Snack Attack (Prt 3)

Ritz Crackers w/custard filling

When I first saw these I thought it could turn out to be really bad, but after trying them I can't imagine how it could not be awesome. Its the good ole fashion taste of Ritz crackers with a custard like substance in the middle instead of a cheese or peanut butter like substance. I don't know if they sell this in the States, but I've never seen it before and I fell all the more pity because of that.

*****/*****



Short Cake Strawberry Cookies

They look like these but have strawberry filling and are not nearly as good. Despite having a strawberry filling the taste is rather bland.

**1/2/*****


New York Cheese Cake Ice Cream Bar

I love Cheese cake. Lets get that out of the way. This ice cream bar does a pretty good job at faking that cheesecake flavor and it does it at about 85 on the strong flavor scale. It's REALLY cheese cakey flavored, so much that I can imagine getting sick of it quickly if eaten too often but so far I'm still a big fan. The outside has a cheese cake/vanilla flavored candy coat. The inside? Flavor explosion.

*****/*****

End of a school year

Today was my last day of school. Rather uneventful but I am looking forward to the time off. I'll miss the students. They kept me company in an otherwise rather lonely job. Cheers to the future.

Monkichi!

This past week my Jr.High School 2nd year students practiced body parts as well as listening skills with a drawing activity. After getting into groups each student was given the same template which was in the basic shape of a body. The students mission was to listen as I described the monkey character called "Monkichi" and to draw the monkey according to my description.

The descriptions were as followed.

1. He has two eyes. His right eye is bigger than his left eye.
2. He has a very small nose.
3. He has a big mouth.
4. He has cool eyebrows. They are thick like ajitsuke-nori (Seaweed)
5. He has a big pocket on his stomach.
6. He has very short legs.
7. His right ear is smaller than his left ear.
8. His right hand is higher than his left hand.
9. He has a very long tail. His tail is longer than a jump rope.


As you can see many students took some liberties with Monkichi's overall design. I also think its funny that for description #9 some students could only comprehend the word jump rope and thus gave him one.

It's about to get real naked up in here.

This past Saturday I attended the Okayama originated  "Hadaka Matsuri" or "Naked Festival". Specifically naked men and about %95 naked. The festival is held in Saidaiji in the Okayama prefecture not far from Saidaiji station. During this festival hundreds of  men dressed in nothing but some cloth, covering their manly regions all come together to compete in a competition that involves trying to get hold of a wooden rod. In the olden days the rod was paper talismans that were believed to grant good luck. The men must chase and struggle with each other to obtain these special rods which these days also brings money to the people in possession of it.

I was asked by some co-workers to join in but even never seen it before I imagined it's not something I would really enjoy taking part in and after watching I'm happy I made that decision. On the other hand it is something that is quite enjoyable to watch. Being held in late February at 10pm at night also makes it quite a cold event for the participants though occasionally hot water is thrown upon the contestants. Before the actual competition there is also a small firework show and a lot of manly chanting. All in good partially naked fun.

Some young ladies preparing for a pre event performance

Let the nakedness begin!

During the start all the men run around chanting with arms linked

You guys must be cold

There is also a children's competition for young boys earlier.

Here with my festival companion Wei

Testing time

As a Christian I've become no stranger to times in which my faith is tested. Now is one of those times. In almost an exact month from now my contract with my currently job will be over. Not only does this mean I will be without a job but since the company is tied to my apartment, it also means I will be out of a home. You can see where I might have concern yet this all feels like deja-vu for me. If you look back in my archives you can read about a time when I was first planning to come to Japan and looking for a job and my worries then and how it all worked out.

If you go back about a year you can read about how I was trying to find a better job and how I was blessed with my current city and job. Those examples are just two of many times in which God has wanted me to trust in him. As I've experienced his blessings each time I've begin to worry a lot less about my future circumstances, and at this point I feel quite confident that a new job will show itself if I just wait a little. God is always on time despite how rushed I may think I am to complete something. I'm gonna miss this current chapter in my life but I trust God has something even better in store for me in the next one, and when that blessing comes I will be sure to post it for all to see. So instead of worrying about what will happen to me in a month I will instead look back at God's goodness and simply say "Here we go again."

V-DAY

 

 

It is officially that time again. Here in Japan Valentines Day is as commercial as it is in the U.S. It's still all about stuff animals, chocolate, and hearts. It's about expressing your feelings to the person you like/love. It's about taking everything cute and making it about %50 more cuter. The big difference here in Japan is that Valentines Day is a time for the female to show her affection to the male by presenting him with gifts. One of the most popular gifts to give is chocolates and this comes in three categories.

 

1. Giri Chocolate (obligatory chocolate) These chocolates are given by females to male superiors at work as well as her other male co-workers. Its obligatory so there isn't any hidden meaning behind it besides the fact that she is a female and the receiver is a male.

 

2.Honmei Chocolate (serious chocolate) This is the chocolate a female gives to a male that she is interested in. Usually his acceptance of it means he also has feelings for her. From there the rest is history. This is probably considered the most important of chocolates as there is a deep meaning behind the distributing of it. It is the most expensive.

 

3.Tomo Chocolate (friend chocolate) This chocolate is given to the females other female friends. The price range for this type of chocolate is usually medium.

If the female is really in the mood she may even make the chocolate herself. I have a few Jr.High students who told me they are making chocolates and other sweets to offer to the boy they like. I know you may be thinking "What about the girls? What do they get?" We'll in 1980 the holiday known as "White Day" was created. On White Day the males are given a chance to reciprocate their feelings by giving back to the women who gave to them. White Day is exactly one month after Valentines Day on March 14th. If you are feeling like one group has still been left out I'd suggest going to Korea where they actually have a  Black Day. On this day singles get together and eat a special noodle. Now that's a holiday I can get behind.

I personally haven't had a lot of experience celebrating Valentines Day unfortunately. I can only remember one time in which I gave something to someone I had real feelings for and also received something from someone who had feelings for me. Not long after that she became my girlfriend and not long after that she became my ex-girlfriend. Such is life. Anyway I''m not expecting much to happen this Valentines Day but I wish everyone who has a special someone a great day with each other. Cherish your love one. In closing I leave you with a picture I made a few years back that pretty much describes my Valentines Day experience and lack of.

 

OKONOMIYAKI

Gather around boys and girls it's time I explain the meaning of my blogs name Okonomiyaki: Life in Japan.
If you've read the short explanation at the top of the page you can see that I mentioned Okonomiyaki as possibly being my favorite of Japanese foods. I then told you to Google it which I am almost certain you didn't so now I will explain the awesomeness that is Okonomiyaki.


Okonomiyaki also occasionally called "Japanese pizza" is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). (stolen directly from Wikipedia)
It is usually associated and most famous in the Hiroshima and Kansai areas of Japan but you can find it throughout the country and other areas may even have their own take on it. In general after entering an Okonomiyaki restaurant you're gonna wanna decide if you want Hiroshima style or Kansai style. The big difference between these two is that Hiroshima style has Yakisoba (fried noodles) inside of it. Personally I prefer the Hiroshima style. That being said the Hiroshima style is also harder to cook if you are thinking about doing it yourself which is common. You can buy Okonomiyaki kits in the stores that include most of the ingredients needed. On top of Okonomiyaki is usually a sweet sauce often used for both Okonomiyaki and its close of kin Takoyaki, mayonnaise, and fish flakes.

Here's a Kansai style loaded with toppings.

This Hiroshima style is known for its fried noodles inside.

A big part of Okonomiyaki is egg and thus the taste of egg is one of the most prevalent. The sauce is also quite important and tasty. As well as making it at home or having it cooked for you in a restaurant you can also go to a restaurant and have the ingredients prepared for you and then you cook and eat it on a large table with a built in stove. While there is a little bit of an art to cooking it including flipping it I find doing it yourself is the most enjoyable way especially if you are with friends.

Enjoying with friends in Yokohama.

Watching Hiroshima style being prepared in Hiroshima.

Hiroshima style cooking.

So there you have it. If you are interesting in making it yourselves you can find many videos on YouTube showing you easy methods for doing so. Whether you do it yourself or go to a shop I highly suggest giving it a chance while in Japan. I tried it for the first time in summer of 2009 and never looked back.

Okonomiyaki inspires nations to rise above oppression or at least inspired a title for my blog.

P.S. ~

About 3 months ago I was inspired to write a post (Dear~) describing the major complaints I had with four different countries as if they were letters to each respective country. My complaints were both harsh and in my opinion true but they aren't the only things I think about those countries. There are many good things about each country that I enjoy or admire and now I present my P.S. to America,South Korea,China,Japan, and I'll try my best with North Korea. Just as the previous post all of my comments are only my opinions and come from my experiences.


P.S. America
Regardless of any internal conflicts I have with you, you helped raise me. You offer a myriad of opportunities for those willing to fight hard enough to obtain them. You have a lot of kind and tolerant people. You have people from so many different backgrounds and cultures making you unique and you've built some great cities.

P.S. South Korea
Your people have been pretty friendly to me and are the reason I began to take great interest in you. You are a strong nation that survived a huge split in your country years ago. Although many other countries have tried to cause harm to you, you have tended to not be as brutal in your past. Your families feel very loving of each other.

P.S. China
Your people are some of the friendliest and most enjoyable to be around. Though I live in Japan, your people have been my closest friends. You produce so many things that I use day to day. Your history is some of the most interesting. Though difficult your language is one of the most interesting to me.

P.S. Japan
Your country can be quite comfortable to live in and is quite safe. Your people are warm once you get to know them. Your culture is fascinating and your country is responsible for some of the best things. You have a level of respect and service that is unmatched.

P.S. North Korea
I know nothing about you outside of what your destructive leader lets the world see, but I am sure you have many people who are friendly, generous and just looking for a way out.


God bless you all!

Changes in the wind

I have about a month left of school and then my current contract is over. Hopefully I will be blessed and able to sign for another year, but even if that happens I will have to move from my current city of Okayama to somewhere new. It will be bittersweet saying goodbye and I hate saying it but I've done it so many times in my life now it's become expected. I'll update when I find out if I'll still be working and where. If it all pans out I should be moving by end of March. Its coming too soon. I'll save my goodbyes for another post when I have more solid information. Until then I'll try to enjoy my current situation as much as possible.