The Great Japanese Adventure: September 2006

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So, as the Japanese air gets progressively cooler and the trees in Northern Japan begin to turn to their Autumnal colours, I begin to look forward to my second Winter season here in Japan.

ONSEN

Last week, I visited Shiori again, and we made a trip into the mountains to visit an onsen, or hot spring. Because Japan is located on many tectonic plates, the natural fissures allow for many springs especially on the island of Kyushu.

However the onsen we visited was part of a hotel, but this didn't distract from the relaxing atmosphere. There were several pools, a hot tub, baths that would use water pressure to massage you and even a pool outside where the water was around 42 degrees.

Before we left, we used the baths our separate male/female areas. Basically for those that don't know, you go into the baths naked (I had my small, and I mean small, towel) sit at separate shower cubicle and clean yourself. Then you go to a large barrel of warm, clean water and using a ladle like cup, rinse yourself. Finally you get into a large warm bath, usually occupied by other men/women and usually old. Luckily for me I had one of the baths to myself....

WORK

We have two new teachers, a couple, who start work tommorrow ( Saturday) . They are American, but lets hope they are better than the Americans I have met here so far...

It's still pretty much the same old with work. I gave up my Voice Co-Ordinator position to Matt, and can now concentrate on Kids...

EARTHQUAKE

We had a minor quake here on Tuesday. About 7am I was woken by the tremor that lasted about 10 seconds and at the epicentre was about a 5. Here it was only a 3, which is just enough to wake you up but nothing more.

MOSQUITOS

I HATE THESE LITTLE SHITS.

A Journey

A post on Music

Now I know I haven't been very nice toward Japanese music in the past, but to be honest it's a harmless mix of pop and hip-hop that has the occassional catchy hook. It's not to say I am a fan, but maybe with a Japanese girlfriend, my ear has become used to it.

I have put up this http://www.videouncovered.com/ in my links section. It's a website with new videos of J-Pop artists, and well worth a look so you can judge for yourselves.

One artist who has stood out for me is Utada Hikaru. Mainly because her voice is reminiscant of a Japanese, Sarah MaClachan. Her official site is here - http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/hikki/ . So if you have an interest in J-Pop please check them out.

Healthy and Green

A recent Japanese study,that began in 1994, has claimed that drinking green tea can reduce the risks of fatal cardiovascular disease. The study, which surveyed 40,530 healthy adults aged 40 to 79 in north-eastern Japan claimed that those who consumed green tea on a daily basis has a 26% lower risk of dying of Cardiovascular disease.

Those who drank five cups or more of green tea each day had a 31% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who had less than one.

However British scientists have put this down to differences in the Japanese diet and not just the properties of green tea.

Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said "The rate of heart disease in Japan is already one of the lowest in the world, and the Japanese diet is believed to play a substantial role in keeping this low.

"Drinking 3-4 cups of green tea in parts of Japan is a daily habit.

"The average British diet contains more saturated fat than the average Japanese diet, and our levels of heart disease are relatively high compared with many other countries in the world.

"It is questionable whether drinking the same amount of green tea a day in the UK would have a significant impact on levels of heart disease."

She added: "Clinical trials are now needed to discover whether something as simple as green tea really can prevent deaths from heart disease."

Taken from -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5334836.stm

GREEN TEA

Green tea (ryokucha) is so ubiquitous in Japan that it is more commonly known as "tea" (ocha) and even "Japanese tea" (nihoncha). Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The very best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Uji region of Kyoto.

Gyokuro, (jewel dew)
Selected from a grade of green tea known as tencha (), Gyokuro's name refers to the pale green color of the infusion. The leaves are grown in the shade before harvest which alters their flavor.

Matcha (rubbed tea)
A high quality powdered green tea used primarily in the tea ceremony. Matcha is also a popular flavour of ice cream and other sweets in Japan.

Sencha (roasted tea)
Common green tea in Japan. It is made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight.

Genmaicha (popcorn tea)
bancha and genmai (roasted rice grain) blend.

Kabusecha (covered tea)
kabusecha is sencha tea where the leaves have grown in the shade prior to harvest ( although not for as long as Gyokuru. It has a more delicate flavor than Sencha.

Bancha (common tea)
Sencha harvested as a second flush tea between summer and autumn. The leaves are larger than Sencha and the flavour is less full.

ｶ Hōjicha ( pan fried tea)
A pan-fried or oven roasted green tea

Kukicha ( stalk tea)
A tea made from stalks produced by harvesting one bud and three leaves.

(Taken from Wikipedia)

Also for more information on Green Tea check out -

http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/

It's a boy!

So, I know it's old news but Princess Kiko gave birth to a baby boy on September 6th, ending the controversy and crisis around who would succeed the Crysanthemum throne. Of course, as I have mentioned before, only male heirs can succeed to the throne, and the new baby, named Hisahito, is the first male born in 41 years.

The new prince is third in line to the throne, behind Crown Prince Naruhito and his own father, Akishino.

For more information, click the links below -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5337374.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5320224.stm

Now I'm 30...Dear God!...Hold it's not that bad!

After all the fear of the big three, zero, it comes down to it that I feel exactly the same as I did when I was 29. The same fears and hopes. Exactly the same. No big revelation. No sudden onset of arthritus and gray hair.

The only thing thats changed is that when people ask me my age and I tell them, they look at me slightly incrediously. "30?". "Really?".

Anyway, we had a party on Sunday for my birthday at my appartment. Shiori made the long trip (bless her) and also cooked a delicious Kimchi Nabe. Food was plentiful, and it's kept myself, Matt and Jimmy going so far this week. I must thank everyone who turned up and thanks for all the really cool gifts.

After the party we all went bowling, which was hilarious, especially as Evan, the star on our team on the first game went from hero to zero due to copious amounts of alcohol!

Seoul

I couldn't think what to call this post, so I've kept it simple. I tried to think up something clever and amusing based on the word Seoul/soul, but couldn't come up with anything that adequately described my experiences in Korea.

So I've kept it simple.

And to in the vein of keeping it simple I had a truly fantastic time. Seoul is a wonderful, vibrant place and I barely even scratched the surface. So before I even start into this post I have to say a BIG loving thanks to my girlfriend, Shiori and her Mum for organising everything.

GETTING TO KANSAI AIRPORT

Now my last experience of getting to Kansai, was one that I would rather forget. Imagine for a minute, getting up at the crack of dawn (4am to be precise), then with a heavy suitcase that has the maneoverability of Peter Crouch stuck in concrete, jumping on a succession of trains, each one leaving on a track a little further away from the other...

This time however, it was much easier. A bus from Shiori's home town straight to Kansai airport. Beautiful!

THE FLIGHT

JAL have always been great to fly with and this time despite a small plane, reminiscant of the ones I used to fly on to Mallorca or Ibiza with Mum and Dad as a kid, was again no exception. The flight time only 2 hours, which was a little disorienting after my last 3 flights have all been 13 hour monsters.

KOREA

Getting of the plane, I was hit with the familiar blast of humidity that has seemed to be a part of daily life in Japan, and also had blanketed itself over Korea. We had to wait at Incheon airport for about 30 minutes for Shiori's Mum's friend, who flew in from Tokyo. Whilst we were waiting were hassled once or twice by taxi drivers, who suprised me in that they spoke Japanese and English pretty well, and found the Korean convience stores stocked Twix bars!

Our first hotel was the Ibis in the busy shopping district of Meong-dong. The hotel was clean, nice and really convenient.

Then we went to dinner, where we had pork, kimchi (a Korean food, which is spicy vegetables), pickles, rice etc...it was a feast, and really delicious. It only came to 5000 between us (about 25 pound) which surprised me how cheap it was.

My first impression about Seoul was how cosmopoliton it was and how forward the Koreans were compared to the Japanese. Also young girls walk everywhere holding hands. At first I thought, maybe there are lots of lesbians in Korea, but Shiori informed that most Korean girls hold the hands of their friends...

That night, Shiori gave me presents that she had bought for me (ANOTHER BIG LOVING THANKS!!!!). A cool bag, a great new leather wallet, a cover for my phone (with Doraemon on!) and a candle in the shape of a heart. She's such a wonderful girl. xxx.

Also, I got some gifts from Shiori's mum, which was amazing. She bought me a really cool t-shirt and some sandals (which have taken some getting used too, but are really comfortable and convenient in the hot weather). Thank you!!!

Day 2 was spent shopping, and let me tell you in Korea it's a pretty amazing experience, especially in the bustling markets, where you could find anything. Food came by the way of Toppogi (Korean mochi and sausage in a hot sauce), which was oishi!

Day 2 was my birthday, so they bought me and Shiori's Mum's friend (as it was her birthday recently) a cake, which we took, along with our baggage to the Park Hyatt!
What a wonderful hotel....

http://seoul.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

A massive room, with a ceiling to floor window that looked out onto the neon of Seoul, a granite bathroom with a tv...amazing!

All in all, Seoul is a wonderful city, that I would recommend to anyone, and as I said earlier I barely scratched the surface, so I want to go back at some point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul

http://www.visitseoul.net/visit2006/index.jsp