Food

Hi there. I'd like to show you a bit about the food here in Japan. There are many varieties, not just Sushi and Ramen. Many foods can be found on the street. I recently stopped by an area called Osu, and checked out the many restaurants and food stands. There's a snack called Tonmusu that is basically rice wrapped in pork strips that were cooked in soy sauce. You can order them with cheese and other toppings. It is delicious, but very greasy. I can tell you it's better than anything I get at McDonald's, though. I also took a movie of people making Takoyaki, which is basically octopus with a crispy fried shell, shaped into a ball, and Taiyaki, which is a pancake-like batter shaped into a fish (don't know why) with a sweet bean paste filling. These last two foods are served everywhere in Japan, especially at festivals.

Last, but not least, I just went to a restaurant that served Matsusaka beef, which is on the same tier as the Kobe variety. It is very flavorful, due to its high content of fat and smooth texture. Unfortunately, you can't buy Japanese beef in the States because the Gov't banned it due to a Mad Cow outbreak 10 years ago, so you will have to travel in order to experience it. There are many more foods That Japan offers, of course, but I hope this piques your interest.

Wrapping up the year

So I have just a couple weeks left, and I have mixed emotions. Things have changed here a lot since the big earthquake last week. The families of teachers like me are getting more and more scared to have us stay here. I had to plead a lot to stay here and not get a flight back this upcoming week... Although I understand the concern, right now there is no danger in my area. I live roughly 400 miles away from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Even so, I think it would be better for everyone if I just left. My official contract finally ends March 31st, and April 2nd I will leave. Until then, I'm trying to do everything I can in the area.

I went to Inuyama last Friday with another teacher which was a lot of fun. I tried to fit in seeing the castle and the monkey park (a sort of zoo with all monkeys) but we were on foot the whole time and it closed before we could get in the place. The castle was beautiful though. We had a great view of the whole area.

The next day I had just a basic shift at a major school here downtown. Just a lot of talking and placement testing. After that I went to another going away party (there are many). It was a house party with a karaoke trip afterwards. Fun fun! Karaoke is becoming part of the usual weekend activities.

Today I just came back from a Van Gogh Exhibit at the Nagoya City Art Museum, and tomorrow I plan on going with the same teacher to Kobe. We're gonna take a cool bus called "Willer" that is cheap and has TV screens on the back of every seat. It should be a good time.

Next week I'm going to a baseball game and for my last day trip, to Nara, the original Japanese capital. It will take a lot to stop me from seeing as much of Japan as I can before I have to go!