird Aviary). It was a pleasure to be able to see Kyoto from a different perspective. Not only was I in a not so crowded area of Kyoto I was in the south of the city, a place I rarely visit. The highlight of the visit to the aviary was, as expected, the bird watching. As I sat on the terribly small wooden benches huddles closely to the RCC crew we were able to a rare sight, the often-aloof Ooruri bird. Ruri is a rare shade of blue, so naturally the small birds main attraction is its strikingly exotic blue back. The real pleasure, however, was not just seeing the bird through binoculars, but it was hearing the elderly people rave about the Ooruri and that in the twenty years they had been coming to the aviary it was their first sighting. Exhilarating.





The next day the RCC met up again for a more relaxing day, that included a day-long barbeque by Matsuo-bashi (Matsuo bridge) on the west side of Kyoto. Similar to the outdoor American BBQ there are the three B’s: beef, blankets and beer. As one could guess though the feeling was a bit different. The beef wasn’t as thick, there were tons of vegetables, we were cooking yakisoba on the grill and there were hundreds of people crowded in one small area enjoying the succulent combination of hops and bovine. Aside from the strong wind the day was a success, especially because I was blessed with the opportunity to teach all of the circle members how to skip rocks (水切り-mizukiri, literally water cutting). Yeah my arm hurts, but as my fellow circle member said on that sunny Sunday in broken English and Japanese, “As children in Japan, if you are good at skipping rocks you will ascend in the hierarchy of the playground.” Seriously, think about, mizukiri playground diplomacy, the way of the future.

Before closing this entry I would also like to recall last Friday’s big karaoke bash. By big I mean 33 Study in Kyoto Programme (SKP) students saddling their bikes and taking the 3o minute ride downtown to the crowded intersection of Sanjo and Kawramachi-a hilarious sight, truly. After locating the karaoke establishment, our loud Italian friend’s lovely Japanese girl friend kindly collected our money and split up the fuming group of internationals into five separate rooms. One thing everyone should know about karaoke is that there is always the option to chose the all-you-can-sing (utaihodai) and all-you-can-drink (nomihodai) option for a much cheaper and hilarious time; Friday was another utaihodai/nomihodai night. Last Friday, how can I say this…someone discovered that whisky on the rocks was included in the drink menu and then there were none. After my routine Frank Sinatra, Fugees, Astrud Gilberto, and old-school Japanese songs I was holding foreheads in the bathroom and pouring waters for my lady friends. I thought high school was over. By 330am I had shoved a handful of friends into taxi cabs and was on my way home sober as a…I don't know someone who had been watching their friends lay down in the hallway of the karaoke establishment for hours because the lights were too bright in the booths. Mom, Dad, everything in moderation.

Shout Out to the close families this week and a special hug and kiss to Grama Selma who made it all the way up to Seattle for Pesach, what a trooper, love you Gram. Also, a big shout out to my boy Phil Casey who is on his way back home from 107 days on a big boat traveling around the world. Phil you’re my boy, thanks for stopping by Kyoto, it was a pleasure to show you around the spots and get lost in my own city with you. Big reunion in Vancouver when August rolls around, dig?

Until Next Time.

Guess Who's Back?

Hello Again All

It has been roughly two months since my departure from Japan back to America and I have finally returned to Kyoto. I have just had one of the best Spring Break ever and I am so glad that I got to spend it with the people I did and in the cities that I know and love. I don’t want to dwell to long in my time in America, but I would like to touch on how it was to readjust after flying from the East back into the Wild West.

When I arrived at the airport in San Francisco the first thing I noticed was the lack of emotion among airport employees, both at the terminal and at baggage claim. I had realized, then, that I was no longer in the land of unconditional hospitality. I also noticed that there were many more noticeably overweight people and most everything was, to put it simply, physically larger.

I was so glad to se my parents at the airport the evening of my arrival, but it wasn’t one or two nights after that I headed down to Eugene, Oregon to visit my beloved friend Ben David. I spent a wonderful Shabbat at the Chabad house at the University of Oregon, braided and baked Challah in Ben’s kitchen and enjoyed the nice drive from Seattle to Eugene and back-I had been riding on the left side of the road for the past five months.


Challah

My next stint in the Pacific Northwest brought me up to Vancouver to visit my beautiful campus and see some great friends, including Zach, who had come back China a few months prior. It was really great to talk to someone face-to-face about the diversity of opportunities that Asia can offer in terms f working, learning and just simply-or not so simply-living.

I have not taken a trip down to Phoenix, Arizona with my whole family in a while, so when I picked up Chloe from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix I knew I was in for a great trip. The family and I covered more ground in AZ than we ever had before, together that is. We made a day trip up to Sedona to the beautiful red rock and Chloe and I took an amazing little drive to Tucson to see my dear friend Jess Antonio at the University of Arizona. When Jess told us that he was having a taping for the UA T.V. News show Chloe could not pass up the offer. We ended up sitting in the live studio during the taping, which was a thrill. One of the best parts of the trip, though, was reuniting with some of the extended Ramras family. In other words, I got to eat my Aunt amazing blintzes while hanging out with my cousins whom last time I saw them could barely walk.

In a last ditch effort to cover the whole west coast in the small window of time I had, I bought a ticket to Ontario, California to go see my brother Micah at Redlands University. My five days there were also jam-packed and I was lucky enough to come on St. Patty’s Day weekend. Between the beer-pong tournament, the local burger joint, swimming in the huge pool at Redlands and kicking back with my grade school friend, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip.


Me and Micah

My last few days in Seattle were bitter sweet. With so little time and so many people I wanted to see, I got my priorities straight and started to work down at the Pike Place Market again at Three Girls Bakery. Being back down there was great; the atmosphere of the market is one of a kind. Also, since I was in one place I had all of my friends come visit me at work . . . bonus. Chloe even came down to work for a day, that was a hoot. My last night in Seattle I spent with some great friends Peter C. and Marty, who was celebrating his twentieth birthday, partying and record playing ensued.


Me and Chloe at Three Girls Bakery, Ruben please!

I knew I needed to sleep on the plain on the way to Japan, but I am far too tall. However, the sleep I could have got on the plain could have never prepared me for the following sixteen days. Walking down the terminal in Tokyo’s Narita Airport is an experience in itself, but to look over your shoulder and see you family right on your heels is a feeling that I had been anticipating for along time.

Tokyo was absolutely amazing. The family and I hit every spot we possibly could within our four days in one of the busiest metropolises in the world. Traversing the train tracks to Akihabara (gadget city), Harajuku (modern fashion-ville), Shinjuku (the busiest train station in the world), Shibuya (the busiest pedestrian street crossing in the world) and Asakusa Shrine was a very draining, yet rewarding experience. Moreover, my mother’s current teacher’s assistant at Roosevelt High School gave us the contact of her home stay mother from ten years prior and one rainy day my family and I found ourselves running around a train station trying to meet with Kosuge Mariko. The confusion arose from my intermediate folly for reversing the Japanese words for below and behind. Either way, an hour later we being toured around a one hundred and thirty year old house in one of Tokyo’s neighbouring towns, Moriya. The house left me speechless. Also, since part of the house was converted into a restaurant we got to try some hand made soba noodles, which were, as could be expected, one of a kind.

However, my family, having no prior knowledge of the Japanese language or the lay of the land, really put me to the test. I was translating, ordering meals (and changing orders), making hotel and train reservations and navigating via my Japanese skills. I was more than relieved to hop on the Shinkansen (bullet train) headed for Kyoto knowing that familiar roads, restaurants and dialects awaited me.

From Kyoto my family and I hit Nara, the ancient capitol of Japan, to see the largest indoor Buddha in the world (Todai-ji), Himeji Castle, Kobe, Osaka, Miyajima, and Hiroshima in a little over a week. All the while I was getting readjusted into my dorm, registering for classes, taking a Japanese placement test and trying not to trip on the bags that were hanging from under my eyes.


The Family at the base of the main tower of Himeji Castel


Hanami at Himeji Castle

I unfortunately had to say goodbye to my family today and send them on their way, not to see them again until early August, but it was my extreme pleasure to have the privilege to show them around and reveal to them the unique environment that I have now made my own. With that said, it was very hard for me to come back to Kyoto knowing that I only have four more months until I have to head back home. On the other hand, my triumphant return has helped me realize that I must make the most of the upcoming summer in Japan, which should bring even more memorable experiences, invaluable knowledge of the Japanese, which I have come to respect so much and maybe, just maybe, to the top of Mount Fuji.

A major shout out to my parents for sticking it out there. Mom the train stations were scary, I know. Dad you can take my seat on the bus any day. And Chloe, karaoke was above and beyond what both you and I thought it was going to be.

Asher Ramras, back in Kyoto, OUT.

Until Next Time.

Coming from Kyushu and Going Straight Home . . .

Good Evening All,

It has been a few weeks since I have been on spring break and I still feel great, funny how that happens. I have spent my break time well, buying Japanese books for independent studying over the next two months, watching a lot of movies (if anyone hasn’t seen “I am Legend” with Will Smith, get on it), cooking three meals a day, and going out for yakiniku (Korean barbeque). The yakiniku is a religious experience in Japan, aside from ringing bells on New Years that is. I have been shown a secret yakiniku spot in Kyoto and have now been there four times.

It’s small, it’s hard to miss on the street, it’s far from my house, it’s has the best beef and beer in town (Yebisu Beer, check it out) and it is owned by a very kind ojisan (uncle). The man is a Zainichi Korean, which means that his grandparents were taken over from Korea to Japan as labourers before and during the Second World War by Japanese colonial forces. The following generations of Koreans living in Japan have and still do suffer from sever discrimination in the economic, political and social sectors of Japanese society. This past term I had the pleasure of hearing a lecture about this minority group from a true Zainichi Korean living in Japan. Kim sensei, remarked that one of the hardships of a Zainichi Korean’s life is the struggling with one’s owns identity. The Zainichi minority does not have either Korean or Japanese citizenship and most of the time, do not even speak a word of Korean, which often translates into most Zainichi Koreans living in Japan to adopt what is known as a stateless identity. After the lecture I thought about the idea of statelessness for a while and was very unsettled by the ambiguities of the concept. It is very real, still present in Japan and something that the yakiniku ojisan has lived with his whole life. However, being a Zainichi doesn't prevent this ojisan from pumping out the best two hours of my month with the best beef, beer, kimchi (spicy, fermented cabbage) and ice cream in all of Kyoto.


Yakiniku at its best

Before going back to Seattle I thought it would be nice to do a little bit of traveling in Japan, so last weekend I hoped on a bus with my good friend Dan from Toronto, CAN and rode out to Kyushu. For the past two years Dan had been living in Yatsushiro, a small suburb of the Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu, as an English teacher on the JET programme. So, before heading out to Kumamoto, Dan made a few calls and hooked us up with a place to crash and tour guide for a day in Fukuoka. The way by which Dan and I traveled to Kyushu is a common mode of travel among mostly younger generations. It’s called the yako-basu (literally, night bus). It is the cheapest mode of transportation for any inter-prefectural travel in Japan. However, it is cheap for a reason. Having ridden nine and a half hours to Fukuoka and thirteen hours back from Kumamoto city you can take my word for it. I know I am a fairly tall man in the states, but in Japan I am a really big dude and it was obvious when I took my seat on that yako-basu. At times the bus ride seemed like an absolute nightmare. As the heat from the engine blasted my already sweaty feet, the 100 plus kilometer speeds rattled the frame of the rusty bus creating a sound that echoed in my head for some time after arriving at Fukuoka’s Tenjin Station. Dan’s old hockey teammate Ryosuke met us in the early morning at the bus station and took us to the closest onsen (public bath) to wash off the previous nights ride; that bath in Fukuoka was one of the most refreshing I have ever had.

Touring Fukuoka with a native was great; especially cause that native had a car at his disposal. First, Ryosuke whipped up out to Dazaifu Temple in the morning to pay respects and pray for traffic safety and good grades. The temples’ grounds were truly amazing. The way in which the huge trees hung over the main bridges looks physically impossible. The most fascinating part about Dazaifu, though, was its small display of genuine Bonsai trees. When discussing their appearance with Dan and Ryosuke, I said in simple Japanese, “Even though they look huge, they’re actually very small.” Upon which Ryosuke nodded his head slowly and gave me a big smile-I think I hit the Bonsai nail right on the head if I do say so myself. After Dazaifu, our crew of three stumbled across a small market in the city. Packed with huge bins of tea, still living seafood and huge colourful displays of fish guts, I couldn’t help to feel a bit nostalgic for my good old Pike Place Market in Seattle. Despite the lack of handsome fish throwing brutes, the market had a lot of memorable charm.


Tasty in soups


Looks huge, but not huge

After winding up our tour of Fukuoka Dan and I took another, yet shorter, bus in Kumamoto city where we stayed with his good friend for the following three nights. Over the next two days Dan and I made two important stops, the first being Kumamoto-jo (castle). Kumamoto castle was originally completed in 1588, twelve years before the battle of Sekigahara, which ushered in the Tokugawa shogunate otherwise known as the Edo period. After being destroyed in a fire during the Seinan Civil War of 1877, shortly after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the castle’s restoration did not begin until 1998. Unfortunately, this same renovation had blocked the top level of the main tower of the on the day Dan and I went to visit the castle. However, we were certainly able to enjoy the Uto turret, the lovely grounds and the early white and pink plum blossoms.


Dan in front of the Uto Turret

Our second stop in Kumamoto was Mount Aso, more respectfully, Aso-san. Aso-san is the giver and breather of Kyushu, providing excellent sightseeing, natural habitats, lots and lots of steam and liters upon liters of mineral rich water. After we picked up our pocket size rental car in the early morning Dan I headed out to Aso-san and when we arrived the sun was shining and wind was biting at our uncovered fingertips. The mouth of Aso-san’s crater didn’t provide much visibility at first, but after a short while we could see the steam heaping out of the open crater. Dan was telling me that in the summer it’s possible to see the water in the mouth of Aso-san boiling at more than 2100 degrees centigrade. On the day that Dan and I visited, though, the snow was piled high and the boiling water out of sight. Either way, it was a great trip out to the longest standing monument of Kyushu.


The old and wise Aso-san


The rental toycar

After heading back to home base in Kumamoto-shi (city) Dan bought some of Kumamoto’s specialty at the grocery store. Basashi, raw horsemeat, wasn’t the most delicious snack I have ever had, but it certainly was an experience eating it. Served with only shoyu (soy sauce) and ginger, I couldn’t help but thinking about the beauty and grace of the horse that I was eating. In the end my basashi tasting session was tragic and mournful.


The Horse is the most muscular animal pound-for-pound on the face of the Earth

Rolling back into Kyoto after my thirteen-hour bus ride was very refreshing and for the past few days I have just been tying up a few loose ends, packing, and trying to wrap this katana (samurai sword) for my buddy in Vancouver. I have been saying goodbye to more and more friends this week and it is pretty sad to see them go. This weeks shout out goes to Bjorn and Natalia from Sweden and to Chacha and Hyo from Korea for I will miss there company, conversations and comfort in this coming term.

I’ll be back in Seattle in less than 48 hours. Hold on Mom and Dad, here I come.

Until Next Time.

Right near da beach, boiiiiii

From a Free Man’s Fingertips . . .

Good Evening All,

As a Peter from the movie Office Space once said, "Today I did nothing and it was everything I thought it would be." I am a free man. I completed my classes as of yesterday and now there is nothing but a clear horizon ahead of me. I worked very hard this term and I think it really paid off. I kept myself super busy, as to not miss home, a diet with cheese in it, and cheap melon so much. I think my diligence did the trick. Has my Japanese improved? I have been asked this question many times in the past week from both fellow students and teachers and I the answer is yes. Are you fluent? My uncle Marsh asked me this last night; I am not fluent in Japanese. I can carry on an OK conversation with someone, I can give and take a compliment and there is no way that I can get lost because I am an ace at asking for and taking directions. For me to become fluent in Japanese, an extremely ambiguous language with countless homonyms and honourific expressions, I would have to be in Japan for say another 8-12 months. The good new is that I am going to be here for another 5 and I really look forward to continuing my Japanese studies in such an environment that nurture’s my academic goals.

So last week Kyoto’s temperature dropped considerably and it even snowed a few times. Thanks to my Pacific Northwestern upbringing, my thick skin and super cool coats have kept me warm and free of illness (knock on wood). However, with North Face fleeces and hand warming patches aside, the Japanese have two very special, closely related techniques for staying warm in the winter months. One is the nabe, which I have mentioned in previous entries. The nabe, with its warm hearty ingredients is the most effective and delicious remedy for bitter winter days. Now, when everybody gathers around the table to eat the said nabe, they don’t just sit there eating while their legs freeze off, that would just be silly. The Japanese kotatsu, or heated quilt, is the icing on the proverbial cake of warming tactics. Draped from all sides of the low table, a kotatsu provides a very physically and socially warm atmosphere to whatever gathering may be taking place. I know it sounds like I am pumping kotatsu for sales, but really, it’s heaven in heated quilt form. As a side note, I would also like to add that in the winter months frequency of sexual intercourse rises dramatically as a way to beat the cold. Thus, come August and September, Japan’s birthrate experiencing a sudden, yet expected spike in childbirths. I should really move to Hokkaido.


Snow in Kyoto, never sticks

Last week was my last week of classes. Like many of my final classes at UBC, the mood in the classroom is very relaxed. In my grammar class we got to watch a really hilarious Japanese movie called Water Boys. The movie was a classic Japanese melodrama, with the usual extremely exaggerated characters, events, comedic relief and cheesey romance. However, Water Boys’ content was what set it apart from the other Japanese movies that I have seen so far. The movie follows five male students who are entering the final stage in their high school careers, which includes a summer of intense classes focusing on preparing them for their fast approaching university entrance exams. These same boys, under extreme and coincidental conditions end up as the only members of the swimming circle in the high school. After a young, sexy, new teacher is hired at the school the swimming clubs hastily gains numbers, but when the teacher announces that the boys will be taught synchronized swimming, the once crowded classroom empties leaving the five main characters. The sex new teacher immediately leaves the school due to her pregnancy, leaving the boys without a proper teacher and their pool in jeopardy of being taken away. As the predictable story unfolds the usual warm fuzzy feelings of a classic melodrama saturate both the plot and dialogue, but in the best way possible. It’s a must see and for those of you lucky enough to be within driving distance of Scarecrow video in Seattle, I am sure that they have a copy.


Karaoke with my Listening class singing one of the more popular old songs in Japan

On Thursday, after my listening class ended my whole class including my sensei (teacher) went out for a midday karaoke session. Karaoke is ridiculously cheap during the day in Japan. I had a great time singing the classics with sensei and my usual Frank Sinatra songs-the chicks dig it so I dish it out. Also I saw one of the msot intersting music videos while our group sang Under the Sea from Little Mermaid. The music videos at karaoke are usually very obscure and juxtaposed. THi particular video had hot babes playing with beach balls on, well, the beach. Anyway, save for the cigarette smokers it was another truly enjoyable outing at the karaoke-yasan. By the way, family, get your practice on cause we are going to tear it up when you get hear, even you Dad. After karaoke a few stragglers went out for the best okonomiyaki and yakisoba in Kyoto at Jumbo, which is also, for better or for worse, within walking distant of the Rits campus. Last night, after my final class ended, a bunch of people from my culture class including the young and energetic professor went out for some drinks at Kushihachi, a great yakitori restaurant within waking distance of the Ritsumeikan campus. It was really great to sit back, relax and enjoy a few beers with my professor who, as I expected, carried himself in the same way outside as he did inside the classroom.


Sensei and I singing the Classics


JUMBO has the best okonomiyaki and yakisoba in town listen to the sizzle . . . mmmmm

Shout out to Robert Woodward, for he departed from Kyoto today to fly to New York City. He was the first to go in my dorm, Ritsumeikan International House 2. Following Rob will be a swath of Koreans, few Chinese, and my close Japanese neighbour Azusa. It is the end of the term and it is only expected, but it I always find my self reluctantly saying goodbye to new friends.

Until Next Time.

Congratulations at the Opening of this New Year . . .

Good Evening All and a Happy New Year,

The title of this blog is a rough translation of the salutations exchanged after the passing of the New Year-serious business. I have spent this past week thinking about how different this year's New Year celebration was from previous one's. For instance, last year, I was in Mexico on the beach (or close to it at least, John, Jesus, Zach, ya'll know what I mean). Years before I was in Seattle on lake Washington living it up with a close crew of my good old friends, smoking cigars, all pretending we liked the taste, drinking a bit champagne, not knowing that tobacco and champagne isn't the best combination, and watching a firework show on the distant lake shore. From my past experiences on New Years in the Western world I have deduced that the hours between the closing and opening of a new year have become a glorified excuse to get together and party down with the people you love, care about, or met for the first time because you were wearing the same comical 2008 glasses. I'm not saying this is bad, by no means would I dare say that. It's that in Japan my experience was wildly different.

For one, on New Year's day, Kyoto was busy bustling, like I have never seen it. As I have stated before, when I went to the super market to buy fermented beans, noodles, and cabbage the store was a busy as I had ever seen it. This can be said for numerous places across the world-everybody has to prepare for a party, whatever form it may take. The party is what differed the most from my past experiences. Instead of running around like crazy to invite as many as of your friends to your temporarily open house flowing with dry snacks and cheap beer, a majority of kids my age go home, period. I asked one of my from Kana what she planned to do for the New Year and she gave me that same answer. She went home to Saitama-ken (ken is prefecture) to visit her family and chow down on the special foods made around this time of year. So, as a traveler in Japan, I did as the Japanese did: a group of my dorm mates and I got together and made nabe (hot pot) with cabbage, onion, tofu, mushrooms, renkon (a hard circular, perforated, white vegetable), udon noodles and the special New Year ingredient MOCHI. Mochi is pounded and reformed gluttonous rice. When added to soup is softens and makes for a starchy, yet delicious treat, and like rice, sucks up any and all flavours. WARNING: mochi is not easy to swallow! Every year, a handful of people die around the New Year holiday as a result of choking on mochi.


Nabe, and mochi, the culprit resting on the top of the savoury bowl of deliciousness

On a lighter, less deadly note, the nabe was delicious. So delicious that we even forgot about our friend who drank until he fell asleep before all the ingredients were cut for the festive meal. He's just fine, and hey who wouldn't want to lose a few pounds around the holiday season. After the nabe I biked, without drinking, two blocks to the closest temple-two and a half blocks away is the second closest temple-to meet our old friend Junko for a special midnight celebration. Waiting at that empty intersection was a really amazing experience, but don't worry I'm not that easily entertained. As I waited there for Junko and crew to show up, old men women, parents with babes in arm, and couples rushed past me to enter the temple just minutes before the clock struck twelve. Kyoto is known for its abundance of temples, and let me tell you, I came to realize this in a very interesting way that night. In the previous entry I said that people who go to temples on New Year line up to ring a ceremonial bell 108 times, symbolizing the 108 Buddhist sins. So, as I watched my foggy breath fade in the florescent street lamps, I was enveloped in the vibrations of what sounded like 100's of temples around me. It was a wicked ass few minutes before my crew showed up, just in time to count down.

3, 2, 1. Just like that it was over, not a soul in the temple made a sound when the year turned over, they just kept on ringing and soon it was my turn. I rang the bell and received a half-deep bow from the fine-dressed monk. Afterwards, we were served piping hot sweet sake (amazake) that had a very thick, mealy, yet enjoyable texture to it. The night finished out like anyother after our outing to the temple: sitting around the kitchen table, drinking, and telling jokes from our respective countries, about the nationalities that were present at the time. This is have found to be an amazing way of bridging cultural gaps, take note UN.


Just look at those robes

I am almost done with my classes for this term and am working as hard as I can to pass the time until I go home. On that note, a Shout Out to my hard working cousin Simone who is soon to be published in Seventeen magazine, Sam, and Mavis, the Mackoff crew from L.A. and some of my most avid readers. Love and miss you guys. I'll see you at the Scrabble table next time we meet, so start brushing up on your vocab.

Until Next Time.

It's New Years, Let's Clean . . .

Good Evening and a Happy New Year to All

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of showing around a few good old friends from Seattle, the Pulkrabek brothers, Colin and Werdna. We started off by having a bite at the kaitenzushi spot and then walked through the covered shopping centre at Sanjo and Kawaramachi Dori (the centre of Kyoto). The clothing stores in Japan are ridiculous. Shinier boots, tighter shirts, phonier furs and even more unnecessary accessories than any other place in the world. The funniest article of clothing I saw resembled a pair of jeans, if you can even call it that. You know how sometimes when it gets a bit warm out and you'll tie the extra layer that your wearing around your waist, well waste no more time and by the all new, flannel-already-sown-on-the-back-of-your-pants jeans. It was priceless, besides the 5000 yen price tag that is. After the shopping spree we strolled on over to the ever popular A-Bar, which is constantly filled to brim with foreigners and Japanese alike. Being around sibilings, especially out partying was really nice, considering my sister and I always get down when we are out and about. The Pulkrabek brothers and I found ourselves singing and rapping in the middle of the bar over a few delicious Yebisu beers across from a few Koreans who seemed really interested in our session. Yeah that was a good night.

I feel good today. I finally started a term paper about the affects of right-wing Japanese history textbooks on current Japanese U.S. realtions, I received a lovely package from my folks (thanks guys), I got a message from my sister who is in the midst of what sounds like another amazing trip in the land of Israel, and I cleaned my room. I even scrubbed my desks, which were pretty much holding the record of what I had been eating for the past three and a half months. I am a brand new man.

The sun was setting behind the mountains of Arashiyama as I went for a last minute trip to the super market before tonights festivities. Gyoumu Supa (Gyoumu Super Market) was packed with old and young filling there baskets with mostly noodles, mochi (a glutonous rice paste in small cake form), natto (fermented beans), and mikan (also known and satsuma's to the wild west). I was picking up noodles and fermented beans as well-just imagine how well I blend in here. On this imortant night a few good friends from the dorm and Junko, from the latke making episode, are going to gather for a nabe (hot pot) party.

2007, washed down with some piping hot broth, tofu, cabbage, mushrooms, daikon raddish, and beer-just the way I pictured it.

So Happy New Year to All and I hope those who haven't taken a second to reflect on this past year-who you met, who you said goodbye to, where you went, where you returned to-do so and do so slowly with thought and purpose.

Shout out to Colin and Andrew Pulkrabek, a couple of close brothers, musicians, good friends, and the source of all that is PulkraPower.

Until 2008.

Even Shinto Decorate Their Houses . . .

Good Evening Everyone and a belated Merry Christmas

Last weekend I was graced with the presence of an old friend from the University of British Columbia, Noguchi Erina. Erina was on exchange from Osaka last year. This past Friday I met with Erina at one of those conveyor belt sushi restaurants (kaitenzushi) for dinner and a nice catch up session. It was at that moment that two thoughts came to mind. I love seared tuna and I am now able to carry on a moderately interesting conversation in Japanese for the duration of a sushi dinner, no matter how many mistakes I make or how many times I have to pull out my electronic dictionary.



This past week was pretty useless, in terms of classes and what not, considering the fact that before Christmas comes along, no one (goyim) feels like going to classes. I actually found myself being persuaded by one of my class mates not to go to class on Christmas, because she wanted to have the class cancelled in order to avoid missing any content that might be covered in class, ha. And yes you heard right, Ritsumeikan University, relentlessly conducts class on Christmas Day like it was just another day on the calender. Which makes me wonder about all the dumbfounded exchanged students who thought it ludacris to have class on the holiest of holies, for them at least. In the past few months I think I mentioned a lecture I attended on religion in Japan. During that lecture I was informed that less than one percent of the Japanese population identifies itself as Christian, hm. This seemed quite funny to me because just as in America, department stores, convenient stores, and houses were decorated with lights, trees, all sorts of Christmas paraphernalia. Small world, big market, I guess.



More importantly I would like to inform you all of yet another succesful gastronomic endeavour on the part of myself and my dormmates, even though nobody washes their fucking dishes-sorry Mom and Dad, I try to keep this blog as clean possible, but you know how it is to come home to a full sink. Last night we executed one of the most successful potluck dinners in Japanese history yet, which there have only been two, so were talking about a big success. I made kabocha soup: one kabocha (Japanese style pumpkin), one and a half cups milk, two chicken cullion cubes boiled in 2 cups water, one onion (medium size) sauteed in the secret ingredient 2 tbsp of butter, like the Barefoot Cantessa, right Mom? Anyway, my soup disappeared along with everyone's inhabitions, just like anyother Christmas party.

I'm on break now and all I need to do is remember how to write a paper in english without using an excessive amount of passive voice. gambarimasu (I'll do my best).

Christams, over and out.



Shout out to my brother, Jesus Javier Macedo, my lord and saviou. Miss you Jesus, I'll be in Vacnouver soon enough.

Until Next Time.