Your Japanese word of the week is...

"gasshuku" which is camp, much like the Shiramizu Summer Camp this past July 19-20th. For those who've been on the blog since the beginning, you might remember me talking about this last year as well.

Spot the Chinese-Canadian haha.....

(group photos courtesy of Arakawa Sensei's blog)

The camp itself is run every year, usually in August, taking place at the Nippon Budokan training centre in Chiba, near the International Budo University. It's also usually three days, two nights. This time, however, it was in July and only two days one night, simply because there's another, even bigger event in August- the Wadokai World Cup in Vancouver. And seeing as the majority of the 25 competitors headed to Vancouver are also in the camp, it was cut to two days just to keep from wearing them out. Also different was that this time around, I was signed on as staff, so I helped take care of the kids and teach during the training sessions and such.

But we still managed a lot in those two days. At 7am on Saturday, 100 of us from the dojo left for Chiba which is the prefecture to the east of Tokyo. After stopping for lunch at the Kamogawa Ocean Park (it's more like a water park with picnic areas), we arrived at the training centre at 1:30. After a bit of unpacking, 2:30 saw the start of our 3-hr training sessions for the day.

After that, the fun began. We had a huge BBQ (no, really, HUGE) and fireworks (mostly sparklers). At night, all the staff gathered in a room and we had ice cream and hung out. The next day, we went for a run/walk/me-racing/chasing-the-kids up to a look out point and we had a 5 minute practice looking out onto the Pacific Ocean. That was followed with breakfast and yet another practice.

At 11am, we left for Kamogawa Sea World which is a huge sea-side aquarium. I didn't know what to expect but it's quite surprising how much stuff was there. From giant crabs to this absolutely HUGE sunfish to killer whales, belugas, and dolphin shows. It was really rather impressive........... dare I say more so than the Vancouver Aquarium??....... hmm....... =)

The orca was desperate to get into the picture...

But the coolest site, for me anyway, was the chance to go through the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line. The bay is rather massive and while there is a ferry across is, the only other way across it is to drive the 100km shoreline from Tokyo to Chiba.

What interests me the most about the Aqua-Line is that it's a bridge-tunnel, where the Tokyo half of the road is under the water while the Chiba end is a bridge. At the cross-over point is "Umihotaru" (Sea firefly), a man-made island that serves as the cross-over, a rest-stop, and contains intricate on- and off-ramps that allow you to legally drive to Umihotaru, go to the restaurants or take in the view there, and then return the way you came.

If any of you watch Top Gear, July 13th's episode where they race a Nissan GTR against a bullet train across Japan, there's a great aerial shot of the GTR blasting out of the tunnel on its way to Chiba.

Why does it interest me?? I guess I'm just a sucker for feats of engineering...... the entire route is 14km long and its 9.6km tunnel is the world's longest underwater car tunnel in the world. It also took 31 years (!!) to complete at a cost of $11.7 billion USD when it opened in 1997. Hence why the toll to cross the thing is $30.........

But the camp was great fun. I think I had even more fun this time around because I knew everyone better there and I was better able to communicate with the kids. And now it's a few days off while I finished prepping for the school's home stay. We'll have 9 students from all over the world (mostly Canadians, both from Canada and by-way of Hong Kong) come stay for two weeks so I'll be helping them through all the activities we've planned for them....... fun!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"erai". Y'know how I used to pick two words that sounded really similar but had totally different meanings?? Well "erai", according to the dictionary, can mean an "eminent (person)" or "(something) awful"......... I'm not joking, it's written in there. I can understand two different sounding similar and meaning two things, but how can ONE word have two completely different meanings??

What I think is happening is that different dialects have different uses for the word erai but it seems, in Tokyo anyway, erai is usually desribes how great a person is.

Great people such as my English students, who've been so kindly giving me small cards or presents as they count down their last few classes with me. Cards like this one.......


Ok, I admit that, at first, it doesn't bode well for me as an English teacher but, if I may be honest, this student (Haruka) is 6 years old and I've never actually told her or her mother how my name is spelled. So they've just worked off the pronunciation and gave it their best shot. I actually think it's rather endearing =).......

At any rate, this is the last week I'll be teaching English (aside from the odd class here and there in the high school) which is good timing because I've got a lot in store for the next month and a half.

There'll be the Shiramizu Summer Camp where I'll be helping out as staff, then the school is hosting a two week homestay so I'll be taking foreign kids around Tokyo, then I move (actually I move during the homestay), and then I'm in Vancouver.

And then it's Sept and there'll only be 6 months left before my contract is over........ freaky how time flies........

But check back soon for pics of all the stuff I'll be doing!...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"jun" which, in the case of the one I'm referring to, means semi- or quasi-..... or half.... or just not fully one thing. So, for example, a junkessho is a "semifinal" match in a competition.


This past Sunday was the Saitama Prefecture Wadokai Championships which saw 7 different Wadokai clubs and just over 300 competitors vying for top spot. As usual, I entered both kata and kumite but this time around, there was more on the line than just winning or losing. I had made it my personal karate goal to receive some kind of award from a tournament before my internship was officially over (despite the fact that I'm still here for another 9 months). And, seeing as my internship officially ends July 17th, this was my last shot at accomplishing the goal.

It didn't help that in my kata division run in the morning there were only 7 people. In Japan, large divisions usually see the Top 8 be awarded with certificates and the best 3 with medals. This time around, with only 7 people, I had to place 2nd or higher.

And that's how this ties in. I extremely happy to say I came in 2nd place, otherwise known as "junyuushou", or "semi-champion". Aside from just accomplishing my goal, I had begun to think I wasn't getting enough done in my time here and this was a really nice way of proving to myself that I managed to improve at least a little bit haha......

But I still have much left to do though, as my kumite ended in the first round with a 4-2 loss. Despite that, I've gradually felt more at ease with being in the ring so with time, that will come as well.

The day ended off with yet another big "congratulations on a job well done" party which was also Carl and Amy's welcome party. Lots of food, drink, and laughs was a great way to cap off a good day's effort.

And effort I'll need considering the next tournament I'm entered in is the World Wadokai Championships this Aug 21-23......... although kata only this time haha.....

Also, Amy, as it turns out, studied photography and was kind enough to spend the tournament scooting around on the floor snapping photos of everyone. She was also kind enough to send lots of me being rather unphotogenic during my kumite match......... but I've picked a few least-unphotogenic ones to put up here haha...... enjoy!

Give...

... and take...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"butsukete" which is one of the many conjugated forms of "butsukaru" which means to "run into/crash". Now, "run into" can be used in the same way we use it in English- as meeting someone by chance or literally colliding with someone. The form I'm referring to today is the latter.

Who did I collide with?? I'm not really sure...... I was coming out of the train station, heading to work, just like the hundreds (if not thousands) of other people and to bump into someone isn't abnormal. I mean, I'm pushed into or out of trains on a daily basis, having long since stopped trying to resist 600+lbs of leaning humans.

Nevertheless, as I passed through the gate, I bumped into someone but, not having paid much attention, I kept walking. It wasn't til 10 feet out that I felt someone invading my personal bubble and a quick check over my left shoulder revealed a Japanese man just inches off my arm, glaring at me......

*tap tap*, goes my shoulder...... "Butsukaru yo~ omae-RA", goes my ear..... Now, as a word of caution, if you ever get into a situation when the Japanese starts to fill with rolling R's or otherwise not full sentences, know that them's fightin' words.... Of course, I'm really in no mood to get into any type of confrontation (I never am, let alone before 8am), so I just apologized and kept walking.

Apparently not satisfied with that, he said it again. At this point, still walking, I turned to him and said, in English, "Sorry, I don't speak Japanese". Of course, he wasn't satisfied with that either.

I think he expected me to cower in fear and bow at the waist, repenting for my evil ways at the ticket machine. Either that, or perhaps some reflection of his aggression so that it could escalate into some situation where his could "out-aggress" me....... And, much to his dismay, I did neither. After glaring at me some more, he said "You push (sic) me."

Now this guy was, at most, the same height as me, though he puffed out his torso like a blowfish and tried to lean in to intimidate me. I counter with a blank and slightly quizzical look, "Oh... sorry about that."

"You really think so?", said the glaring blowfish.

"....... uhh yes, I really think I'm sorry......??", offered the blank face.

"You really no speak Japanese?"

"No....... I'm from Canada", saying it as if it was the world's greatest excuse.......

"You push me."

"Really, sorry about that...... there's just so many people moving everywhere that sometimes it's hard not to run into someone."

At this point, he started to look a touch confused and, sensing there was little else he could say to someone who wasn't offering any type of response back, told me to be more careful and huffed off some other way.

Now this isn't something that happens all the time and certainly it's one of the few times it's happened to me and the first time in Japan. But it did get me thinking about how being non-confrontational doesn't require a person to immediately admit wrong-doing or some other kind of inferiority nor does it require forcing the other person down with extra aggression (which will almost never work).

Oddly, having spent that entire conversation looking at him, I can't remember his face so if I see him again tomorrow, I can't be sure this won't happen again........... but at least then my quizzical look will be genuine haha.......

In other news, the next Shiramizu Intern, Carl Jorgeson, has arrived. He's spending a year here doing what I did and, this time around, his fiance's come with him. Not officially the intern, everyone's happy Amy's here and she'll soon find work on her own and the two of them will get to experience Japan for themselves.

So welcome, and hopefully you won't have to defuse any situations like this in your year here! haha

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"tsuyu". I used to think it meant "strong rain", seeing as strong is "tsuyoi" and it's no stretch of imagination for the Japanese to use the Chinese pronunciation for rain. As it turns out, however, "tsuyu" means "rainy season" and the kanji for strong is nowhere to be found.

But you can forgive me for making that connection since the Japanese rainy season, which can last as long as a month and a half (early June til mid-July), is essentially marked by the downpours which can occur.

Oddly (and luckily), the very serious rains have been relatively minimal this past month. It does drizzle and at times there are rather ominous dark clouds loitering around, seemingly biding their time until they can drench a few million unsuspecting people, but all in all, it hasn't been too bad. Until this past Sunday.

This past Sunday when, with my parents who were in town for a day (at least the day was one day after my birthday, so that's a nice present), I got to visit Kamakura, a very popular day-trip destination just south of Tokyo that, a bit unfortunately, happens to have lots of outdoor sights to see.

Sights such as the Daibutsu, or "Big Buddha", in the picture on the right. This bronze statue was cast in 1252 and there it remained, with a temple housing it, until 1498 when a tidal wave swept the temple away (Kamakura is near the water, in case you missed the tidal wave part =P). Unmoved, the statue remained exposed for the past 500+ years although in 1960, repairs were made to it the statue's neck as well as seperating the body from the base to allow it to shift during an earthquake. Or dance, the latter being just an amusing thought I had =P..... a 121 ton bronze Buddha gettin' jiggy during an 7.6-Richter earthquake?? Now THAT'S worth paying 200yen to see...... Yes, you had to pay to see the Buddha.......

But I digress........

Don't let the picture fool you, too. I stood there for nearly 10 minutes before I managed to snap a shot of the Buddha without anybody in the way...... and that was more surprising than the rain- the sheer number of people determined to not let it ruin their plans. Including the 30+ people out surfing at the beach.......

Skipping a large number of the other sites, we headed to Enoshima, a small island connected to the mainland by a bridge. Up some stairs there is a temple of which I wish I knew the significance of but until I look it up, it shall remain the "Temple of Enoshima".

But I'd probably go back when the weather is better since it's not that far from Tokyo and its size makes for the ideal day-trip. There really are lots of other places to visit as well as simply wandering the quaint, winding, stone-lined streets, letting people weave and discover their way through the old houses selling new souvenirs.

Despite the rain, Kamakura really is very beautiful, with buildings and temples sprouting amidst the greenery; as if the roles were reversed, the city being the weed and the forest the lawn being intruded upon.

One last thing I'd like to point out are the extremely hard working rickshaw/tour guides in and around the Daibutsu area. These people were out there all day in the perma-torrential downpour, dodging cars, inhaling bus exhaust, and treading up slippery slopes all the while telling their customers of the history of Kamakura with a smile on their faces............

Never again will I complain about the rain during my 5-min bike ride to the train station............

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"yada~" which basically means "ewww.... no thanks!" or an otherwise equally emphatic "no thank you". Usually it's kids who say it but really, it's used by anyone any time they want to show a dislike or otherwise disinterest in something...... you can probably guess where this post is going to go then =P....

Bugs!
Yes, they're back. I totally forgot about them as the cold Russian wind currents swept the country and killed them all off, but as the temperatures (and humidity) go back on the rise, so do they.

The two things that gross me out the most are the spider webs seemingly everywhere and my new spotlight-cum-vending-machine which seems to have turned my front door into some all-night insect dance party........... without the groovy music.

Rent!
On the other hand, when I move closer to the town, hopefully I'll encounter fewer bugs since things like stagnant-water-filled rice fields and a lack of trees should mean fewer bugs.

At the same time, that's balanced off by the difficultly in renting rooms in Tokyo.

It's not out of the norm for apartments to require some if not all of the following: two month's rent up front, key money (which is essentially a "gift" to the landlord, sometimes as much as two month's rent), a "moving-in fee", fire insurance, a separate fee for utilities, a finder's fee (if the apartment was rented through an agent), and a guarantor, a sort of company or person who can vouch for your ability to pay the rent (there are guarantor businesses, but they charge for their services, which, unless there's more to it that it sounds, seems a very round-about way of facilitating rampant bribery......).

Assuming the rent is 80,000yen a month (~$800), that would mean to move in would require nearly 3 times as much up front.

Luckily, there are lots of people renting privately with as little up front as simply one month's rent, which is entirely reasonable. I've narrowed it down to either sharing an apartment within Tokyo or having my own just outside of Tokyo. I might aim to live within Tokyo because I am only here for 9 more months so might as well live in the heart of the city......... I'll let you know how it pans out.....

Pepsi!
Pepsi in Japan simply isn't very prominent but that hasn't stopped them from rolling out some new flavour recently, which I bought out of random curiousity.

Although the name should've tipped me off........ "Blue Hawaii" eh??.......

It's supposed to taste like "Pineapple&Lemon" but what it actually tastes like is........

Well, let me put it this way- it's like when regular people try to do fancy pencil sketches. People draw the same line over and over again trying to get the right curve to the face or shape of the arm, but at some point, it's so overloaded with "effort", it just completely ceases to resemble what the artist had in mind and just ends up being a mess of pencil strokes.

Pepsi Blue Hawaii is the palatable version of that mess of pencil strokes. If you try really hard, you can taste some pineapple in it, but essentially, it tastes exactly the way you'd expect a bright blue, palm-tree-adorned Pepsi would taste....... fake.......

Yada........

Your Japanese word of the week is...

"tatakai" which is a fight, tatakau being the verb "to fight". Of course, this being Japanese, there are lots of ways to pronounce the same kanji and in the case of "Sengoku", sen means fight and goku means extreme. Or, as it turns out, you could consider it to be an "ultimate fight"........ get it??

In case you haven't followed along, Sengoku is a mixed martial arts event and I attended an event this past Sunday, having been given a free ticket......... but more on that in a second......

The day before these big fights was more battles, except in the form of a school sports festival. When I think of "sports days", I recall lots of fun memories of doing three-legged races or balancing eggs on spoons in elementary school. Well imagine similar events, but with 17 year olds and competition not only between homeroom classes, but divisions and clubs.

In Japan, high schools are a huge part of the students' life, especially the club they enter in. High school level sports are a very important aspect both in terms of school image and the future careers of many pro-sports minded students. In the case of my school, they have full-time sports coaches as well as a dedicated "ball sports" training ground that includes a dormitory (lots of students from other parts of the country come to the school to play on the team), two soccer fields (one grass, one dirt), a baseball field, and tennis courts. In fact, high school clubs often take precedence over everything else and it's not uncommon for teams to train 4 or 5 days a week with games on the weekend. But for the chance to be scouted and these kids' future pro-careers on the line, it's worth it.

That aside, the sports festival was really fun. There were events like tug-of-war, obstacle courses, jumping rope, and an 11-legged race (guess how many people that is heh...). The coolest event of the morning was this piggy-back battle royale where kids with hats, hoisted up in the air by three others, had to try to steal each other's headwear. The afternoon was all relay races with some exciting races (like a girl from the cheerleading squad out-sprinting a girl from the soccer team). And it was just a fun time to hang out with the students. Although I did get a bit sunburnt.............. oh well heh.....

Anyways, back to the Sengoku event........

It was held at the Saitama Super Arena and I went simply because I was given tickets. Mixed Martial Arts, if you don't know, has become hugely popular in the past few years, not in the least because of the commercial break-out of the UFC series in America.

Interestingly, MMA has since evolved essentially into it's own martial art, so the original meaning of "mixed" is a bit lost. I remember watching old school UFC events (before they created reality TV shows about it) when fighters really did come from different martial arts and didn't all study how to fight the same way. With the commercialism came MMA-specific coaches and with the coaching came a more universally agreed-on "MMA" fighting style. And with that came the homogenisation, so now everyone looks kind of the same.

Despite that, it wasn't a bad event overall. Some of the fights weren't very interesting but the final 3 fight cards were rather good, the main event being Kickboxing and UFC Champion Maurice Smith vs Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (who won). What did kind of ruin it was rather poor reffing.

That and the insane cost of attending an event like this. I was lucky having been given a ticket by my friend but our floor seats would've costed nearly $300!! In all honesty, the event wasn't worth $300. I don't even think it was worth the $100 they charged for the seats in the nosebleed section but hey, who am I to say how much something is worth.........

Despite that, and the fact that I don't think I could get into watching MMA as much as I used to, it was a good night out.