Neighbors

Michelle and I are lucky. We have awesome neighbors. The Migita family lives in a small house right across from our apartment building. They are both dentists and their two young daughters are adorable. We tutor their daughters in English every Thursday evening - always something to look forward to mid-week. 

Ma-kun and his wife Ai-chan (kun and chan are affectionate name add-ons that you use with friends) live next door to the Migitas. Ma-kun and Ai-chan are both 28, so about the same age as Michelle and I. Ma-kun is a huge basketball fan so we hit it off from the beginning. He invited me to come play basketball with him every Wednesday at one of the community centers on the island back in October, and I have gone at least twice a month with him since. Ai-chan is pregnant and due in July, but is about to move back in with her parents in Shimane Prefecture (far away) for the remainder of her pregnancy. Knowing that we didn't have a ton of time left on Oshima either, we all decided to take advantage of the great spring weather to spend some time together before we all go our separate ways.

The result was an awesome bar-b-que that we had on May 7th at a campsite overlooking one Oshima's beautiful beaches. A few of our other neighbors came out as well, so we had a good group of twelve people grilling meat, drinking beer and hanging out. 

Setting up - please note my neighbor's awesome Ford Truck that he had imported from America

Grillin' - Japanese bar-b-que is amazing

The condiments table

Getting owned in badminton

It was fun but a little bittersweet as well. We will really miss everyone when we return to the States.

Yamaguchi Prefecture

Wow, there is just a little over two months left before Michelle and I pack up and head back to the states. Time is a weird thing - it feels like we've been here for an eternity on one hand and just a couple weeks on the other. Now that I'm in a nostalgic mood though I am trying to blog about a lot of the different things that made our time here special: where we live, the places we frequent, memorable experiences etc. First up is our prefecture!

山口県, or Yamaguchi Ken (Prefecture), is where our island Oshima is located and has been my and Michelle's home away from home for the past year. To be blunt, Yamaguchi is in the sticks. Fortunately though we have the main transportation arterial that connects all of Japan running through our ken. The Sanyo line, consisting of local, super express and shinkansen (bullet) trains, cuts right through Yamaguchi, and can take you quickly from Fukuoka in Kyushu all the way up to Tokyo in just a couple hours. The main vehicular highway crosses Yamaguchi as well. So while Yamaguchi is very rural, we can at least get out and about to Fukuoka or Hiroshima, two of Japan's major cities, pretty easily; other people in harder to reach prefectures aren't so lucky.

Yamaguchi Prefecture - the southernmost prefecture on Japan's biggest island of Honshu

The cities and districts of Yamaguchi Prefecture

The flag of Yamaguchi Prefecture - I have no idea what it means or stands for

Unfortunately (but understandably), Yamaguchi Ken is really just pass over country to tourists and to most Japanese. On the shinkansen you usually stop in Hiroshima (in Hiroshima Prefecture), and then shoot right through Yamaguchi without stopping - most people are asleep as they blow past all of the small rural farming villages and towns on their way to Fukuoka, the biggest city in Kyushu. Tyler and I went through Yamaguchi Prefecture twice on our trip to Japan back in 2006 on the shinkansen and I'm pretty sure we were asleep and didn't bat an eye as we passed both times. The prefecture has actually played a very important role in Japan's history, and a number of prime ministers and important historical figures have come from Hagi, Yamaguchi City and Shimonoseki, the prefecture's main cities. Nowadays though it's known to most Japanese as the 田舎 (inaka), or backwaters. The population of the prefecture is on constant decline, and most young people bolt immediately after high school for the cosmopolitan cities of Hiroshima and Fukuoka nearby. As for the economy, there is a lot of farming and some manufacturing in the bigger cities - Hitachi actually makes all of Japan's shinkansen bullet trains in the ken - but thats about it as far as major industries go. For tourism there isn't much either. Iwakuni's "Kintaikyo" is famous (see my prior post Hanami), but it doesn't provide a big draw for people residing outside of Yamaguchi.

One upcoming event should bring some much needed attention to the prefecture. The annual Japan National Sports Festival will be held in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 2011. This sports tournament is the most important domestic tournament in Japan. It is held each year in a different prefecture, so each prefecture only gets to host it once every 47 years. We have been inundated with advertising for the event since we arrived here. The event's mascot, Chororu (a comedic take on a famous word of Yamaguchi Prefecture's dialect - similar to a mascot for an event in Texas being named "Howdy"), has been everywhere. The character himself is supposed to represent the two kanji that make up Yamaguchi - 山 (yama), meaning mountian, is represented by his green hair, and 口 (guchi), meaning mouth, is represented by his white block face. The tournament will be held in October (the basketball tourney is only an hour or so away from us!) and this is one thing that Michelle and I are totally bummed about missing.

An advertisement for the upcoming National Japan Sports Festival and Chororu, the mascot for the games.

Tiffany, Michelle and I with Chororu after the Oshima Road Race back in February (it's a little late but Tiffany wrote a great post about the race that can be found here)

Michelle and I have made a point to try to do and see everything in the ken, and we both feel like we have succeeded. We have visited just about every city and have met and become friends with our fellow ALTs and many of the Japanese people living here. We even have hiked the 35km (21 mile) mountain pass from Hagi to Yamaguchi City (the capital of Yamaguchi ken)! So even though Yamaguchi is the Japan equivalent of rural Mississippi (no offense to Mississippians), Michelle and I have really grown to love it. It's picturesque mountains and rice farms are truly a sight to behold, and you get a much better taste of rural and traditional Japanese culture than you would in one of Japan's more populated prefectures. Life moves a little slower here in Yamaguchi, and it has been a nice break from our hectic city life back in the States.

Kimchi

This is my third and final post about our trip to South Korea. Please see Golden Week for the first post and DMZ for the second.

Kimchi, a dish consisting of fermented vegetables and seasonings, is one food that I will definitely be trying to find when I'm back in Texas. I didn't know that I was such a fan of Korean food, but it was one of the best parts of our trip to South Korea. Kimchi is probably the most famous staple of Korean food, and can be found at just about any restaurant you go to. I'm not sure if my taste buds have changed while living in Japan (when I first went to Korea with my brother in 2006 the slightest taste of Kimchi made me want to hurl), but I couldn't get enough of it when Michelle and I were there. Much like chips at a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, kimchi was served as an appetizer before every meal and was free of charge. However, unlike chips at a Mexican restaurant, which are salted fat-fried tortillas, kimchi is generally considered to be one of the healthiest foods in the world. Low calories, tons of dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, iron and even a lactic acid bacteria that aids in digestion can all be found in kimchi. The taste was great; that the stuff was so healthy was just an added bonus.  

Korean food in general is very tasty and healthy, but surprisingly different from Japanese food. Of course a lot of things are similar - tofu and rice are staples in both country's diets - but some of the ingredients and methods of cooking differ substantially. In Korea everything is spicy. Red pepper is the most important ingredient in a Korean dish. Beef and chicken are also extremely popular and are usually the main source of protein. A Korean "dish" is not just one plate either. Usually it comes served as one main plate accompanied by anywhere from 5 to 10 side plates, each consisting of a different root or vegetable (most fermented and spicy). In Japan the food is much less spicy and fish seems to be the protein of choice. In addition, Koreans usually mix their rice into their main dish, while in Japan this is considered rude. Another interesting observation was that in Korea EVERYONE used stainless steel chopsticks. In Japan only wooden chopsticks are used. Whatever the reason, stainless steel chopsticks were much more difficult to use than their wooden cousins.

Here are a couple quick photos that highlight some of our favorite Korean dishes that we had on the trip:

Michelle cutting up some kimchi before we dive into Seolleongtang, a beef bone stock broth filled with vegetables and strips of beef. The kimchi was all-you-could-eat and in a container built into the table.

Traditional "bibimbap" - rice topped with seasoned vegetables and a meat (in this case squid)

Michelle's vegetable "bibimbap" after mixing

"Bulgogi" - shredded beef marinated in soy sauce, onions and peppers put in a broth with noodles

"Galbi", or Korean Bar-B-Que, was one of our favorites. We were already familiar with the process since this type of food has become very popular in Japan.

After grilling the "galbi", you made a lettuce wrap that contained the grilled meat, vegetables, kimchi, potato salad and salt, and threw it all down the hatch. Win.

The food wasn't the only thing delicious - "Citron Tea" might be the best tea I have ever had. I drank gallons of the stuff while in Korea.

DMZ

There was one thing I had to do during our visit to South Korea. Michelle called me crazy, and I made sure not to mention it beforehand to my family, but I had to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. I don't know what I was expecting when I actually went, but the experience turned out to be one of the most interesting and bizarre (and slightly terrifying) that I have ever had on a trip. "Demilitarized" is probably the most inaccurate word you could use to describe the border between North and South Korea. Sure, most people and weapons can't enter the 4km zone (extending from the border 2km into each country), but one wouldn't want to anyway as the area is infested with landmines and barbed wire fences. Step outside of the 4km zone and you will find yourself among one of the biggest military buildups along any border in the world.

There is one small area along the DMZ called the Joint Security Area (JSA) that is open to troops from both sides, and, rather surprisingly, to tourists. One can't even get on the highway approaching the DMZ unless you are with one of the tour groups registered with the military - luckily Michelle and I found one that had openings. As soon as we left Seoul on our bus (the DMZ is only one hour north of Seoul by car), we were confronted by an endless stream of barbed wire fences, watch towers manned with machine guns and soldiers, and attack helicopters flying in every which direction overhead. I secretly started to wonder if coming to visit was a good idea... On the way to the DMZ we stopped at the memorial dedicated to the soldiers who have died protecting the border, and to the "Freedom Bridge" - the northernmost point that South Korean citizens are allowed to visit. The bridge was used by thousands of Koreans living in the north to escape to the South before the communist rulers shut down the border. People from the South still come here to pray for their families living in the North.

A husband at wife at the Freedom Bridge - northernmost point South Korean citizens are allowed to go.

Ribbons and other mementos placed on the fence in remembrance of their family members still living in North Korea

After the "Freedom Bridge" things got serious. South Korean troops boarded the bus and checked identities before we were allowed to drive to Camp Bonifas, a joint UN-South Korean military base on the edge of the DMZ. We entered a UN building where we went over the rules and watched a quick presentation. The tension was palpable. From here we boarded a military bus and were escorted by soldiers in Humvees to the JSA. When we arrived at the JSA we quickly formed lines and were marched up through the entrance where we came face to face with the border with North Korea (defined by a concrete line) and the North Korean troops on the other side. My heart was beating through the roof. We entered the UN building that sat on the border. Half of the building sat on the North side, and the other half sat on the South side. Even during a meeting North and South Koreans aren't allowed to cross the border, even inside a UN building. While inside, everyone took a quick step over into North Korea before the soldiers started yelling that our time was up. We were quickly herded out back the way we came and boarded our bus. It was a surreal experience - it felt like we were there only 3 minutes, but time even seemed to distort itself - we were there for half an hour.

South Korean guards at the JSA. The concrete line near the middle of the picture is the actual border with North Korea. The two blue buildings belong to the UN and is where any talks take place. The gray concrete structure past the border belongs to North Korea. You can't see them in this picture, but North Korean guards were at the entrance and on the roof.

Guards stand halfway behind one of the UN buildings so they can quickly get to safety in the event of an incident.

"Inside" North Korea - Picture was taken from inside one of the UN's conference buildings. South Korea is to the right, North Korea to the left.

My body didn't start to relax until we were back into Seoul proper. After six hours of constant anxiety, I was exhausted. The DMZ experience reminded me of skydiving: exciting, terrifying and something that I will never do again.

Golden Week

久しぶり !! (hisashiburi, It's been a while) !! My last post was April 27th, which in truth is only two weeks ago, but when you are used to posting two or three times a week it really feels like a long time. I have good excuse for my absence, however, as last week was our Golden Week holiday, and Michelle and I spent it out of the country exploring South Korea!

Golden Week is actually a series of individual holidays that is one of Japan's busiest travel seasons (the official Japanese term is 大型連休, or Oogata Renkyu, which translates literally into "many consecutive holidays"). The concept of Golden Week is relatively new, having begun after World War II in 1948. The reason that Golden Week was created is simply that Japanese people never take vacation. Most of my co-workers receive a month of vacation a year, but are lucky to use five days of it, and lose the time they don't use. Whether its a stigma to take a day off, or if it's that they are really just that busy (which I highly doubt, if my schools are in anyway representative of work life in Japan in general), Japanese never take a vacation, so Japan's tourist and leisure-based industries suffer. To solve this, the Japanese government created four national holidays and placed them all together to "force" the Japanese to actually take a long vacation and go out and spend money. Indeed, for those of us living in Japan it seems like Golden Week is one of the only times Japanese people travel. Roads are clogged beyond belief, and prices for anything travel related magically double or triple overnight. Initially Michelle and I wanted to go to Bangkok for Golden Week, as the normal round trip flight from Fukuoka costs only $350. During those few special days, however, the price was $1,200. Needless to say, Bangkok didn't happen.

We are glad Bangkok didn't happen though, as we were lucky enough to find a reasonably priced round trip ferry ticket from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea. I had visited Seoul, South Korea before, with my brother back in 2006, but had only spent two nights there as a part of our whirlwind tour of Asia. This time, Michelle and I were spending six days in South Korea between Busan and Seoul, enough time to really get a taste of the culture and people. Another huge difference between my visit in 2006 and now was that back in 2006, South Korea was a new experience within an ocean of new experiences. It was my first visit to Japan, China and South Korea, and all of the culture, food and newness of everything really blended together. I didn't perceive many differences between any two countries - they were all foreign and different. This time around though I have spent 9 months living in Japan beforehand, and the Japanese language, food and way of life have become second nature to me, so when I arrived in South Korea I found the difference between the two countries striking. 

Michelle and I at the Fukuoka Ferry Terminal on our way to Busan!

The biggest shock was the language. I have no knowledge of Korean, period. Upon arriving in Busan I didn't know one word, not even "thank you", "please" or "excuse me." Of course, at least intellectually, I realized that this would make communication difficult. In reality though, after my first encounter with Korean after arriving in Busan, I was utterly dumbfounded by my complete inability to communicate ANYTHING. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Michelle then promptely interrupted my train of thought with laughter and a big and loud "welcome to my world!!". Nothing like your wife being there for moral support lol... I had, however, taken for granted being able to communicate in Japan, and now here we were just a short three hour ferry ride away in Korea unable to say anything. If a restaurant didn't have pictures on their menu, what we were getting was a surprise (which happened often). If they asked me a question about what I ordered all I did was nod. Who knows what they were asking. I spent the majority of the six days with a dumb look on my face and arms raised trying to make the international symbol of "I have no idea". Even Michelle admitted that it was a bizarre experience. Even though she isn't formally studying Japanese, she has picked up quite a lot while living here, and has gotten used to the language and customs that dictate life in Japan. In Korea, all that was out the window.

As for the trip, we wound up spending almost all of our time in Seoul, and had some really great experiences. We went to Seoul's famous fortresses and markets, shopped in the art and culture district of Insadong, went to the Korean War Museum and climbed Mount Bukhan, the tallest mountain to the north of Seoul (unfortunately the view was quite diminished by the "yellow sand" that had blown in from the deserts of Mongolia and China). We also went to the top of the Seoul Tower, visited the DMZ (demilitarized zone - crazy intense), took a night cruise on the Han River (the massive river that divides Seoul into north/south districts) and watched two of Seoul's famous "non-verbal" plays (the first, a ninja comedy story, was absolutely incredible). On top of that, we each had about one hundred different varieties of Korean food (completely different than Japanese food and utterly amazing) and both ate copious amounts of kimchi (fermented cabbage).

Walking through Gyeongbokgung Palace, downtown Seoul

Seoul Tower

From the top of the tower, Seoul stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see

On the summit of Mount Bukhan. The city of Seoul is barely visible through the thick "Yellow Sand" that had blown in from China and Mongolia.

Michelle and I taking a stroll through a cozy back street in Insadong, downtown Seoul

Fighting our way through Namdaemun Market, downtown Seoul

For all of the differences between life in Korea and Japan, Michelle and I both absolutely LOVED Korea. It was a very welcome break from our life in Japan. Being our first international trip while living in Japan, we both captured some of that adrenaline that comes from exploring a completely foreign land, adrenaline that we certainly had when we arrived in Japan but that had faded over the past months as we grew accustomed to our lives here. Honestly, we found the city of Seoul favorable to most of the cities in Japan we have been too. The people and culture felt more relaxed, the cost of living was WAY lower and the society as a whole, while still homogeneous, definitely felt more open to foreigners.

Loaded - holding my fat stack o' Korean cash. Too bad 10,000 Won is equal to only $9, but thats a ton of money when that 10,000 Won will pay for one night in a hostel...

I'm not quite finished with Korea yet! I still hope to have another post or two about our experiences there - stay tuned!