Japanese TV Programming- Utaban

This clip is part one of two and was recorded while living in Japan in October 2005. Bon Jovi were special guest on the Japanese music program, Utaban. "Uta" means music and "ban" comes from program. In this clip you will see:

1- Hosts of Utaban, Smap's Masahiro Nakai and Japanese TV personality, Takaki Ishibashi attend a look alike appearance and discover that Bon Jovi is there and realize that they are not look alikes but the real deal.

2- Bon Jovi get introduced to the studio audience and Marah Carey's recent appearance on Utaban is brought up and reference is made to her bosom and dress. Then Nakai asks Jon Bon Jovi how much his savings is where Jon replies in reference to Carey's bosom. There is also a brief discussion of Bon Jovi's 2005 release, "Have A Nice Day" album.

3- Jon Bon Jovi recognizes Utaban's 10-year anniversary by stating, "We realize that Utaban is the most important music show in Japan."

4- This clip concludes with a segment discussing how much things are worth featuring Bon Jovi's equipment/jewelry. Jon Bon Jovi gets slightly insulted when the treasured Slippery When Wet necklace is under quoted.



This part two of two clip continues with a discussion of how much things are worth featuring Bon Jovi's belongings. Jon Bon Jovi then discusses owning an arena football team, Philadelphia Soul, and gives the hosts of Utaban football jerseys. This is followed by Bon Jovi lipsynching their 2005 hit, "Have A Nice Day" where bassist, Hugh McDonald is brought out and the group performs as a 5-piece. This 20-minute segment was chopped up and spread throughout the 2-hour show was concluded by Jon Bon Jovi playing catch with a stage hand who is dressed as a sumo wrestler which gets the band rolling.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

2007- A year in travel and culture reviewed

2007- A year in travel and culture reviewed

The start of 2007 began with my wife and I recovering from Christmas travel to Okinawa, Japan. New Years (shogatsu) was spent with my in-laws at our apartment in Saitama. Winter vacation was concluded by making a visit to the Urawa Culture Center and observing a tea ceremony and taking pictures of Japanese women in traditional dress (kimono). Later for my wife's birthday, we took in the Japanese language movie Letters from Iwojima at the Saitama Shintoshin theater. A few weeks later for my birthday, I took in the sights at Tokyo's electronic district, Akihabara and did some birthday shopping and attended Youkoso! Japan Weeks 2007 hosted by Japanese actress, Yoshino Kimura. After Kimura's presentation, a fashion show ensued where young and attractive Japanese models wore outfits ranging from kimonos, urban wear to cosplay. I later met with my wife who treated me to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Akasaka (red hill). After this, we met with friends for drinks at a Japanese pub (izakaya). A few days later, my in-laws treated me to a birthday feast consisting of roasted chicken, rolled sushi and yakisoba (sauteed noodles) . We concluded January by making one final trip to the American wholesale outlet, Costco Wholesale in Chiba and later visiting my wife's friend from college who lives in Kimitsu, Chiba.

February started with attending a one-day sumo tournament in Tokyo with other classmates and teachers from Bunkyo University in Koshigaya, Saitama. For Japan's National Foundation Day, we took a return trip to Hiroshima. Our flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport was diverted to Fukuoka due to heavy fog in Hiroshima. We rode a bullet train from Fukuoka to Hiroshima. A few days later, we had a family outing at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. For Valentine's Day, we celebrated this day Japanese style when I received chocolate from my wife and enjoyed a quiet dinner at home consisting of catchatori chicken penne pasta and red wine. Also, around this time, we met with my wife's teacher from college who treated us to a wonderful lunch at a fancy Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. Towards the end of this month, I took a business trip to Yokohama and spent two nights in a capsule hotel. My first evening in Kanagawa prefecture was at a bar near the ocean called "Backas" (two fools?) and my second evening was at my old stomping grounds, Yokosuka. This month was concluded by saying farewell to some graduating teachers at Bunkyo.

In March, we returned to Kanagawa Prefecture on a family outing and spent a weekend in Mirukaigan. In this port town, we enjoyed delicious Japanese cuisine (washoku) and a tour of the harbor. Around this time, I returned to the US on bereavement leave and upon my return to Japan, I prepared for another business trip to Japan's Tohoku region, Fukushima. Here, with snow still on the ground, we worked in the calm environment with the British landscape as the back drop. Upon my return from Fukushima, I met with my in-laws for a day trip to Hakone, Kanagawa. We concluded this month by attending a soccer game in Urawa's Saitama Stadium (former venue for the 2002 World Cup) where the Red Diamonds were dominate in J-League action.

In April we attended our second Japanese baseball game where the Tokyo Yakult Swallows hosted the Nagoya Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium which was founded in 1926. For Spring vacation, we traveled to Japan's Kansai region and took in the sights of Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka.

The months of May and June were the start of farewells with a party held by the English conversation lounge that I worked at for three years in Omiya, Saitama. In mid-June, I acted as a tour guide for an American visiting from my hometown. We did a day tour of Tokyo. I made my final lesson of introducing American culture and English at my friend's elementary school.

The start of July, we made international travel to Taipei, Taiwan. Upon my return to Japan, I concluded my farewells from Japan by attending a shrine only open once a month to the general public. Here, my mother-in-law and wife prayed for their deceased ancestors. I made a near teary-eyed farewell speech in Japanese at Bunkyo where I studied Japanese for almost three years. My wife and I parted ways with her two friends who came with her to the US in 1996 at a shabu shabu restaurant(hot-pot dish of thinly sliced beef cooked at the table by dipping in boiling broth). Honestly, more farewells that I could keep up with as I recall seeing a group of students as I was commuting from Warabi Station, on a different occasion seeing a different group of students on the train. One place that I was fortunate to take in and is some of the best sushi in Tokyo, is a place called Sushi Cho. This places is open only at lunch and provides unlimited chirashi sushi (rice dressed with vinegar and topped with egg and seafood and served in a box), two kinds of miso soup and a small dessert for 1500 yen. This month was concluded by returning to the US which was my third country for the month.

In August, we entertained my father-in-law and his family in the US by showing them the sights of Atlanta, Upstate SC and Western NC. In September, we traveled to nearby Charlotte, NC to witness rock n' roll magic with original vocalist returning to Van Halen at the Bobcat Arena. With focusing on starting our new life in the US, this concludes my travels and experiences with different cultures for 2007.

Video was taken when we attended a soccer match between the Urawa Red Diamonds and one other team. While J-league soccer trives in Urawa, the rest of the league has a weak turn out for their matches.


The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Simple Life in Japan

It was the year 1993, I was in Japan despite not having an interest or any knowledge of the language or culture prior to arriving as a 20-year-old squid in Uncle Sam's Navy.

On a good day back then, I would knock off work around 4:30pm, have dinner at the on base McDonalds then work out at the on base gym, then go to the calling center to call family and friends back home. Some variations to this would be do laundry or go out in town or Club Alliance (aka The "A" Club) at the old main gate after the gym for dinner instead of eating at McDonalds. Why would I eat then work out? I was not big into cardio-vascular back then or needed to be. I would lift since I wasn't too far removed from high school.

One distinct memory of those days was the video that played on the TV in the gym of Phil Collins. With today's technology, those memories can be accessed without having to hunt for an obscure video.

Today's clip is of Phil Collins and his "Serious Band" performing a tune of his 1984 album, "No Jacket Required", "Inside Out".


The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan (Golden Week 2006)

Golden Week, a cluster of Japanese holidays beginning at the end of April and continuing throughout the first week of May, is like a double-edged sword since everyone in Japan has time off but traveling at this time is terrible due to destinations being crowded, traffic (it's bad enough in Japan) and air fare, lodging, etc. is even more expensive. But, we chose to travel at this time but would leave a few days before it started and in doing so, we beat the crowds and paid reasonable rates on air fare and lodging.

Day #1- Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Sapporo
After arriving in Sapporo, we took a bus to our hotel, ANA Hotel (part of the All Nippon Airways family). Since it was before check-in time, we left our luggage at the cloak and walked to the Sapporo Beer Museum for lunch. Sapporo Beer is a popular Japanese beer in the US but the Sapporo Beer in US is made by a brewery in Canada. Anyway, at the museum was a famous restaurant that serves a signature dish to Hokkaido, lamb. At our table, we prepared the lamb and vegetables and drank beer out of tall steins. The meal was excellent and is a must on anyone's trip to Sapporo. However, I suggest eating at this place at the end of your travel in Sapporo since one set of the clothes that we brought smelled like BBQ.

Afterwards, we toured the beer museum which was established in the late 1800's (Japan's Meiji era). It was interesting to see the advertisements of the different eras and the different beer bottles. Before leaving the museum, we sampled different kinds of beer that are found only in Hokkaido. (those in Tokyo can't find the specialty beers that we sampled).

By the time we finished visiting the museum, we returned to our hotel and checked-in. After freshing up, we went out in search of a good restaurant for some good Hokkaido food. We found a sushi restaurant and had some excellent crab sushi and boiled crab. (crab and lamb is very abundant and popular in Hokkaido). We also and a variety of sashimi (raw seafood without the rice) and a tofu salad.

Later, we made our way to the largest entertainment district north of Tokyo, Susukino. This district is very lively and picturesque. Here, we visited a very popular alley of ramen restaurants. Ramen is a Chinese dish of noodles in a broth. People of Sapporo claim that their city was the first place to serve this dish in Japan. In the US, you can find cup of noodles and prepared in the microwave. I recommend getting a real meal of ramen if given the chance.

We finished up our first day in Sapporo by visiting the Sapporo Tower. Similar to the Tokyo Tower, this tower has many radio and TV antennas on it and a big clock (Tokyo Tower does not).

Day #2- Otaru, Hokkaido and more of Sapporo
Otaru, a town about an hour by train away from Sapporo is famous for it scenery, landmark of original buildings from when the town was first established in the late 1800's. Although it was May, there was still snow on the ground in the shaded areas. This town has many alleys where water from the nearby mountains flows. The alleys were very active of melting snow rushing down stream. Many of the landmarks had descriptions up in four languages (Japanese, English, Korean and Russian). Russia is close to Japan with Hokkaido being the closest. Not too many foreigners are in Hokkaido in comparison to the Tokyo area but when I did see a foreigner, in most cases they were Russian. After seeing the sights, we had a great sushi lunch (I can eat sushi 3 times a day!).

A half day is all you need for Otaru, so we returned to Sapporo and saw the various sights. We visited the former Hokkaiko government office which was modeled after the old Mass. state house. In the late 1800's this building was the largest building in Japan. Next to the main Sapporo train station in the JR Tower. At the top of this tower, you can see all of Sapporo City and the Sapporo Tower.

After catching the excellent views of Sapporo from the JR Tower, we called it a day.

Day #3- Sapporo's Fish Market, Dr. Clark Museum/Statue and Sapporo Dome/Japanese Baseball game
The most famous fish market in Japan is the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. However, Sapporo's fish market is probably as good as the one in Tokyo since Hokkaido is so abundant in fresh seafood. We visited this place and bought some tuna and had it sent to my mother-in-law in Tokyo.

Afterwards, we went to the outskirts of Sapporo and visited the Dr. Clark museum and statue. Dr. Clark was an American professor who taught at Hokkaido University. He was famous for his quote, "Boys, be ambitious." Here, we had lunch. We sauteed fresh seafood at our table.

Later in the day, we visited the Sapporo Dome (opened in 2001). This dome is the home of the local pro soccer team and the Nippon Ham Fighters pro baseball team. Since I have never seen a Japanese baseball game and since there was a game that evening, we decided to watch the game. After visiting the dome's trophy room (pictures and models of the famous performers who have been to the Sapporo Dome), we killed some time at a local shopping mall and returned to the dome and watched the Seibu Lions from Saitama take on the Nippon Ham Fighters. The Fighters have the famous player, Shinjo who also played in the US for the Mets and San Fran Giants. While we were in Sapporo he announced that he was retiring at the end of this season. Anyway, the crowd was light due to the holidays, but the game was fun. Japanese fans are very vocal and noisy throughtout the game but in a poliet and organized fashion. One team's fans will cheer wildly for the top part of the inning and the other team will do the same the bottom part of the inning. We left the game at the 7th inning and returned to Susukino and had dinner at the famous Ramen alley. Ramen is tradionally spicy but the cook wisely toned it down a notch for me since many foreigners visit this place. The place was small and the game that we left was still in progress on the TV. But for whatever reason, baseball games are not televised after 9PM for the rest of the prime time TV programming. (This would drive me crazy if I was a big fan of baseball). The Kimchi Ramen dish that I had was great and plenty hot eventhough the cook toned it down.

We took a stroll through Susukino and then called it a day.

Day #4- Hokkaido University, Okurayama Ski Jump, Winter Sports Museum
Hokkaido University is a very beautiful and picturesque site and reminded me of the local university in my hometown, Furman. Spacious, lots of vegetation, and big western-style buildings. After visiting this place, we went to a restaurant that served "Hokkaido curry soup". Japanese curry is taken from the curry of India but is thicker and poured over rice. The Hokkaido version is a combinaton of the two.

Later in the day, we went to Okurayama Ski Jump where Olympic events took place back in 1972. Near the ski jump is a winter sports museum where lots of memoribillia is on display from the 1972 Olympic games and the other sporting events that have taken place.

We then returned to the Sapporo airport and caught our flight back to Tokyo with lots of great memories and pictures and stories to tell of Japan's most northern island.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Why they eat Cow tongue and cow's tail?

Monday, November 06, 2006

This past weekend, we did a day trip to Sendai and before I forget the things that I learned from this trip, here goes:

1- Why they eat Cow tongue and cow's tail?

After WWII, the Tohoku region was the last region to be rebuilt from the war-torn bombings that Japan received and for whatever reason, was a low priority. Of course, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were tops on the list, as for Tokyo and other cities that took on all of the bombing.

With MacArthur at the helm, and Roosevelt`s "Ronins" by his side, Japan made the transition from a defeated, war-torn nation, to the economic power that it is today. But back in those early days, the poor people of Tohoku had to survive on anything that they could get their hands on. As the occupants of Japan were not keen on eating cow tongue and the cow`s tail, this is what the local people survived on.

Aside from the unusual parts of the cow that are popular in Sendai, Kamaboko is also popular there. I remember back in my Navy days, returning to the base in Yokosuka after a long night of singing and dancing up in Roppongi. I would have the munchies and outside of the main gate was a 7-eleven "konbeni". So, I would stop by and grab a few sticks of kamaboko and scarf it down as I made the mile trek back to my ship. The sight of me walking down the road all hung over and eating a stick of kamaboko with backpack full of empty bottles of cheap wine bought the previous evening must be amusing.

Another interesting dish eaten in Sendai was whale.

2- Tohoku-ben

Tohoku-ben is the regional dialect spoken amongst the locals of this region. Japanese is difficult enough not to throw in the regional dialects. Anyway, the shortest conversation in Japan is when a mother in Sendai tells her child to eat something. It goes like this:

Mother- Ke.

Child- Ku.

In Tokyo, it would go like this:

Mother- Tabenasai.

Child- Hai, tabete imasu.

English:

Mother- Eat (command form)

Child- Yes, I'm eating.

3- One interesting thing about this day trip was where we ate lunch. Around lunch time, we toured the local fish market. Every Japanese town near the sea has one, and for some reason, foreigners love going there. Tsukiji`s fish market in Tokyo is always swarming with foreigners the times that I`ve been there. Anyway, in Sendai, we bought some of the local seafood and ate it with the rice and miso soup that was provided by the staff. We ate a few feet from a shop owners refridgerated display. Customers would walk by and see a group of people eating some of the local goods. Not a bad way to get people to buy your stuff!

Today's picture was taken on the platform of Sendai Station.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Budget Travel in Japan

I was recently asked by a panel of non-Japanese travelers about the most cost effective travel in Japan.

Since I will be doing this for the first time next week, I can`t be certain from first-hand experience but I would say capsule hotels are the most cost effective way to travel in Japan on a budget. The price per night is around US$40. You`re space is cramped like it would be if you were staying on a ship. The one that I will be staying in is in the basement of a regular hotel. I was informed that my cell phone will not work inside my casule. The bath is a public bath which is common in Japan. Aside from a small bed, I will have a little desk with a PC and Internet access. Upstairs I will be provided breakfast in the morning.

This type of lodging was featured in a recent TV program Quest- CNN Business Traveler when the host traveled to Osaka. He was able to travel on a budget of about US$200 a day in Osaka mainly because his lodging was a capsule hotel. Of course, his mode of travel was by train and subway and he did have a business lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. He was even shown eating at a ramen shop for far less than the business lunch. Once other thing that he did was rent out some temporary office space and pay for printing out some documents. However, he would have exceeded his US$200 a day budget by doing the same thing in Tokyo.

Earlier this month, I traveled to Hiroshima and stayed in a business hotel. It was a package deal in the amount of US$250 (total) including round trip air fare from Tokyo`s Haneda airport and two nights in Hiroshima`s downtown area. Sometimes this also includes a breakfast buffet.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are staying in Tokyo, these kind of low-budget deals are no where to be found. I heard of a guy who traveled from Kyushu to Tokyo to take his family to Disney Sea and he remarked that this trip was nearly as much as taking his family to Hawaii.

Recap:

In case you are in the "Land of the Rising Sun", here are a few things to consider:

Lodging- Capsule Hotels are a stack of three bunks similar to what you would find on a ship. Bunks sleep one person and have a small LCD that can pick-up local TV channels. Cost per night was about US$40. Showers are Japanese style where you wash down with soap then bath in a community area.

Dining- Ramen shops are a dime a dozen near train stations. The fast food chain, Yoshinoya sells beef bowls and I recommend it. The sushi chain, Kappa Sushi sells plates that are brought to you on a conveyor for about US$1. Japan is know as convienence store heaven and a wide variety of food is available at an affordable price.

Transportation- Trains and subways are abundant in the metropolis areas. Check JR East's website. They serve the Greater Tokyo area. Taxis are good too especially if traveling in small groups.


Lastly, one thing to disregard is the scene in the 1980`s movie, Gung Ho starring Michael Keaton. It shows him staying at a capsule hotel in Tokyo and he is climbing over two guys to reach his bunk on the top. They improved the spacing in the past 20 years.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

CNN International- The Weather forcast in Japan

The music composed for this commercial is really tranquial and takes me back to my days in Japan. Fond memories of this when I was living in Japan and watching TV courtesy of Yahoo broadband from 2006-07. I noticed that there were no Japanese cities listed on this version. Enjoy!





The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

How to say the different types of sushi in Japanese

Saturday, August 26, 2006


In the US there are about 25 different kinds of sushi dishes. If you know of others, please post the name of the dish, the name of the restaurant that it is found and where the restaurant is located.

Here's how to say the different types of sushi in Japanese:

Japanese- English

1. Maguro- Tuna

2. Tako- Octopus

3. Uni- Sea Urchin

4. Temaki- Spicy Tuna Roll

5. Hamachi- Yellow Tail

6. Saba-Mackerel

7. Ikura- Salmon Caviar

8. Tekka Maki- Tuna Roll

9. Ika- Calamari

10. Tamago- Omelet

11. Amaebi- Sweet Shrimp

12. Unagi- Fresh Water Eel

13. Tai- Red Snapper

14. Toro- Marbled Tuna

15. Kappa Maki- Cucumber Roll

16. Hirame- Halibut

17. Anago- Sea Eel

18. Mirugai- Giant Clam

19. Ebi- Shrimp

20. Awabi- Abalone

21. Sake- Salmon

22. N/a- California Roll

23. N/a- Philadelphia Roll


The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Sightseeing in Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama, Gunma, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe

Japan Summer Travel- July 28-August 7, 2006

Day #1- Arrival at Narita Airport, Friday, July 28th

Nartita airport is about 1 hour by express train from Tokyo. After my mom's 14 hour flight, we paid 3,000 yen and rode the NEX Express Train to Tokyo Station in 30 minutes.

Day #2- Tokyo, Saturday, July 29th

Since my mother had been to Tokyo last year, we just took it easy and visited the Tokyo Dome area and had dinner at Chinzan-so/Four Seasons Hotel. On the way back to Saitama, the train was delayed and at Akabane Station (North Tokyo) we were packed like sardines. Unusual for a weekend, but common during the week.


Day #3- Yokohama Day Trip, Sunday, July 30th

Yokohama has always been fond to me due to my time spent in the Navy at Yokosuka (just south of Yokohama). We went to Chinatown, which is the largest district of Chinese immigrants in Japan. The restaurants are awesome with the best Chinese food without going to China. We had lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant were the food was served on small dishes and placed on a smaller rotary table that was on the main table.

After seeing the sights in Chinatown, we went to Yamashita Park. The city of San Diego is a sister city of Yokohama and there is a large monument in this park given by San Diego. Here, you can see ships coming and going and the atmosphere is very festive with performers playing music, dancing, etc.

The last place we visited was Landmark Tower (picture). The tower is one of the largest towers in Japan and has a multi-level shopping mall. At the local Hard Rock cafe is a corner dedicated to Van Halen. There is a contracted dated 1979 and signed by all four of the original members.



Day #4- Saitama City, Monday, July 31st

Saitama City is the largest city of Saitama Prefecture, the state due north of Tokyo and houses the Saitama Super Arena (FIBA Basketball Champships are to be hosted next week) (picture), Saitama 2002 Statium (2002 World Cup site and Urawa Red Diamonds home stadium), and the John Lennon Museum. At Saitama Shinoshin Station, we ate at Sushi for Lunch at the local shopping mall. Across the train tracks is the John Lennon Museum. The Beatles are before my time but they were very influncial especially in Japan where English is far from their native language. The museum is very informative and has the actual items on display from the NYC mansion that Lennon last resided at.

Day #5- Leave for Kyoto, Tuesday, August 1st

This was a long day, but a good day because before the sun was up (usually up earlier than back home) we were moving. We took the "Hikari" Bullet Train from Tokyo Station. This bullet train is the 2nd fasted behind the "Nozomi". After arriving in Kyoto, we checked in at New Miyako Hotel, Kyoto. We then bought a 500 yen day bus-pass. We visited the main attractions such as “Gold Temple” (Picture), “Silver Temple”, Yasaka Shrine and Gion/Geishas District on this particular day.






Day #6- Kyoto/Kobe, Wednesday, August 2nd

On the next day, we started early to beat the heat (too darn hot in Kyoto!). We first started with Kiyomizu Temple. On the way I asked some junior high student if classes were in session and they replied in Japanese, "No, but we are going to practice in the swimming club." All dressed up in their uniforms on a hot summer day just to go to swim practice. After Kiyomizu, (waterfall picture) we went shopping for souvenirs. For lunch we had Shrimp tempura (pieces of shrimp about 5-6 inches long lightly breaded) at Kyoto Station, then departed for Kobe.

Kobe is a mid-size city that was made famous in 1995 due to one of the deadliest earthquakes in Japan. It is also known for their Kobe Beef which was previously mentioned. They also have alot of sake and we visited the Hakutsuru Sake Museum. If you new to sake, I suggest "Nigori" sake. It has a milky color and is also known as, "Crazy Milk" in the US. From there, we visted Mt. Rokko via cable car. The view of the city from there was beautiful despite it being a hazy day. Then we returned to the city and went to Sannomiya Station area. It guess you could say it is the heart of Kobe with lots of bright lights and city life going on. Here, we found us a reasonably priced Kobe Beef Dinner fixed by a chef who was the waiter, dishwasher, etc. I guess that's why it was reasonably priced.

Day #7- Osaka, Thursday, August 3rd

This day was totally dedicated to Osaka, Japan's 2nd largest city. The first place on the itenerary was Osaka Castle and Museum. Probably Japan's prettiest castle. Then we headed into town and went had Okonomiyaki for Lunch (Japanese Pizza). Osaka and Hiroshima both call this dish their own. Then we walked over to the entertainment district of Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi. Kirin Plaza (picture) was here.


Day #8- Last day in Kyoto, Friday, August 4th

This was our last day in Kyoto and we finished up our visit at 33 Pillars Temple. The temple is about the length of a football field and had 15 rows of statues held up by 33 temples, thus the name. Due to the place being a place of worship, taking pictures was prohibited. I did get some postcards that portrayed the images seen. Afterwards, we returned to Kyoto Station and rode the bullet train back to Tokyo.


Day #9- Regroup in Saitama, Saturday, August 5th

On this day, we took it easy and did some shopping in the city just north of where we currently live, Urawa. We got some Urawa Red Soccer gear for myself and my dad. Later than night, we saw fireworks from the balcony courtesy of Toda City.


Day #10- Gunma Day-Trip via car, Sunday, August 6th

This past Sunday we rented a van a drove to Gunma. Awesome sites, unusual food (bear meat) but the highlight of the trip was the onsen (hot spring). It was an outdoors facility and as we were walking to the changing room, I noticed women wrapped in yellow towels in the same bathing area with men. Before entering the bathing area I noticed how the men were covering up their privates only with a white hand towel. I followed their lead and bathed for about 15 minutes in the first bathing area. The water was too hot for me. I walked across a bridge with both hands on my waist so the towel would cover my privates. My backside was fully exposed for the whole world to see. The 2nd bathing area was much more tolerable and more of the same. More women wrapped in towels and men holding a hand towel over their privates. Children were also in the bathing area with their parents. Some women did not wrap up in towels but only covered up the front parts. Some men decided to let it all hang out. One notable thing was that the towels on the women become transparent after they stood from soaking. I noticed this from the first bathing area after I held the towel too closely to my body. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.

Other highlights of Gunma were shopping in Minakami Station area, watching mountain climbers scale the side of a mountain, sightseeing atTanigawa Dake Ropeway (Cable Car) where there were incredible views on top of the mountain.


For dinner we had takeout from Mos Burgers. A Japanese hamburger chain that has one outlet in Hawaii.

Day #11- Warabi, Saitama, Monday, August 7th

The only thing eventful on this day was dinner at Kappa Sushi. Sushi comes to you on a conveyor belt and all dishes cost 100 yen.


Day #12- Farewell from Japan, Tuesday, August 8th

This day was like Day #1 only in the reverse.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Great Journeys in Japan and around Asia Series, Part 4

"Kawaguchi City Little League- Asian and International Champions, Little League World Series Finalist"

Originally published in the Fall 2006 Issue of Saitama MemoRandom An English Quarterly Publication by The Saitama Prefectural Government, International Division,
Saitama City, Urawa Ward, Japan

Kawaguchi Kita Junior High School- This past summer vacation while Japan was glued to their television sets watching Japanese high school baseball competition, a small group of 12 and 13 year old boys from Kawaguchi City, Saitama did what some of us dream to do….travel the world just to play a game.

Kawaguchi Little League of Kawaguchi City, Saitama participated in the Asian Regional Tournament held in Hong Kong, China from July 23-27. All games were played at the fields at Hong Kong Disneyland theme park. Representing Japan, Kawaguchi had a cake walk through this tournament, defeating teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Thailand and Korea with a combined score of 43-2. The Little League has a rule that forbids a game to continue once a team is over their opponent by 10 runs.

Due to their success in the Asian Regional Tournament, Kawaguchi continued international play by advancing to the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA from August 18-27. With all games covered by ESPN, ESPN2, Spanish-language ESPN’s Deportes, and ABC television networks (games were shown in Japan courtesy of J-1 Sports), Asian champs, Kawaguchi Little League continued their winning ways by defeating teams from Russia, Mexico, Curacao, and Saudi Arabia with a combined score of 28-4. This earned them the right to play in the International Championship game where they met Mexico once again. The results from the first meeting were the same as Kawaguchi Little League defeated Mexico 3-0.

The celebration of their International Championship was short lived as the following day, Kawaguchi played against the Southeast representative and United States Champions, Northern Little League All-Stars, of Columbus, Georgia. With a crowd of nearly 5,000 fans on hand Kawaguchi took the lead in the top of the 3rd inning when Kawaguchi’s pitching ace and slugger, Go Matsumoto drove in centerfielder, Seigo Yada. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Columbus responded with 2-run homer off the bat of catcher, Cody Walker. The remainder of the game was a pitching duel with Matsumoto recording nine strikeouts, and Columbus’ Kyle Carter recording 11 strikeouts. The game ended with the boys from the “City of Cupolas” coming up short by one run. With Columbus in a jubilant mood after their victory, they approached Kawaguchi’s dugout and asked them to go with them to the outfield to pay tribute to the fans. Together both teams jogged around the field waving to their fans.

After the game during the post-game interview, Columbus pitching ace, Carter was quoted as saying, “Matsumoto and I are good friends. We communicate the best we can. Afterwards, he and I are going to play ping-pong.”

Two days before the 2nd term began; Kawaguchi returned home and most likely began preparations for their upcoming sports day festivals. As I entered my 3rd and final year on JET, I started doing my self-introductions at my new school, Kita JHS. When I began telling the students of my travels and then asked, “Has anyone been to America?” It was to my surprise that 1st Year student, Seigo Yada raised his hand. His Japanese Teacher of English told me that he went this summer. I then continued with asking the students if they have been to the places that I’ve been and realized that Yada-kun was the boy I saw on TV who made an Ichiro-like throw from centerfield to get a runner out in the Curacao game. I stopped in mid-sentence and went to Yada-kun and shook his hand and congratulated him for his accomplishments. I then told him that I saw him on TV. He began to blush as his classmate sitting behind him grabbed him by his shoulders. After class, he followed me out of the class where I got him to write his name so I could look him up on the Internet. I did an “American Joke” and said, “Give me your sign!” As we parted ways, he ran back to his room with a big smile while I walked back to the teacher’s room with my heart full of pride.


The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Great Journeys in Japan and around Asia Series, Part 2

"Outstanding Okinawa- Four Perfect Days in the Tropics of Japan"
Originally published in the Spring and Summer 2007 Issues of Saitama MemoRandom An English Quarterly Publication by The Saitama Prefectural Government, International Division, Saitama City, Urawa Ward, Japan

A. Introduction

Mensoure! (Welcome said in Okinawa's indigenous language) My first indication that my wife and I were in for a uniquely Japanese travel experience was when I noticed how slow and low the Japan Airlines 747-400 jumbo jet was moving upon our decent into Okinawa's Naha International Airport. I later learned that this is done due to the large U.S. military presence that occupies Okinawa. To avoid each other, military aircraft conduct operations around Okinawa at the higher altitudes while commercial aircraft fly at the lower altitudes.

Okinawa, the most southern prefecture of Japan's modern-day Kyushu region, is approximately 2.5 hours away from Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. Whereas most destinations in Japan there is the option of using the bullet train (shinkansen) when traveling long distances in Japan, however Okinawa's isolation makes it more unique than the already unique attractions of Japan. In general, most tourists enter Okinawa thru Tokyo's Haneda Airport when entering from mainland Japan.

B. History of Okinawa

Prior to 1372, The Ryukyu Kingdom was an independent entity with its capital on Okinawa Island. Around this time, China took interest in Okinawa and began requiring tribute payments from the Ryukyu Kingdom. This continued until 1609 when a Japanese prince captured the kingdom which forced the kingdom into a dual claim by Japan and China. During Japan's Meiji Restoration in 1879, the dual claim was deemed unacceptable and Japan annexed the Ryukyus. Okinawa's king sent representatives to Beijing asking for protection but to no avail. The US was brought into the mix for diplomatic settlement and President Ulysses S. Grant sided with Japan. The aftermath of this decision brought bloodshed and Okinawan academic subjects and the kingdom's distinct language were forbidden.

In March 1945, a 90-day battle between the American-led Allied Forces and the Empire of Japan began making Okinawa one of the bloodiest battles of World War II's Pacific theater known as "The Typhoon of Steel" (due to the masses of bombs dropped in Okinawa and changing the landscape). Approximately 150,000 lives were lost with half of them being Okinawan (mainly civilian), a quarter being mainland Japanese and the rest being American and other allied forces. Japan's Imperial Navy made one last ditch effort to protect Okinawa by sending its naval centerpiece, the legendary battleship, Yamato. To the Japanese's dismay the ship barely got out of the gates and was sunk in home waters on April 7, 1945. After the Japanese's formal surrender on the American battleship, Missouri, in September of the same year; Okinawa was under the occupation of the US. As a possession of the US, people in Okinawa maintained their national language of Japanese, returned to their ancestral culture and recovered from the effects of the war. Several American military bases were established in Okinawa due to its key location in the Pacific region which brought employment opportunities to the local Okinawan economy. For 27 years, Okinawa remained a possession of the US and the Far East's home of Americana from halfway around the world by giving the American GIs a taste of home such as the legendary diner and soft drink maker, A&W. The franchise exists in Okinawa today. Also, during the American occupation, vehicle traffic moved as it did in the US with cars moving on the right and the driver sitting on the left of the car. In mainland Japan it has always been the opposite. In 1972, Okinawa was returned to Japan with the understanding that the American bases would still be in Okinawa. Today, with 100% of its financial backing coming from the Japanese government, nearly 75% of the American military that is stationed in Japan is found in Okinawa. The issue of why and how many American service members stationed in Okinawa has always been a hot topic to debate.

Today, Okinawa has flourished as the once long, lost cousin of mainland Japan. Under control of Japan, Okinawa provides the "Land of the Rising Sun" with its most unique culture, Japan's only tropical geography while at the same time being fully recognized as Japan's most southern prefecture and part of the Kyushu Island region. As Japan's mecca of tourism for mainland Japanese, Okinawa is the gem that has weathered the test of time maintaining a blend of Chinese, Japanese and American cultures.

C. Main Destination- Naha

The Kuriyushi Hotel is located off of Naha's International Street (Kokusai Douri) and conveniently located near the Naha Central Bus Depot and Naha's monorail system. The Kuriyushi chain has a total of three facilities throughout Okinawa with the other two facilities being luxury resorts with an oceanfront view. The downtown facility is a 3-star "Japanese Business Hotel" and has been the best hotel that I've stayed at in all of my travels throughout Japan. This hotel was available at a very reasonable price and provided a breakfast buffet, standard lodging on the spacious side with two twin-size beds, (I still haven't figured out why married couples without children can't sleep in the same bed while visiting a hotel in Japan), and TV with pay channel options. The top two floors are reserved for public bathing (sento) in addition to the shower in our room. Since the men's bathing area was on the top floor, it was refreshing to bathe under the stars and tropic sea breeze with the rumble of Naha's nightlife beneath me.

Since August 2003, Okinawa has joined the rest of mainland Japan with trains as mass transportation with their monorail system. This monorail starts at Naha Airport at the most southern end and goes north to the rebuilt Shuri Shine. The greater Naha area has an elaborate and colorful bus system that picks up where the monorail leaves off. For example, in Saitama Prefecture the main bus system has the green and white (Koukusai Kougyo) bus while in Naha, there were a dozen different buses ranging in colors and companies. One disappointing aspect of getting around Naha was not necessarily the long waits at bus stops which are to be expected but the "hustling" from the taxi drivers. Throughout our stay in Naha, we must have been approached half a dozen times by taxi drivers that were waiting by the bus terminal, driving by and approaching us as we waited at the bus stop offering to take us to where we wanted to go at a higher price that the bus claiming that the bus was too slow. This is another indication that Okinawa is a unique kind of place in Japan.

If your travel plans require venturing off to Okinawa's north or one of the many scattered and unscathed isolated islands, there are ship and air services that specialize in these destinations. Also, if you have a Japanese driver's license or an international driver's license, renting a car is another good option. Unlike the metro Tokyo area, the roads in Okinawa are spacious with adequate parking available outside of Naha.

D. Must see places in Naha

International Street (Koukusai Douri) - The heartbeat of Naha, many restaurants (please see the "Must dine section" listed at the end of this article) as well as shopping centers and tourist gift shops (omiyagiya). The night life on International Street is always bustling with clubs, bars, and cheap eateries open until the early hours of the morning.

Shuri Shine- The equivalent of the Emperor's Palace in Tokyo, Shuri Shine was the home of the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It has the message posted at its entry, "Rejecting all weapons, the Ryukyuans welcomed all who come to their shores with heartfelt sincerity and the utmost courtesy." The message sums up the Okinawan culture from long ago and how it has overcome its turbulent and troublesome history.

Tamaudon burial site- Near the Shuri Shrine, the Tamaudon burial site displays the ancient ritual of how the Okinawans prepared the deceased. Unlike the custom of cremating as it is done in mainland Japan, in olden times, the Okinawans prepared the deceased by leaving them in a special room where they basically became a skeleton. Afterwards, their remains were placed in large bowls then placed in tombs.

Near the burial site was a very picturesque place with a cobbled road leading to a main road down a curvy hill. In 2002, there was a NHK drama, Churasan which was filmed in this area.

Himeyuri no tou Museum- This was an all-girls school that later became a nursing school in the latter part of the Asian-Pacific War. Pictures were forbidden inside the museum but outside the museum the locals claim that in the pictures, ghost can be seen due to all of the lives lost at the school and in Okinawa during the 1945 "Battle of Okinawa".

Peace Memorial Tower (Heiwakinendo)- This museum picked up where Himeyuri left off by displaying stone walls with the names of the Okinawan, Japanese, American, British, Korean and others who perished in the "Battle of Okinawa". The area allotted for these stone walls was equivalent to the size of about three soccer fields. This place was a combination of beauty and sorrow.

Located next to the ocean with the Peace Memorial Tower, the Okinawan Prefecture Memorial Museum is on a hill overlooking the ocean and next to the Korean monument with windmills in the background. This was the only battle fought on Japanese soil forcing civilians as young as junior high school students into battle (boys were soldiers while girls were nurses).

Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters- During the "Battle of Okinawa", the Imperial Japanese Navy was forced into an underground location where naval operations were conducted. As a veteran of the US Navy, I felt like I was onboard an American warship only underground.

E. Day-tripping from Naha (courtesy of Okinawa Bus tours)- (Their office is located near the Naha Central Bus Depot.)

Okinawa's South China Sea- After originating from Naha's Central Bus Depot area, our bus tour took us north to Okinawa's South China Sea. Route 331 to Route 329 is a beach route which allows views of the ocean the entire time while driving by luxury hotel resorts thru the coastal towns of Urasoe (the original capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom) and Kadena (home of the US Air Force in Okinawa) among other coastal cities. The bus made two stops on the way where we were able to get out and take pictures of the beautiful ocean scenery in particular at Manzamou. I highly recommend stopping there. After our last stop, we ate a lunchbox (bento) and then continued on to the next place.

The Okinawa Ocean Expo Park and Aquarium, aka The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, is a four-story complex featuring a variety of displays. One can see huge whale sharks, living corrals, colorful tropical fish and a dolphin's lagoon. The mascot of the aquarium is "Okichan". This is a humorous and dynamic performance of a group of dolphins that rival "Shamu" of Sea World in San Diego, California. After taking a leisurely stroll on the white powder beach next to the crystal blue waters, we returned to the bus and continued on to the next place.

Situated near the Kadena's US Air Force Base, the Southeast Botanical Gardens offers four different programs. These programs range from "Frolic & Fun" to "Quiet and Tranquil Walks" to "Bask in the Resort Atmosphere" and "Encounter the Power of Nature". After experiencing the tropical vegetation up close, we returned to the bus where we continued on to the last stop before returning to Naha.

Located in Okinawa City, Plaza House Shopping Center is one of the oldest shopping malls in Okinawa since being established in 1954. The plaza offers many different shops ranging from an international grocery store, to a bookstore specializing in Western books and newspapers, and various restaurants. It literally felt like I was at a strip mall on Main Street, USA with spacious parking lots with car parking in a diagonal fashion.

F. Must dine places in Okinawa

Okinawans are arguably one of the healthiest people in the world. Experts suggest that the abundance of the homegrown sea vegetable, Mozuku coupled by the dieting philosophy, "Filling the stomach only to 80%" is the reason for the largest numbers of centenarians. Due to Okinawa's history and slight disconnection from mainland Japan, Okinawa also provides some unique eateries ranging from local, fusion and international.

Billed as the All-American diner, A&W initially took off in California during the early 1900s as a root beer maker. A short time later, A&W became a full service enterprise selling burgers, hot dogs, sundaes in addition to root beer. After World War II, A&W expanded into Okinawa to satisfy the appetites of the young and hungry American GIs who were working on the various military instillations throughout Okinawa. Today, A&W has become a permanent fixture of Okinawa satisfying the locals with old-fashioned American-style hamburgers and frosty root beer floats.

On Naha's International Street was a quaint and bustling Japanese pub (izakaya), Yunangii featuring Okinawan dishes. After a moderate wait and resorting to one of the low-tables in the front section on the restaurant, my wife and I sat snuggly on the floor and dined on items such as Goya (the bitter green vegetable that resembles a prickly cucumber); mozuku (the slippery seaweed that is served in ponzu sauce); soki soba (Okinawan soba that is a bit thicker than it's Tokyo equivalent) that was used in a yakisoba dish; mimiga (pig's ear), fuchanpuru ( various vegetables sauteed into a breadlike sticky but dry mixture), buta no kakuni (the tender part of a pig that is cut into cubes and simmered in a miso-based special sauce and when eaten melts in your mouth), Sanpincha (Okinawan tea that is a mix of green and jasmine teas). Instead of miso soup, we were served a clear soup. In general, Okinawan dishes have a vinegar-based flavor whereas Japanese dishes have a soy-based flavor. Of course a few bottles of Orion (The Okinawan draft beer) were consumed as well.

If anyone has eaten at a non-sushi Japanese restaurant in the US, I'm sure that they were dazzled with acrobatic knife tossing and amazed by watching a stack of onions releasing liquids like a volcano. These places like Benihana's may be long on entertainment value but are often short on authentic Japanese cuisine which may get by with the average American wanting to take someone out for their birthday. After spending my first six months in the Kanto Plain region and not seeing one of these places, I came to the conclusion that this method of roasting seafood and vegetables on a large iron plate (teppan) was a myth and the style in the US was a watered-down version of the original that no longer existed. However, on Naha's International Street, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a Hawaiian-Japanese teppanyaki restaurant where the entertainment matched the excellent food. Now, I can take back every bad thing that I ever thought about the Japanese restaurants in my hometown.

Next, imagine a collision between the bakery chain found at most train stations in Saitama known as Little Mermaid and the American steakhouse chain, The Sizzler. Once the smoke settled and dust cleared, you would get Jimmy's of Okinawa. This Okinawan chain features a bakery that prepares loaves of bread that are more than three slices per bag among other bakery items experienced when I visited Hawaii. There is also an American-style steakhouse buffet, department store selling Okinawan traditional clothes and an international grocery store featuring several products distributed by Costco Japan.

There is an Okinawan hamburger chain, Jef Drive-in Restaurant, which reminded me of what a local version of McDonald's would be. Here, we were served unique dishes such as a Goya Burger (Okinawa's bitter vegetable sauteed with eggs), Pork Sandwich (bears a slight resemblance of to a nikuman (a Chinese/Japanese dish of a biscuit/roll with meat inside) and an American-style BBQ sandwich), and deep-fried apple pies.

G. Special tidbits to know about Okinawa

The world's largest number of centenarians (people 100 years of age and older) are found in Okinawa. Although the average Okinawan eats more meals in a day compared to Americans, the average Okinawan is healthier and lives a longer life. Some Japanese cuisine enthusiast in the US suggest that the abundant amounts of the ocean vegetable found in the seas surrounding Okinawa, Mozuku (a kind of seaweed considered a delicacy when seasoned with vinegar or ponzu sauce) is a source of longevity.

A dieting philosophy that recently made its way into mainstream American media that arguably came from Okinawa is "Filling the stomach to only 80%" (Hara Hachi Bun Me). Again, Japanese cuisine enthusiasts in the US suggest this method of eating is another reason for Okinawans' longevity.

Orion Draft Beer is the only beer made in Okinawa and is a rare find in mainland Japan. Orion’s crisp and refreshing taste is a perfect fit for Okinawa's tropical climate and casual lifestyle.

Something very beneficial to have known back in my single days in Japan is the Okinawan traditional dress for women. For example, if a Okinawan woman wears a flower on her left side, it means that she has a sweetheart (koibito), whereas if she wears the flower on the right side, it means that she is looking for a sweetheart. This is something that is similar to what you may have seen in Hawaii.

In mainland Japan, vehicle license plates have a hiragana character on their license plate. In Okinawa, American military personnel have a "Y" in the place of a hiragana character on their license plate. The reason for this allows easier access for their vehicles to enter the various American military bases and Japanese-funded military housing in Okinawa.

One souvenir found at stores on Naha's International Street are large bottles of sake containing a snake. These items range in sizes and prices. One bottle was spotted with a JPY136,500 ($130.00) price tag.

H. Recap- How to get there, where to stay and getting around

Travel Agency- Cochan Travel

http://www.tour.ne.jp/ (Japanese only)

Airline- Japan Airlines (Northwest Airlines are able to get frequent flyers miles when flying within Japan. Please check www.nwa.com for details.)

Lodging- The Kuriyushi Hotel located off of Naha’s International Street.

Transportation- Monorail, bus, taxi and Okinawa Bus Tours

Roundtrip airfare on Japan Airlines from Haneda to Naha, three nights at the Kuriyushi Hotel on International Street in Naha with a daily breakfast buffet went for reasonable price of (JPY34, 000) per person. An additional JPY5, 000 per person was spent on the bus tour courtesy of Okinawa Bus Tours which included a guided tour in Japanese, bento, passes into the aquarium and botanical gardens. Reservations for the bus tour were made on the morning of the tour but it is recommended that you book your bus tour in advance.

Daniel J. Stone and his wife, Mayuko, fled Saitama, Japan for one tropical Christmas in Okinawa and makes his seventh and final contribution to the Saitama MemoRandom. He has been a contributor since 2004.


The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Great Journeys in Japan and around Asia Series, Part 1

"I was Attacked (by Yoko Ono) at the Train Station"

Originally published in the Fall 2004 Issue of Saitama MemoRandom An English Quarterly Publication by the Saitama Prefectural Government, International Division, Saitama City, Urawa Ward, Japan

Warabi Station, Saitama- I was attacked at the train station! Actually, I was not, but being a foreigner in Japan is like being a celebrity. Recently, I read where guitarist, Edward Van Halen, was pestered by a persisting fan who wanted his autograph at a backstage visit by a few hundred lucky fans. He replied very sadly, "If I give one to you, I will have to give one to everyone." However, if you are a foreigner in Japan, it is most assuredly that you have experienced some interesting moments.

Along with these experiences, you probably have been stared at constantly by an old woman at the train station or have children run up to you while you are waiting for the train and yell, "Hello!". As a former resident of Los Angeles for almost five years, I laugh at the thought of being considered a celebrity since every celebrity that I ever came across was about as real as pro wrestling. Furthermore, I pity the AET (that redhead Irishman) who thinks just because people in Japan treat them with immediate respect and recognition is in the same league at the great Edward Van Halen.

But what happened to me was unbelievable. I'm returning home by train one rainy Sunday afternoon and realize that my train card is about out. As I’m pulling my wallet out to put 10,000 yen on it, I have a Japanese woman tap me on my shoulder and mumble something in Japanese. This surprises me and I look to my wife. The woman who tapped me, start talking in fluent English, "Where are you from?" I reply, "America." Then she starts talking to me a million words a minute. Her English is very good, but I’m trying to get my train card ready, get home and out of my wet clothes. I hear her mention about going to but not graduating from a college in the US, then she talking about her professor having an affair with one of his students. Before you know it, my wife, who is disturbed by this babbling woman, has only put 1000 yen on my Suica card. I catch this and have my wife get the change back and this woman is still talking. Finally, my wife gives me my change and my card. I’m getting frustrated because I have this crazy person talking to me and keeping me from getting my Suica card the way I want it. I look behind me, and notice a line of people waiting to buy a ticket, and one old woman tells the woman in Japanese, "You need to talk to him later." Finally my wife and I start to walk away from the Suica machine and this woman is still talking. My wife says, "Do you know her?" I exclaim, "No, I don’t know her …" Finally, the woman realizes that she is bothering me and says, "I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble. I like to talk to people and wanted to talk." She disappears; I stop since my brain can not quite grasp what has just happened. I'm trying to add money to my Suica card and now I have been made into a spectacle over a conversation which I only said "America" to a stranger that is a borderline mental case. My wife, who is Japanese, is angry with me for not telling her to get lost. I notice a few people staring at me.

Anyway, I return to the machine and am determined to get my Suica card loaded up with enough money to last a while. On the walk back to the apartment, my wife tells me that the woman asked in Japanese before she started in with the English, "Are you lost?" or something along those lines.

The moral of the story is, you may get treated like a celebrity and will get stared at out in public. If you ever get a verbal attack like I did, do like Edward Van Halen did. Tell them that if you have to talk to her, you have to talk to everyone. Don't forget to keep things in perspective in regards to your new so-called celebrity status.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

私のアメリカンライフ

サウスカロライナ州の海
2008年８月２３日


皆さんこんにちは、久しぶりです。
２００７年７月から私たちはグリーンビル市サウスカロライナ州に住んでいます。とうとう私たちは旅をしました。
サウスカロライナ州は山と海があります。グリーンビル市は山近いです。でも、グリーンビルから海まで３時間です。チャールストンは歴史上有名な場所です。チャールストンは前後2回イギリス軍の攻撃目標となった。最初は私たちはフォートサムターに行きました。たくさん旗がありました。これらの旗は南軍についた州の旗です。後で私たちはマウントプレザントにいきました。美味しい魚介類とかジャンバラヤを食べました。これらはチャールストンでの有名な食べ物です。その後疲れたのでホテルに帰りました。
次の日はたくさん散歩をしました。最初はキングストリートで歩きました。キングストリートはたくさんのショップがあります。その後マーケットプレイスに行きました。昼ごはんはもう一度美味しいシーフードを食べました。そしてペイトリオットポイントに行きました。ここにはヨークタウン美術館があります。コークタウンはCV１０の船です。私の一番最初の軍の船はインディペンデンスでした、これはCV６２です。だからヨークタウンはとっても古いです。この二つの船は同じ種類の船なのでヨークタウンはとても懐かしかったです。
グリーンビルに帰るまえに、アイルオブパームスという海辺の街にいきました。この旅行はとても楽しかったです、たくさんの写真をとりました。もしサウスカロライナに来たら是非チャールストンに行ってくださ
い。


そろそろ私がアメリカに帰ってきてから１年が経とうとしています。
２００８年７月２０日

私はよく皆さんの事、また皆さんの日本での生活を考えたりしながら、はたして又自分が日本に住む機会があるだろうかと考えたりしています。
添付の写真は私の甥の写真です。彼は７月３日にテキサスで産まれました。もしMIXIのアカウントを持っているならMIXIもチェックしてみてください。私のスクリーン名は"Danny Boy"です。
もしアトランタに来る機会があればぜひ知らせてくださいね。もし最近メールアドレスを変えた人は新しいアドレスを教えて下さい。ダニエルストーンより

ヒューイ・ルイス&ザ・ニュース
２００８年05月22日

皆さんこんにちは。２０年前私のﾊﾟﾊﾟ言いました”私にとってヒューイ・ルイス&ザ・ニュースは良いグルプです。”私も思いましたしかし私のﾊﾟﾊﾟ言うのでちょっと”やあ”です。

こん週末はアメリカン休日です。来月は私のﾊﾟﾊﾟの誕生日です。私からﾊﾟﾊﾟにヒューイ・ルイスコンサート切符をあげるつもりです。

２００５年僕から日本人小学校生徒に簡単英語を教えてあげました。私たちは ヒューイ・ルイスの”アイ・ノウ・ホワット・アイ・ライク ”歌を聞きました。とても懐かしいです。

私はアメリカ住むのにいつも日本を思います。

もしこれは分かりにくい私は日本語を忘れる。すみません。

デフレパード
2008年04月07日

先週デフレパードのコンサートに行きました。私が高校性の頃、彼らはとても人気がありました。私はそのころフットボールの選手でした。試合の前にはよくデフレパードの曲を聞いてモチベーションをあげていました。彼らはイギリスのバンドですが、アメリカでとても愛されています。

ＤＶＤ
2008年03月09日

皆さんこんにちは。久しぶりです。このごろ僕は写真DVDを作っています。写真は２００７年１月から７月です。写真DVD見るときとても懐かしいです。心から日本大好きです。明日から２００６年写真DVD始めます。今日のDVDはJ-Pop音楽です。もしスマプの歌”ありがとう”があったら是非送ってください。MP３に歌がほしです。I-tunesはちょっと。。。

フライドチキン
2008年01月27日


こんにちは。今日はサウスカロライナ州は全国区のニューズに出ました。日本ニューズもです。先週も予備選がサウスカロライナ州でありました。知ってる？今日は民主党だよ。先週は共和党でした。バラックさんは勝つのでフライドチキンを食べるつもりです。ヒラリーさんはぜんぜんダメでした。彼女はとても計算高い女の人ですね。選挙が終る前にテネシー州に行ってしまいました。バイバイババ！！

NEETの時間は終わりです。
2008年01月14日

NEETの時間は終わりです。去年の７月僕は日本から引っ越しました。それからアメリカに来てからはとても大変でした。例えばたくさん面接に行ったりしました。でもやっと良い仕事が見つかりました。ロッキーが言った様に”自分をあきらめない”。いつも日本で私は生徒にこれを教えてあげました。忘れるな!

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Japanese Woodblock Prints- Vol. 2: Fuji-san and The Search

The snow-capped icon is in the distance. It is in search of the sun. Two fishermen shove off in search of today's catch. Waves meet the fishermen in search of the shore. Animals scavenge the shoreline in search of food.

These days, everyone is in search of something. Scientist and doctors are in search of a cure. Nomads are in search of a home. Beggars are in search of food. The unemployed are in search of a job. The passionate are in search of meaning. The unfulfilled are in search of being made whole. Preachers are in search of a pulpit.

While doing your search, it is important to never loose sight of the "romance" while knowing that there is a downside. Often, many will see one but not the other. We need to see both.

An ounce of optimism is worth its weight in gold. What didn't work for one fits like a glove for an other.

We can choose our lovers and friends, but have no say in family.

Remember, while searching, just say to yourself, "yes" before you decide.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Japanese Vocab 101, Part 2

In March of this year, I started Japanese Vocab 101 which was more or less a way for me to remember the three years of living, working and studying of Japanese when I lived in Japan. Here is a continuation of a few terms that came to me yesterday while car shopping...

Chi-Chi- This term is in reference to the breast but more to what comes out of them which is milk. Ironically, this term means nearly the same thing in Spanish. In the late 1990s, while living in Southern California and totally immersed into the Spanish culture, I was watching the 1990 release, Taking Care of Business where Jim Belushi plays a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan who will miss their first appearance in the World Series in nearly 100 years due to serving a prison sentence. He arranges to be snuck out in time to watch a game and crosses paths with a yuppie executive played by Charles Grodin. In the process, Belushi mistakenly gets Grodin's Filofax and eventually becomes Grodin while out for the weekend for the game. As the yuppie executive, Belushi entertains a Japanese executive and in Japanese, the executive tells Belushi his thought on a female's large breast. It is translated when he says, "Chi-Chis"



Tobikiri- This term mean "exceptionally; far and away; by far; of the very best quality; extra-fine; finest-quality; exceptionally good

In 2006, while living in Japan, the equivalent to America's Backstreet Boys, Japan's SMAP released the single, Dear Woman. This quintet sings a song of how beautiful and precious Japanese women are and how they are happy that they have arrived and to be in their presence.

The main chorus of this song is translated as:

"Welcome to Japan you being here right now is of exceptional fate. From my heart, thank you my proud DEAR WOMAN."

It appears that this group took a page from Bon Jovi's playbook where they write songs of optimism that people can relate to and it is to no suprise that the SMAP fan base consist of Japanese women in their late 20's to 50's. They were also big amongst the younger demographic when I was living in Japan and will never forget a 2nd year elementary school girl named Chika telling me her favorite song was of the same album titled, Triangle.





Kabuto- I saw this displayed at the Toyota dealership where we bought our Corolla. This term means "battle helmet". The display had a Japanese samurai warrior wearing a very ornamental kabuto ready to attack. I later told the sale rep who sold us both our vehicles that in Japan there is no signing after my hand cramped up from signing all the forms for the Corolla. He was puzzled as to how they got around this and I told him about the hanko (stamp of a person's family name) and pointed this out on the display of the samurai warrior.

Big Yellow Cab

I heard the song while driving back from the dealership and the title reminded me of the term for Japanese women who leave Japan and live overseas. In the 1990's, writer Shoko Ieda wrote a novel called Yellow Cab about the strange phenomenon of normally demure Japanese females going to New York and becoming nymphomaniacs when they find themselves suddenly free of Japan's restrictive society, and the term came to describe all Japanese females who are loose sexually. You might assume this term would be offensive to the Japanese, but, you'd be wrong. One of Japan's most famous talent agencies is called Yellow Cab. They handle virtually all the top swimsuit
idols in Japan, including Megumi, Eiko Koike and Eriko Satoh, and all girls who want to be "talents" (a catch-all word that refers to any kind of young swimsuit idol, singer or actor) dream of being scouted by them.

The Japanese refer to the color "Yellow" for things that may surprise you. For example, "yellow monkey" which reminds me of a racial slur. There is a well-known rock band in Japan that used that name to increase their fame. Similarly, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto played in a band called the Yellow Magic Orchestra, a name which sounds a little odd to gaijin like me.



Click here for Part 1

Today's pictures videos and info came from-

A bottle of salsa purchased at a local chain store in Greenville, SC. Videos of SMAP from Youtube and Peter Payne's bi-weekly newsletter from 2006.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Kaiten Zushi Bar, Kuru Kuru Sushi, Aiea, Hawaii- August 2009

The word "kaiten" in Japanese means to rotate or spin around. Kaiten zushi (the pronunciation of sushi changes to zushi when it is combined with another word) is popular in Japan as the food is prepared in batches then distributed to diners who select their dish as it is brought to them via the conveyor belt. Diners know how much the dish costs by the color or design of the plate. Lastly, kaiten service is good for foreigners since you can eat what you like without having to speak in Japanese.

While kaiten service is popular in Japan, is can only be found in the mainland US is certain pockets. The US's Aloha State, Hawaii, has a kaiten zushi bar, Kuru Kuru Sushi located in Aiea that had sushi as it is back in Japan. Having eaten in kaiten zushi bars throughout Japan, I highly recommend Kuru Kuru Sushi your next visit to Hawaii.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

Why Socialized Health Care Works in Japan...

...but would not in the US

Now, I’m not a pessimist, just someone who looks at things as they really are. At 35, I’d already experienced the failures of US government programs as well as the success of foreign counterparts.

As a new Navy veteran in California, residing three time zones away from my native South Carolina, I experienced one of the most frustrating experiences with a US government program. The Montgomery GI Bill, my lifeline to higher education funding, could not be administered successfully at San Diego State University’s feeder school, Grossmont College. Classes approved at the beginning of the semester were disapproved near mid-terms forcing me to drop courses deemed worthless and hastily adding courses to take at an accelerated rate to maintain my funding.

Years later, I finally graduated with my last semester coming out of pocket due to the GI Bill running out. After it was all said and done, my undergraduate studies, all from the California junior college system and the California State University system, two of the most economic viable programs in the country came to the tune of $28K. $14K being paid for the GI Bill, the rest coming from loans and out of pocket. The initial intent of the Montgomery GI Bill was to pay for a veteran’s higher education at 100%, which was the case for veterans of the 1940s and 1950s. As in my case and the case for many others, this program was running at 50% efficiency. This leads me to believe that this government program was once relevant and delivered as promised is no longer the case.

After my graduation at the Great Western Forum, the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers, I was an American expatriate residing in Japan. I supported myself as an English instructor and utilized my membership at the Navy Federal Credit Union by sending international money orders to their branch in Yokosuka to be deposited to repay my $14K loan. Every month, my employer in Japan garnished a portion of my paycheck for socialized health care, just as it was done with my private health care when I was working in the US. Along the way, reoccurring foot problems led me to a nearby clinic for medical assistance. With the assistance of my wife to translate due to my limited Japanese ability, I received adequate health care from the Japanese health care system, a successful health care system that operates socially, not privately. Here’s why social health care works in Japan but will not work in the US:

• In Japan, most everyone pays into the social health care system. The amount paid is based on your income from last year. It is required by law.

• If you are unemployed, your health care premium is added to the monthly budget just as your rent, groceries, etc.

• If you are retired, your health care premium is added to the monthly budget just as your rent, groceries, etc.

• The Japanese culture leads people to believe that they are mainly middle-class, but in actuality, those at the lower end of this group are not. Those Japanese people at the lower end of the spectrum will find money from relatives for example to remain current with their health care status.

• Those that cannot remain current will be forced to pay for medical treatment in full, not at 30% co-pay like I did for my foot problem.

• Those Japanese who cannot pay for their medical bill since they have not remained current with health care premiums, will be allowed to pay off their bill in monthly installments.

• Those that cannot pay off their bill in monthly installments will be forced to hire a lawyer to accompany them at their local city office where they will have to plead their case which would dismiss them from their responsibility to pay for health care at the set installments of their peers forcing them to be shamed. But if it cannot be helped, the Japanese government will relax their stance on one of their treasures, the Japanese social health care system, and allow these shamed people to pay for health insurance at a subsidized rate. If these people show up without a lawyer, they will be turned away and told, "You have relatives. Ask your parents. Etc."

• The number of these shamed people is minimal due to the Japanese culture of everyone claiming to be middle class forcing those that may not be to come up with the money in other ways to remain responsible citizens in the eyes of their peers.

• Those that are responsible and maintain their health care premiums in Japan easily absorb the loss taken from those who had to sacrifice their pride in the eyes of their peers.

• Other things to note are that doctors in Japan are mandated to charge a set fee for a particular procedure based on a universal book located in every practice throughout Japan. This regulates health care costs and will keep doctors at the top of the Japanese middle class. A Japanese doctor will not see the likes of an American doctor in terms of wealth until they start their own practice or clinic at the end of their career, where a number of young doctors work for them. Limiting an American doctor’s wealth will force the cream of the crop to pursue other careers or to practice in a different country. This would force less than the best practitioners to operate in the US and would not provide an outlet for those outside the US to receive treatment not found in their home countries.

The American culture simply does not have this culture set where the status quo is being responsible and accountable as the overwhelming determining factor. With more and more Americans robbing Peter to pay Paul on the basics, the average American’s credit score in the doldrums, and more foreclosures on real estate than any other generation since homes started to be sold on a 20-year mortgage, being responsible and paying one’s fair share into a social health care system is low on the average American’s totem pole. If it is a matter of all Americans that are authorized to be in the US having health coverage, this already exists. The American health care system has a government program for the poor, the elderly and the entitled veterans. If it is a matter of health care reform where all Americans have access to affordable health care, then the issues of private insurance companies being allowed to provide coverage across state lines, being able to operate without the pesky state government's mandates and tort reform against the lawyers. After all, this current president's administration did promise change. Their current proposal is highly flawed and does not address the current government programs mentioned earlier and how ineffective they are currently operating.

With the recent economic meltdowns, it is a matter of time that the responsible Americans that choose to work and not rely on the impotent bureaucrat would pay for the Americans that can’t meet their obligations would be outnumbered equaling an American taxpayer backed health care system doomed for failure.

If you feel that I’m wrong, refresh your memory with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, a city that many consider a welfare state. Far too many in New Orleans are on some sort of government assistance. Those in New Orleans that were not on some sort of government assistance had enough sense to leave town when Katrina came forcing one of the most embarrassing events in recent American history. As a 32-year-old American expatriate in Japan, I was asked repeatedly, “Are black people in the US poor?” as the Japanese news showed images of people trapped on rooftops while the federal government fumbled around with no success until the military was brought in. Regrettably, the Japanese are not as politically correct as they should be and have some negative views on minorities in Japan and abroad. Nevertheless, if another Katrina were to happen again, four years later, the same results would take place. Problems revealed have not been corrected, even with the change of presidents and leadership in Congress.

In closing, it is up to us, the American individual, to ensure that our well-being is taken care of. We cannot rely on Uncle Sam, as I did as a new veteran on the GI bill, for health care or anything else. It is time for Americans to become more responsible and focus on those once relevant government programs, GI Bill for example, and those broken government programs, Social Security, for example and those government programs that cause the American economy to be disrupted, Fanny May for example to be corrected.

Here's the New York Times' take on the issue
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/health-care-abroad-japan/

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

'07 Travelogue, # 2- Journeys in Japan (Kinki Region)

More of me with my wife and in-laws seeing the sights of Japan my last year on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program, March and April 2007. Places visited were a soccer match at Saitama Red Diamond's stadium in Urawa; Misakiguchi, Kanagawa where some of the best tuna in all of Japan is found; Fukushima, home of the British colony where high school students go to emerge in a foreign environment without leaving Japan; Yotsuya, Tokyo; Fujiya Hotel, Kanagawa; Lake Hakone, Kanagawa; Osaka, Kyoto, Hara, and Kobe.



Japanese food eaten was nigiri sushi, sashimi, tuna bowls, train station food of egg sandwiches and nigiri sushi wrapped in leaves, kimchi flavored okonomiyaki and Osaka-style tempura, Kyoto-style nigiri sushi and soba-filled sushi rolls.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09

'07 Travelogue, # 1- Journeys in Japan (Tokyo/Saitama, Kure/Hiroshima & Yokohama)

Me with my wife and in-laws seeing the sights of Japan my last year on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program, January and February 2007. Places visited were a park and culture center in Saitama's Kita Urawa area; an izakaya in Kawaguchi City, Saitama; Hawaiian Wrestler's restaurant near the Tokyo Dome; Akihabara, Tokyo; Tokyo's 3-Chome area, Japan's Naval museum in Kure, one of the most scenic views in Japan, Miyajima, the atomic bombing remains in Hiroshima, and a capsule hotel for a business trip to Yokohama.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-09