僕とりょうのメートはそつぎょうで
みんなは卒業した！
スミスもファマも家族はワシントンに卒業を見に来た！
リサちゃんは一際前ので、まだ卒業しなかった。だから、セレモ二で働いた。
あの時後で、リサちゃんはＮＹに来た！
Friday, July 13, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
セレブレイション！
今、ＤＩＳＮＥＹで働くのでセレブレイションと言う町に住んでいる。 この町はとってもきれくて新し！ 十年ぐらい前、ＤＩＳＮＥＹ会社はセレブレイションを作っただけど、もう売りました。
下の写真はセレブレイションのタウン・センタです。 毎日、仕事後で、あそこに行って、ＲＥＬＡＸをする！ 大好き！
すみませんだけど、眠い! ＨＡＨＡ ： ） 明日、もっと書く！
ＰＳ．．．今、ともはどこ？ 今日リサととものＡＤＶＥＮＴＵＲＥを話したので今日中思った。
下の写真はセレブレイションのタウン・センタです。 毎日、仕事後で、あそこに行って、ＲＥＬＡＸをする！ 大好き！
すみませんだけど、眠い! ＨＡＨＡ ： ） 明日、もっと書く！ＰＳ．．．今、ともはどこ？ 今日リサととものＡＤＶＥＮＴＵＲＥを話したので今日中思った。
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Lisa's Dorm
先週、ワシントン市で桜祭りがあって、僕とリサは一緒に行った！ とてもと楽しかった！ 写真を見てください ：） それから、GW大学のことを見せています。 ありがとう！
白自宅 （大統領）
国際の経済の建物
学校
学校の図書館
有名のホテルの前に
きれい
加藤・ブライアン
日本の音楽
：）
日本音楽
白自宅 （大統領）
国際の経済の建物
学校
学校の図書館
有名のホテルの前に
きれい
加藤・ブライアン
日本の音楽
：）
日本音楽
お仲がすいた！
あんぱん！
Monday, April 23, 2007
レポトだけど、分かる？
加藤と友達：
最近、日本語授業で、レポトを書かなければならなかった。話題は世界人口でした。 でも。。。ちょ難しかった！ 読める？
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
世界中から科学者によると、人口爆発はとて大変な問題で、人口はもっと大発生しているながら、一人に自然資源の分担額 （食べ物、水、酸素供給、住空間）減ています。 世界の思想家の表記した答申書に、人口の増減のため、発展途上国の窮乏と地球温暖化と環境問題は 大発生したと言われています。この問題を解くために たくさん解決策が 政府によって探索させられました。中国で、一番惨烈なした解決策は よく、政府が両親に 流産や子殺しをさえます。言ったように、たくさん赤ちゃんはしんは 死んだちゃん死んでしまいました。ポル・エイリクによると、英語でこの異象“compulsion if voluntary methods fail”と言うです。
だが、この論旨不明に 不具合すぎます。もちろん、世界中に、自然資源は有限です。でも、
人の脳力は雄材大略なので、自然資源の効率化するようにした方がいいです。 今日はもっ
と自然資源があるように子殺しをするのは、本当の問題を（無能）避けています。
もっといい正解があります。途上国に最悪な問題と言われています。でも、綱紀粛正をして、
デモクラシを実現したら、この国に開運になるであろう。最近、香港や台湾や新嘉坡や韓国に
対する、こう言う雄図が採られまして、科学者は人口を非難された問題を解かれました。アン
タイナタリツと言う人は無駄と言って世界人口を減ったいです。でも、人は自分の脳力を使っ
たら、画期的のことをする可能性があります。
最近、日本語授業で、レポトを書かなければならなかった。話題は世界人口でした。 でも。。。ちょ難しかった！ 読める？
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
世界中から科学者によると、人口爆発はとて大変な問題で、人口はもっと大発生しているながら、一人に自然資源の分担額 （食べ物、水、酸素供給、住空間）減ています。 世界の思想家の表記した答申書に、人口の増減のため、発展途上国の窮乏と地球温暖化と環境問題は 大発生したと言われています。この問題を解くために たくさん解決策が 政府によって探索させられました。中国で、一番惨烈なした解決策は よく、政府が両親に 流産や子殺しをさえます。言ったように、たくさん赤ちゃんはしんは 死んだちゃん死んでしまいました。ポル・エイリクによると、英語でこの異象“compulsion if voluntary methods fail”と言うです。
だが、この論旨不明に 不具合すぎます。もちろん、世界中に、自然資源は有限です。でも、
人の脳力は雄材大略なので、自然資源の効率化するようにした方がいいです。 今日はもっ
と自然資源があるように子殺しをするのは、本当の問題を（無能）避けています。
もっといい正解があります。途上国に最悪な問題と言われています。でも、綱紀粛正をして、
デモクラシを実現したら、この国に開運になるであろう。最近、香港や台湾や新嘉坡や韓国に
対する、こう言う雄図が採られまして、科学者は人口を非難された問題を解かれました。アン
タイナタリツと言う人は無駄と言って世界人口を減ったいです。でも、人は自分の脳力を使っ
たら、画期的のことをする可能性があります。
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
さみし！ OR さびし！
今日は、授業でいた時は、僕の友だちは ”さみしじゃない、さびし”と言っただけど、本当に？
何だろうだけど。。。I MISS YOU ALL!
最近、すごい忙しいので、ぜんぜん 書けなかって、すみません！ 水曜日に、日本語の試験が あるので、ちょうこわい！ 難しいですから！
でも、もっとだいじなこと。。。二つ ある。
１． すぐ、EASTERになる！ 愛する! おめでとうございます！
２． 二週間後で、むねと朝ちゃんは 一人に なる！ （結婚しますからだけど、日本語が ちょっと変だったら、すみません！） 見に行きたい！
今、とても遅いので、眠いなので 寝むつもり。 でも、EASTER後で、SKYPEで 話したい！ （EASTER時は、リサの家族の内に行って、ちょっと 話しにくい。 すみません。 でも、来週、話そう！
みんなに よろしく お願いします！
ーブライアン
何だろうだけど。。。I MISS YOU ALL!
最近、すごい忙しいので、ぜんぜん 書けなかって、すみません！ 水曜日に、日本語の試験が あるので、ちょうこわい！ 難しいですから！
でも、もっとだいじなこと。。。二つ ある。
１． すぐ、EASTERになる！ 愛する! おめでとうございます！
２． 二週間後で、むねと朝ちゃんは 一人に なる！ （結婚しますからだけど、日本語が ちょっと変だったら、すみません！） 見に行きたい！
今、とても遅いので、眠いなので 寝むつもり。 でも、EASTER後で、SKYPEで 話したい！ （EASTER時は、リサの家族の内に行って、ちょっと 話しにくい。 すみません。 でも、来週、話そう！
みんなに よろしく お願いします！
ーブライアン
Thursday, February 01, 2007
アメリカから。。。
みんな、
さしぶり! さみしい！ 今、ワシントンに います。 今週、火曜日から木曜日までじゅうぎょうがあるだけど、金曜日から日曜日まで、休みです！ まだ、すごいすかれたので、宿題をあんまりしたくない！ 昨日、研究室に日本語先生に会いに行った。 先生と 僕の日本経験を話したあとうで、先生は僕に ”加藤家族はやさしそう”と言った。 正しいと思う。
五分あとで、授業に行くので、今は 朝ご飯を食べるつもり。 みんなによろしくお願いします！
ーブライアン
AKA
加藤スミス
さしぶり! さみしい！ 今、ワシントンに います。 今週、火曜日から木曜日までじゅうぎょうがあるだけど、金曜日から日曜日まで、休みです！ まだ、すごいすかれたので、宿題をあんまりしたくない！ 昨日、研究室に日本語先生に会いに行った。 先生と 僕の日本経験を話したあとうで、先生は僕に ”加藤家族はやさしそう”と言った。 正しいと思う。
五分あとで、授業に行くので、今は 朝ご飯を食べるつもり。 みんなによろしくお願いします！
ーブライアン
AKA
加藤スミス
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Last Day in Tokyo
I went to China...I didn't even mention this did I? I feel I wrote some notes to myself while I was there, but currently everything is packed away ready to go to GW tomorrow, so I won't look. I can check on that later- this is mainly here to remind myself to do so.
Oh yea and I'm back in America. It's bittersweet- one one hand, I was so happy to see my family and I'm super super excited to see Lisa (and yes Erv, you too)..and the rest of you....ASAP! But on the other hand, I left a true family in Japan- a group of people I really love and consider a huge part of my life.
The Kato family opened their homes and arts to me as a complete stranger. And so, I never once felt like one. They never said "You're our host-child." Instead they said "You're our child." I will miss them, but as I said to them upon leaving "This is not sayonara (good bye), this is matta-ne (See-ya later)."
Click for pictures from last day in Japan!
The night before leaving, Otoosan and I tried in vain to set up the webcam I bought for them. For some reason we could get it where he could see me, but I couldn't see him. Additionally, the camera itself worked to make movies or take photos, but stopped once on Skype or MSN. I say all this in the hopes that someone out there sees this, knows what the problem is, and comments a solution. Thanks!
Afterwards, K-chan (Tomo's best friend since 1 years old) came over, took a picture with me, and then ran out of the house. He came back 20 minutes later having framed the photo and asking me to bring it home with me! It said "Happy birthday" and then, on the inside in tiny letters "Please find me an American girlfriend." Then he and I went to the onsen (apparantly he does this on the last night as a way to bond with the gaijin) and had a great talk for an hour or so. I came home, realized I hadn't yet made the PowerPoint for the Kato's (wanted to show them something about how I felt) and thus stayed up a bit longer to finish it.
Otoosan and I were supposed to eat breakfast at 8:00 AM, but apparantly he tried and tried to wake me up and I didn't budge! Okaasan said he laughed, said "kawaii-so" (poor little thing) and let me sleep. I wish they had poured cold water on me! So I never properly said "goodbye" ...although, as I said before it's not really goodbye, so it's okay!
At around 10:45 AM I met Satomi and K at Oji-ekimae, had an adventure cancelling my cell phone and taking the toden (only the second time I've missed my stop and it took 20 minutes out of my last day!) and finally arrived back at the Kato's. Okaasan, Mune, Asako, Satomi, K, and I had brunch together (Tomo, who had work and then something with school, stopped by to show me his hotel uniform since he had always promised to do so). Satomi and K were extremely generous, giving me 2 birthday presents- a tie to wear during my upcoming job interviews, and a bottle of Kyoto wine (a bit of an inside joke between us).
At the airport I almost had to pay YEN120000, or roughly $1000 for heavy baggage, but luckily we were able to sort heavy books and other stuff* into an extra duffle bag. So I, boasting a somewhat high 5 carry ons, headed for security. There were teary goodbyes at the gate, but after a group hug and the found realization this wasn't goodbye, I made my way through. On the other side I was asked if I had any liquids. My denial was followed by the security guard checking my newly created carry on* to pull out nothing but the Kyoto wine Satomi and K had given me. I managed to convince the guard it wasn't a threat and was escorted back to the entrance to hand Satomi back her wine. After an explanation of the strict policies of US airlines and some more goodbyes, I finally headed to the flight gate.
How was my first taste of America on the plane? Well, let's just say the service in Japan is AMAZING....how I'll miss that.
For now ; )
NOTE: KEEP CHECKING THIS BECAUSE I'M NOT DONE TELLING YOU ABOUT JAPAN!!!!
That being said, I'm heading to GW tomorrow so see you all soon!
Oh yea and I'm back in America. It's bittersweet- one one hand, I was so happy to see my family and I'm super super excited to see Lisa (and yes Erv, you too)..and the rest of you....ASAP! But on the other hand, I left a true family in Japan- a group of people I really love and consider a huge part of my life.
The Kato family opened their homes and arts to me as a complete stranger. And so, I never once felt like one. They never said "You're our host-child." Instead they said "You're our child." I will miss them, but as I said to them upon leaving "This is not sayonara (good bye), this is matta-ne (See-ya later)."
Click for pictures from last day in Japan!
The night before leaving, Otoosan and I tried in vain to set up the webcam I bought for them. For some reason we could get it where he could see me, but I couldn't see him. Additionally, the camera itself worked to make movies or take photos, but stopped once on Skype or MSN. I say all this in the hopes that someone out there sees this, knows what the problem is, and comments a solution. Thanks!
Afterwards, K-chan (Tomo's best friend since 1 years old) came over, took a picture with me, and then ran out of the house. He came back 20 minutes later having framed the photo and asking me to bring it home with me! It said "Happy birthday" and then, on the inside in tiny letters "Please find me an American girlfriend." Then he and I went to the onsen (apparantly he does this on the last night as a way to bond with the gaijin) and had a great talk for an hour or so. I came home, realized I hadn't yet made the PowerPoint for the Kato's (wanted to show them something about how I felt) and thus stayed up a bit longer to finish it.
Otoosan and I were supposed to eat breakfast at 8:00 AM, but apparantly he tried and tried to wake me up and I didn't budge! Okaasan said he laughed, said "kawaii-so" (poor little thing) and let me sleep. I wish they had poured cold water on me! So I never properly said "goodbye" ...although, as I said before it's not really goodbye, so it's okay!
At around 10:45 AM I met Satomi and K at Oji-ekimae, had an adventure cancelling my cell phone and taking the toden (only the second time I've missed my stop and it took 20 minutes out of my last day!) and finally arrived back at the Kato's. Okaasan, Mune, Asako, Satomi, K, and I had brunch together (Tomo, who had work and then something with school, stopped by to show me his hotel uniform since he had always promised to do so). Satomi and K were extremely generous, giving me 2 birthday presents- a tie to wear during my upcoming job interviews, and a bottle of Kyoto wine (a bit of an inside joke between us).
At the airport I almost had to pay YEN120000, or roughly $1000 for heavy baggage, but luckily we were able to sort heavy books and other stuff* into an extra duffle bag. So I, boasting a somewhat high 5 carry ons, headed for security. There were teary goodbyes at the gate, but after a group hug and the found realization this wasn't goodbye, I made my way through. On the other side I was asked if I had any liquids. My denial was followed by the security guard checking my newly created carry on* to pull out nothing but the Kyoto wine Satomi and K had given me. I managed to convince the guard it wasn't a threat and was escorted back to the entrance to hand Satomi back her wine. After an explanation of the strict policies of US airlines and some more goodbyes, I finally headed to the flight gate.
How was my first taste of America on the plane? Well, let's just say the service in Japan is AMAZING....how I'll miss that.
For now ; )
NOTE: KEEP CHECKING THIS BECAUSE I'M NOT DONE TELLING YOU ABOUT JAPAN!!!!
That being said, I'm heading to GW tomorrow so see you all soon!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Smiths Go to Japan!
Two days after Christmas, my American family came to Tokyo!!! After a great morning and early afternoon during which Okaasan and I toured Ameyoko, Ueno Koen, and ate lunch at a sushi restaurant, I boarded the Skyliner headed for Narita Airport. After a little while of waiting at the arrivals gate, I finally met them! After all these months apart, it was great to see them all- even though my father was in a wheel chair due to a bum knee. Baggage in toe, we took what ended up being a 2 hour bus ride to Shinjuku, where we checked into the Hilton Tokyo. Following is a summary of the wonderful visit we had:
Day 1:
Checked-in, exchanged Christmas presents (woo for two Christmas'!) and performed a frantic search for food. We found a great restaurant in Roppongi where the food was delicious and the wait-staff extremely courteous. I had my first real taste of an extended translation period, and stomaches full we returned to the hotel for a good-night's sleep.
My family's very first meal in Japan! They were REALLY jet-lagged...I kinda felt bad for being so awake haha.
Day 2:
Headed straight for Sophia University, so my family could have an idea of where I've been spending so much of my time over the past 5 months! Immediately afterwards, tried to walk to Yasakuni but, for whatever reason failed...ended up near the Imperial Palace but, unfortunately not the side with anything of interest! Eventually, we succombed to a taxi and made it to the famous War (or is it Peace?) Shrine...Afterwhich we headed across town to Asakusa (my favorite!) I was able to show everyone what's so great about the place- the lit up shrine, the streets lined with traditional Japanese snacks and crafts, the old-fashioned green-tea and red bean dessert place, etc. Finally, to cap off the busy day, we took in all Tokyo from the top of Roppongi Hills!
Christopher and I in front of some of the many empty sake barrels at Yasakuni.
Day 3: We went to Kappa Bashi (where you can see plastic food and buy any kind of restaurant equipment...thus it's a great place for Japanese dishes, bowls, etc), a shrine nearby that I don't know the name of at the moment (gotta check sorry!) and Ueno. For lunch we stopped in for katsudon (!) and ramen. My mom had rice (the food issue was a bit difficult for her here...they tend to eat fish in Japan).
Christopher and I inside the shrine I forgot the name of.
We ate dinner at a kaiten (revoling) sushi bar. My dad was in heaven, my mom liked oinari (rice inside tofu skins), and Christopher took pictures.
He's the weird one, I swear.
Day 4: The first half of the day was spent at Meiji Jingu (the Meiji shrine) in Harajuku. After being amused by Snoopy-Land (a store selling nothing but products related to the Peanuts), we headed into the shrine...not realizing until about 20 minutes later that the walk from the entrance to the main shrine itself was, well, 20 minutes! This was made increasingly more difficult due to my father (who has a really painful knee at the moment) having to push his wheel chair and my brother and mom pulling a big suit case (filled with gifts for the Kato's). Eventually, however, we arrived at the main shrine, and it was well-worth it (well, for me...ask my family if they agree! haha)...the shrine was big and impressive. On the way out, we were laughed at by a passing couple...apparantly our struggling was of some humor to them. Were they Japanese? No, of course not! They would never dare do such a thing...were they American? Hmmm...perhaps.
After Meiji, we headed over to Tabata to meet the Kato's! Finally, the big moment had arrived- my two families would meet....
...and get along! We had some lunch, opened a ton of "hi nice to meet you, thanks for taking care of Brian, Merry Christmas!" presents and then went to eat dinner in Ginza. The Kato's had reserved a private room at a famous tofu-only restaurant (for my mother, a vegetarian) and....wow. WOW. It was amazing! Half the stuff you kinda just looked at and said, "That's tofu?" It was all delicious and I was really glad to have my two families together in the same place. Christopher got along great with Mune and Tomo, as well.
Day 5: Disney Sea!
Disney Sea was nice, but different. I feel everything was simply geared to a completely different audience, once with more subtle tastes. Thus, rides such as Journey to the Center of the Earth (a supposed 'thriller') were fun but...not quite what I expected. The Japanese, though , go nuts over the place. They scream on the one drop (yes, only one) on JTTCOTE like it's a crazy coaster...and they don't seem to mind the mysterious absense of characters, nor the fact that the Indiana Jones present within the Indiana Jones ride (mechanics seem to be a replica of Dinosaur from Animal Kingdom) is not based on Harrison Ford's likeness.
So I complain, yes. But really Disney Sea is a great place that has a lot of pluses...it's just different. The scenery is beautiful, however, and I can see why it's known as a big date place.
Having fun...and perhaps turning Japanese???
Christopher, being a gaijin, was obviously asked to pose in a picture with curious Japanese.
We went to a Thai restaurant after Disney and, to our shock, horror, and excitement discovered the entire staff was in costume. This is the chef, a man who secretly desires to be a Power Ranger. There were also maids, bears, a Spiderman or 2, etc.
Anyway so after Disney and some dinner, my family's trip to Japan was over....short, but busy and fun! I had a great time showing them around, benefitted by translating every day all day, and was so happy to have them see where I've been living and what I've been seeing for the past 5 month.
Sorry this post is so late! I'll be updating further to explain why I've been so busy!
Day 1:
Checked-in, exchanged Christmas presents (woo for two Christmas'!) and performed a frantic search for food. We found a great restaurant in Roppongi where the food was delicious and the wait-staff extremely courteous. I had my first real taste of an extended translation period, and stomaches full we returned to the hotel for a good-night's sleep.
My family's very first meal in Japan! They were REALLY jet-lagged...I kinda felt bad for being so awake haha.
Day 2:
Headed straight for Sophia University, so my family could have an idea of where I've been spending so much of my time over the past 5 months! Immediately afterwards, tried to walk to Yasakuni but, for whatever reason failed...ended up near the Imperial Palace but, unfortunately not the side with anything of interest! Eventually, we succombed to a taxi and made it to the famous War (or is it Peace?) Shrine...Afterwhich we headed across town to Asakusa (my favorite!) I was able to show everyone what's so great about the place- the lit up shrine, the streets lined with traditional Japanese snacks and crafts, the old-fashioned green-tea and red bean dessert place, etc. Finally, to cap off the busy day, we took in all Tokyo from the top of Roppongi Hills!
Christopher and I in front of some of the many empty sake barrels at Yasakuni.
Day 3: We went to Kappa Bashi (where you can see plastic food and buy any kind of restaurant equipment...thus it's a great place for Japanese dishes, bowls, etc), a shrine nearby that I don't know the name of at the moment (gotta check sorry!) and Ueno. For lunch we stopped in for katsudon (!) and ramen. My mom had rice (the food issue was a bit difficult for her here...they tend to eat fish in Japan).
Christopher and I inside the shrine I forgot the name of.
We ate dinner at a kaiten (revoling) sushi bar. My dad was in heaven, my mom liked oinari (rice inside tofu skins), and Christopher took pictures.
He's the weird one, I swear.
Day 4: The first half of the day was spent at Meiji Jingu (the Meiji shrine) in Harajuku. After being amused by Snoopy-Land (a store selling nothing but products related to the Peanuts), we headed into the shrine...not realizing until about 20 minutes later that the walk from the entrance to the main shrine itself was, well, 20 minutes! This was made increasingly more difficult due to my father (who has a really painful knee at the moment) having to push his wheel chair and my brother and mom pulling a big suit case (filled with gifts for the Kato's). Eventually, however, we arrived at the main shrine, and it was well-worth it (well, for me...ask my family if they agree! haha)...the shrine was big and impressive. On the way out, we were laughed at by a passing couple...apparantly our struggling was of some humor to them. Were they Japanese? No, of course not! They would never dare do such a thing...were they American? Hmmm...perhaps.
After Meiji, we headed over to Tabata to meet the Kato's! Finally, the big moment had arrived- my two families would meet....
...and get along! We had some lunch, opened a ton of "hi nice to meet you, thanks for taking care of Brian, Merry Christmas!" presents and then went to eat dinner in Ginza. The Kato's had reserved a private room at a famous tofu-only restaurant (for my mother, a vegetarian) and....wow. WOW. It was amazing! Half the stuff you kinda just looked at and said, "That's tofu?" It was all delicious and I was really glad to have my two families together in the same place. Christopher got along great with Mune and Tomo, as well.
Day 5: Disney Sea!
Disney Sea was nice, but different. I feel everything was simply geared to a completely different audience, once with more subtle tastes. Thus, rides such as Journey to the Center of the Earth (a supposed 'thriller') were fun but...not quite what I expected. The Japanese, though , go nuts over the place. They scream on the one drop (yes, only one) on JTTCOTE like it's a crazy coaster...and they don't seem to mind the mysterious absense of characters, nor the fact that the Indiana Jones present within the Indiana Jones ride (mechanics seem to be a replica of Dinosaur from Animal Kingdom) is not based on Harrison Ford's likeness.
So I complain, yes. But really Disney Sea is a great place that has a lot of pluses...it's just different. The scenery is beautiful, however, and I can see why it's known as a big date place.
Having fun...and perhaps turning Japanese???
Christopher, being a gaijin, was obviously asked to pose in a picture with curious Japanese.
We went to a Thai restaurant after Disney and, to our shock, horror, and excitement discovered the entire staff was in costume. This is the chef, a man who secretly desires to be a Power Ranger. There were also maids, bears, a Spiderman or 2, etc.
Anyway so after Disney and some dinner, my family's trip to Japan was over....short, but busy and fun! I had a great time showing them around, benefitted by translating every day all day, and was so happy to have them see where I've been living and what I've been seeing for the past 5 month.
Sorry this post is so late! I'll be updating further to explain why I've been so busy!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Funny English
I bought and then consumed something called a "steam cake" produced by the company Ginza Kimuraya. It was quite good. The package reads:
"My lasting memory of that first trip to Frnace in 1952, is of sensuality. Today, one would have to step off an aeroplane on the other side of the world to experience such an impact on the senses. There was a strangely exotic smell which hit me as soon as I set foot on the quay at Calais, later identified as a mixture of strong tobacco, expensive scent, and fresh garlic. As well as producing unbeatable bread, French bakers also service the nation's sweet tooth with a cornucopia of pastries and cakes. One French customs is the visit to the boulangerie-patisserie after Mass on u attended the service or not! - returning home with a baguette in one hand and a pyramid-shaped parcel in the other, containing a shle heavy creme patissiere."
"My lasting memory of that first trip to Frnace in 1952, is of sensuality. Today, one would have to step off an aeroplane on the other side of the world to experience such an impact on the senses. There was a strangely exotic smell which hit me as soon as I set foot on the quay at Calais, later identified as a mixture of strong tobacco, expensive scent, and fresh garlic. As well as producing unbeatable bread, French bakers also service the nation's sweet tooth with a cornucopia of pastries and cakes. One French customs is the visit to the boulangerie-patisserie after Mass on u attended the service or not! - returning home with a baguette in one hand and a pyramid-shaped parcel in the other, containing a shle heavy creme patissiere."
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas in Japan
As only a tiny fraction of the Japanese population is Christian, everyone works on Christmas Day. For this reason, families celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve. The Kato family did the same.
Mune and Asako joined Otoosan, Okaasan, Tomo and I for an amazing dinner, long night of talking, Christmas music, and presents. The food, as always, was delicious! We prepared it first (I made broccoli with olive oil and garlic!) and then headed to Mass at a nearby Church. It was a small, intimate service with lots of Christmas carols (as most were in Japanese, I was very thankful to have been provided with a hiragana lyric guide). Afterwards we went back home, ate dinner, and opened presents.
My search for the Kato's presents was a long and hard one. I wanted to make sure each one had meaning and substance, as they have been so so so kind to me over the past 4 or 5 months (which is it?). Eventually, I found what I thought were good gifts for everyone:
Tomo- a guide book to Brazil (he keeps talking about going there next year, and as Okaasan seemed a bit worried over this, I thought it'd be a good idea), a love charm from Hiroshima (which ended up working, as he had a date the next day!), and a few sticks of insense (loves the stuff).
Mune and Asako- figured a joint gift would be a good idea, as they're about to get married. Found a nice photoframe, thinking they could put their wedding picture in it...they promised! : )
Okaasan- I found a plant/bonsai/thing...it's really hard to explain, but I think she liked it! I'll try to take a picture so you understand.
Otoosan- a bottle of wine I like- Casillero del Diablo's 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon- and a book I read in high school religion, "A Man's Search for Meaning." He and I are always discussing that sorta stuff.
The Kato's, being the extremely giving people they are, were so generous towards me. Mune and Asako gave me two wonderful pieces of Japanese craft...not sure what else to call them. One is a New Year's piece to go on the wall...the other is a miniature kite-like thing with the kanji for dragon! Okaasan and Otoosan gave me really nice gloves...Okaasan was scared I'd be cold in Beijing- and boy was she right! Tomo gave me a really cool wallet/business card holder thing, saying "You get alot of those in Japan...and you'll get more if you ever become a salaryman (businessman in Japan)."
After gifts (which, by the way, were given out during happy singing and dancing to Christmas music) we indulged in Christmas Cake...something that exists no where but Japan I think. The whole country rushes out to buy strawberry and vanilla cake... really tasty, but is it truly a Christmas tradition? In Japan!
The famous Japanese Christmas Cake
Tomo, proud of the underwear (and nice pants) he received from his brother Mune.
Asako and Mune brandishing their haul ; )
Okaasan and Otoosan- everyone's happy!
Someone show Julia this so she knows her bear was omnipresent!
Thanks again Jules!
My host family...I've been so lucky.
Three siblings...which one do you think is the homestay kid?
Mune and Asako joined Otoosan, Okaasan, Tomo and I for an amazing dinner, long night of talking, Christmas music, and presents. The food, as always, was delicious! We prepared it first (I made broccoli with olive oil and garlic!) and then headed to Mass at a nearby Church. It was a small, intimate service with lots of Christmas carols (as most were in Japanese, I was very thankful to have been provided with a hiragana lyric guide). Afterwards we went back home, ate dinner, and opened presents.
My search for the Kato's presents was a long and hard one. I wanted to make sure each one had meaning and substance, as they have been so so so kind to me over the past 4 or 5 months (which is it?). Eventually, I found what I thought were good gifts for everyone:
Tomo- a guide book to Brazil (he keeps talking about going there next year, and as Okaasan seemed a bit worried over this, I thought it'd be a good idea), a love charm from Hiroshima (which ended up working, as he had a date the next day!), and a few sticks of insense (loves the stuff).
Mune and Asako- figured a joint gift would be a good idea, as they're about to get married. Found a nice photoframe, thinking they could put their wedding picture in it...they promised! : )
Okaasan- I found a plant/bonsai/thing...it's really hard to explain, but I think she liked it! I'll try to take a picture so you understand.
Otoosan- a bottle of wine I like- Casillero del Diablo's 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon- and a book I read in high school religion, "A Man's Search for Meaning." He and I are always discussing that sorta stuff.
The Kato's, being the extremely giving people they are, were so generous towards me. Mune and Asako gave me two wonderful pieces of Japanese craft...not sure what else to call them. One is a New Year's piece to go on the wall...the other is a miniature kite-like thing with the kanji for dragon! Okaasan and Otoosan gave me really nice gloves...Okaasan was scared I'd be cold in Beijing- and boy was she right! Tomo gave me a really cool wallet/business card holder thing, saying "You get alot of those in Japan...and you'll get more if you ever become a salaryman (businessman in Japan)."
After gifts (which, by the way, were given out during happy singing and dancing to Christmas music) we indulged in Christmas Cake...something that exists no where but Japan I think. The whole country rushes out to buy strawberry and vanilla cake... really tasty, but is it truly a Christmas tradition? In Japan!
The famous Japanese Christmas Cake
Tomo, proud of the underwear (and nice pants) he received from his brother Mune.
Asako and Mune brandishing their haul ; )
Okaasan and Otoosan- everyone's happy!
Someone show Julia this so she knows her bear was omnipresent!
Thanks again Jules!
My host family...I've been so lucky.
Three siblings...which one do you think is the homestay kid?
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Japanese Friends
The Japanese, for the most part, like Americans. They especially like New Yorkers (lucky for me) because we're "ka-kui!" (cool!)...which of course I already knew ; )
That being said, up until about midway through my time here, the only Japanese people I considered close to me were the Kato's...which, of course, is fine because they are amazing people whom I now can consider family. But there are only so many times I could go to JUSCO events (see Princess post somewhere below) and be told "How are you Burian? Good? Okay good... be a nice boy. Smile. Yes. Good." I am in a Sophia University circle, as discussed in my previous post, but there everything is just business...and besides, half the members are gaijin like me. So you can see why it was nice to finally make REAL Japanese friends- Satomi and K.
I met Satomi in Nagoya while on the Toyota business class excursion. She is a very traditional Japanese girl who hates the modern Shibuya-plastic girl culture (yea, haven't spoken on this yet...but expect a rant in the next week or so). She comes from Saitama (area just North of Tokyo) and has excellent English. In fact, she is taking a few classes in English! She is 24 years old, as she missed a couple of years of school due to illness, but is fine now and will graduate in a year.
This is Satomi. She likes octopus.
K, or Kyohei, is from Hokkaido- the northernmost part of Japan. He loves baseball, so our early conversations all revolved around how much the MLB teams would bid on Matsuzaka Daisuke. He is a business major who is studying to take over his father's import-export business in 10 years.
This is Kyohei...he ate quite a bit of sushi at kaiten.
Both Satomi and K currently have apartments (for some reason called mansions in Japan) in Roppongi, a ritzy area known for expensive restaurants and great views of Tokyo Tower. We had a wine and dinner party a week ago:
(From right to left, since we're in Japan) Dominick, myself, K, Maya (Satomi's younger brother).
Satomi and Jade enjoying some Shiraz or Merlot.
K: What? I didn't do it! All I did was make AMAZING rice balls!
Good food, tasty wine, soft jazz in the background, and good friends!
K and I saw this statue at the train station...good lookin' fella.
A couple days ago Satomi, Kyohei, and I met up at Roppongi Hills. We had a great sushi meal at a local kaiten sushi place (the conveyor belt approach). There was a beautiful Christmas light display, and after strolling through it we headed over to Shimbashi for another one! Afterwards, still hungry, we ascended to the 45th floor of a nearby tower and had appetizers! Here are some photos:
Green tea and raw salmon...does it get any better?
The view from the promenade at Roppongi Hills...Christmas light display and, in the distance, Tokyo Tower.
K and Satomi in front of Roppongi Hills.
The Christmas display at Shimbashi was set up to resemble the ocean.
The building in the distance is where we went to eat afterwards...during the show there was music, dry ice, and even a Santa Claus! (sorry, no pictures)
Our table had a great view of Tokyo....not to mention the food...ohh the food! Kind of a Japanese-Italian fusion!
Anyway, so it's nice to have real Japanese friends. Satomi is talking about coming to NY in the spring, and K may come...additionall, Satomi insists on talking in Japanese so I can learn as much as possible while here. K has invited me to his home in Hokkaido, and maybe I'll go! They have been so generous, and so willing to show me Tokyo in the short time we've known each other. I'm very grateful, and look forward to years of having both family and friends in Japan. It'll make a good excuse for vacation or business trip!
That being said, up until about midway through my time here, the only Japanese people I considered close to me were the Kato's...which, of course, is fine because they are amazing people whom I now can consider family. But there are only so many times I could go to JUSCO events (see Princess post somewhere below) and be told "How are you Burian? Good? Okay good... be a nice boy. Smile. Yes. Good." I am in a Sophia University circle, as discussed in my previous post, but there everything is just business...and besides, half the members are gaijin like me. So you can see why it was nice to finally make REAL Japanese friends- Satomi and K.
I met Satomi in Nagoya while on the Toyota business class excursion. She is a very traditional Japanese girl who hates the modern Shibuya-plastic girl culture (yea, haven't spoken on this yet...but expect a rant in the next week or so). She comes from Saitama (area just North of Tokyo) and has excellent English. In fact, she is taking a few classes in English! She is 24 years old, as she missed a couple of years of school due to illness, but is fine now and will graduate in a year.
This is Satomi. She likes octopus.
K, or Kyohei, is from Hokkaido- the northernmost part of Japan. He loves baseball, so our early conversations all revolved around how much the MLB teams would bid on Matsuzaka Daisuke. He is a business major who is studying to take over his father's import-export business in 10 years.
This is Kyohei...he ate quite a bit of sushi at kaiten.
Both Satomi and K currently have apartments (for some reason called mansions in Japan) in Roppongi, a ritzy area known for expensive restaurants and great views of Tokyo Tower. We had a wine and dinner party a week ago:
(From right to left, since we're in Japan) Dominick, myself, K, Maya (Satomi's younger brother).
Satomi and Jade enjoying some Shiraz or Merlot.
K: What? I didn't do it! All I did was make AMAZING rice balls!
Good food, tasty wine, soft jazz in the background, and good friends!
K and I saw this statue at the train station...good lookin' fella.
A couple days ago Satomi, Kyohei, and I met up at Roppongi Hills. We had a great sushi meal at a local kaiten sushi place (the conveyor belt approach). There was a beautiful Christmas light display, and after strolling through it we headed over to Shimbashi for another one! Afterwards, still hungry, we ascended to the 45th floor of a nearby tower and had appetizers! Here are some photos:
Green tea and raw salmon...does it get any better?
The view from the promenade at Roppongi Hills...Christmas light display and, in the distance, Tokyo Tower.
K and Satomi in front of Roppongi Hills.
The Christmas display at Shimbashi was set up to resemble the ocean.
The building in the distance is where we went to eat afterwards...during the show there was music, dry ice, and even a Santa Claus! (sorry, no pictures)
Our table had a great view of Tokyo....not to mention the food...ohh the food! Kind of a Japanese-Italian fusion!
Anyway, so it's nice to have real Japanese friends. Satomi is talking about coming to NY in the spring, and K may come...additionall, Satomi insists on talking in Japanese so I can learn as much as possible while here. K has invited me to his home in Hokkaido, and maybe I'll go! They have been so generous, and so willing to show me Tokyo in the short time we've known each other. I'm very grateful, and look forward to years of having both family and friends in Japan. It'll make a good excuse for vacation or business trip!
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