May 30th

I oughta be ashamed, only two posts this month!! I'm getting lazy :P. Braden and I had a really fun weekend (Despite it raining cats and dogs both Saturday and Sunday). On Saturday our friend Ed came over from Izumo and together we visited Matsue Castle. Braden and I had walked around the castle grounds before, but this was our first time inside the castle itself. It was pretty cool. On the ground floor we took our shoes off, presented our tickets, then proceeded to the first exhibit. The first room had an old well in it, and some large decorations that used to be outside the castle. The bottom of the well was filled with coins, so we also dropped in a coin and wished for good luck. On the next floor they had lots of old armor and weapons on display. The helmets were the coolest, some of them were so elaborate. The next floor had a lot of old artwork depicting the history of the castle and some more antiques. The next had photos and facts about various castles in Japan. I think the next floor was mostly empty, and the top floor was a lookout area with openings on all four sides, and we could see all of Matsue. All in all, it was very neat. Although the castle has been renovated to be safe for visitors, it still retains much of its old self, and it is one of only 12 original castles remaining in Japan. Our tour guide was very nice. She did the explanations in English, and halfway through the tour our friend Chieko (who also works as a castle tour guide) caught up with us and explained some of the paintings to us. After visiting the castle we went with some other foreign exchange students to an event featuring traditional Japanese performing arts (the school got some free tickets to it which they offered to the foreign exchange students :D). At the event we saw a couple of fan dances, a taiko drum performance, a short Noh play about the Shinto Diety Susanoo who slayed a dragon and saved a princess, a short but fun sword fight between ancient samurai, some princesses singing J-pop, a march of Sumo wrestlers (well, they were dressed like sumos, but they weren't really big like sumos), a song and dance about fishermen, and another traditional Japanese dance featuring a dancer in a mask and a cool kimono. The event was pretty long, and some of the performances were more entertaining than others, but it was all in all a pretty cool experience. After the event we went and had some dinner with Ed then finished off the day by watching anime (also culturally significant! lol). On Sunday we rode our bikes through the wind and rain to get to church. Then after church we rode through more wind and rain to get to a High School band concert that we'd been invited to by one of the students of our English conversation class at the church. The concert was excellent. They played two marches, a song by Ravel, and the hymn "Come Ye Children of the Lord" in the first half, and Whistle While You Work, the theme of the anime Gegege no Kitaro, the James Bond theme, and a couple more I don't know the names of, in the second half. It really was the best high school band performance I've ever heard. Course, they are Japanese high school students, probably the hardest working students on earth! Our friend in the band said that they practiced long hours everyday. And it really showed! Well, I guess this post is long enough for now. I'll try to post more in June ;).

May 5th

Osaka is an awesome place to shop. Seriously, there are huge malls all over the place! So first I guess I should mention why we were in Osaka. Our friends Kim and Ed decided to make a trip to the Costco in Kobe, and there were some shops in Osaka that Kim wanted to visit, like the Snoopy shop and a shop called Johnny's, so we went to Osaka first. We found Johnny's without too much trouble, but the Snoopy shop was a pain to track down. We explored three different malls, and in the third one we asked a security guard if he knew where the shop was, and he said yes, he did know, and so he kindly led us through several city blocks worth of underground shops and restaurants, and then voila, we were there! But man, did it take us a while! It was worth it though, it was a neat little shop. I got a couple of pins for my purse and Kim bought a cute snoopy bag, Ed got a cool tie, and we just perused the shop and admired the cute merchandise. Before going shopping though, we went to the Outback Steakhouse in downtown Osaka. It was DELICIOUS! I don't think I've ever actually been to an Outback Steakhouse, and after eating Japanese food for so long, it was super tasty. Japanese food is super tasty too, but sometimes I crave western food. Like steak and garlic mashed potatoes. Yum. So after dinner and shopping we went to our hotel. A capsule hotel! For those who don't know, a capsule hotel is a special kind of hotel, where you rent a "capsule" instead of a room. The capsules were really cheap, only about 30 dollars a night (way cheaper than any regular hotel rooms in the same area). The hotel is split up into different sections for men and women, and each section has a shared locker room, bathroom, powder room, and shower/bathing room. There was also a small lounge, and even some laundry machines. Then there were a few hallways of capsules. Each capsule was basically just a bed set into the wall, and each one had a small TV, radio, air conditioner, and a screen you could close for privacy. We had to wear the hotel robes in our capsule, not our own pajamas, I guess for sanitary reasons. The hotel was really quite nice. It was clean, and the staff was friendly. The only downside was the noise. Not that the women were that noisy, but in the early morning there were constantly alarm clocks going off and they kept waking me up :P. But still, it was a fun experience. The next day we went to nearby Kobe and went to the Costco there. It was so crowded, just as crowded as the last time Braden and I went. It was a holiday too, so everyone was out shopping! I forgot to mention before, but today and the last three days have been holidays. Constitution Day, Green Day, and Children's Day, but all together they're just called "Golden Week". Fun times :). After getting lots of yummy American food at Costco we came home. Tonight we're going to Kim's to eat some chicken and cake that she and Ed bought. So excited.

April 13th

Yesterday the sun was shining, it was nice and warm, and the cherry trees were blooming, so Braden and I decided to ride our bikes and enjoy the cherry trees around Matsue castle. It was beautiful! Matsue castle has lots of Cherry trees around it, and there are lots of paths and parks where you can just sit and enjoy the scenery. There were quite a few people there enjoying the lovely weather and blossoms, we even saw quite a few foreigners, who probably came from surrounding towns to visit the castle during its prettiest time. Matsue castle is the only surviving castle in the Sanin area (which covers a large portion of west Japan) so it`s pretty famous. We also visited a nearby shrine that was a favorite of Lafcadio Hearn`s while he lived here (If you don`t know who is he, read my previous post). There were some vendors there selling food too, so Braden and I bought a chestnut cream filled bun that was really warm and yummy. The vendors weren`t all that busy, they said that most of Matsue had come to enjoy the trees over the weekend. I`m glad we came when it wasn`t so busy ;). We didn`t go into the castle itself though. We were going to go on Monday with the elders but Braden had too many classes that day and couldn`t go, so we`re probably gonna go with our friend Ed some other day. The entrance fee to the castle is pretty cheap if you`re a foreigner (foreigners get a lot of discounts to cultural stuff in Matsue, which is pretty awesome :D). But even though we didn`t go in the castle, you can walk inside the outer walls all you want for free, and that was fun :).

April 11th

Last week a friend of mine took me to the Shimane University Library and showed me around. We found a room dedicated to the life and works of Lafcadio Hearn, a famous english author who lived for a time in Matsue. I checked out a book about his life called "Wandering Ghost - The Odyssey of Lafcadio Hearn". It was a fascinating read, and after I finished, Braden and I decided to visit his museum here in Matsue. The museum had many of his personal possessions, including his suitcases, some clothes, his pipes, pens, desk, etc, and next door to the museum you could visit the house that he lived in while in Matsue. It was a small house, without any furniture except a single desk, but it had a pretty garden, a garden that Lafcadio wrote about often while he lived there. The photo is of a part of his garden. Lafcadio only lived in Matsue for a little over a year (he was an English teacher here), but it was the first city in Japan that he lived in, and remained his favorite, even after he accepted positions to teach elsewhere in Japan, like Kumamoto and Tokyo. Lafcadio preferred the countryside to the city, but, like me, he hated the cold winters here :P.

On the same street as Hearn's house there's an old samurai residence that was converted into a museum as well. Inside the house they had on display many household items from the feudal era. It was really interesting. Both musuem were pretty small and humble, but they were also really inexpensive, which was nice :). In one room they had these mannequins set up like they're having some sort of meeting. This house, and Lafcadio's house, are both very close to Matsue Castle. Today Braden and I are going to take a tour of the castle, along with the elders from Matsue and Izumo. A friend of ours who goes to the elders' English class is a guide at the castle, and she's going to be our tour guide :). It looks like it might rain, but the cherry blossoms are blooming today, so it'll probably be very pretty up there. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Mar. 29th

Hey there everyone! Thought you might like to see what Braden's work uniform looks like, so here it is :). Lookin' spiffy! He has to get really clean before he starts working too. He told me he has to wash his hands really good, apply sanitizer, then put on gloves, wash again, and put on more sanitizer, then he's ready to go. He says the routine is pretty much the same everyday, but it's not real difficult, and he says his coworkers are nice, so that's good. He also gets Sundays off, which is great too.

CWU gave us a bit of a scare last week. They sent Braden an email saying they were seriously considering following the example of the University of Washington and requesting that all their foreign exchange students in Japan come home. Braden wrote back to protest, and let CWU know that we are in no danger here, then CWU wrote back to say that they had decided to let their foreign exchange students remain in Japan to finish their studies, provided that they agree with certain conditions, like communicating with CWU twice a month, creating a personal emergency plan, getting proper insurance, enrolling in the STEP program with the US Embassy, etc etc. It seems a little overkill to me, but I guess they have worried parents breathing down their necks and lawsuits to worry about, so they're trying to cover all their bases. We don't mind as long as we aren't forced to return to America before we're finished. Course, another stipulation was that if CWU does change their mind and ask us to return, we must comply. Hopefully that won't happen. I'm not done learning Japanese! And now that Braden has a part time job, things are going better for us over here.

The weather today got really nice. Last week, even though it was the first week of spring, it felt like winter again. Our apartment returned to its refrigerator-like state and we had to retreat to our bedroom for warmth. I have to leave sometimes though, to cook for instance, but the living room was so cold I had to stand right under the heater to feel it at all.

Here I am trying to get warm. Braden said it looked like I was worshipping it so he told me to stay like that while he took a picture, lol. Today, though, it was so nice that I could open the windows and let in some much needed fresh air.

So that's what's going on in Matsue right now. All of my Japanese classes are currently on spring break, so I'm going to have to study on my own for a couple weeks, at least until classes start again at Shimane University. I'm really looking forward to another semester of Japanese. Its fun to learn to speak it, but very frustrating to learn to read and write it :P.

Mar. 18th

No picture for today, just an update on things over here in Japan. Matsue remains unchanged, for the most part, but foreigners are leaving north-west Japan, including the missionaries in the region. The Church is temporarily dissolving the Tokyo and Sendai missions and sending the missionaries to other cities, including Matsue. We got a new missionary yesterday, transferred from Tokyo. Also, for those who are wondering, Matsue is very far from the damaged nuclear reactors, so we are not in any danger of exposure to radiation.

In other news, the Warrior`s parade that I mentioned earlier as been officially canceled, along with all other festivals and events that have been planned for the year across Japan (or at least this part of the year, maybe the whole year). I was confused about it at first, because they said it was canceled due to the earthquake, which didn`t damage our region at all. But one of our Japanese friends explained that it`s because the nation is in mourning, and it would be inappropriate for them to hold festivals and have any fun events at this time. Which is understandable. But it still makes me sad :(. The Japanese are very ceremonious, I think, when it comes to death. Over New Years I noticed that when we visited a temple with Hiroko and her parents that her parents wouldn`t walk under any Torii gates (big traditional gates at the head of every shrine and temple, and often there are several inside, if its a big shrine). Every time we approached one they very purposefully walked around it. Hiroko explained to me that if someone in your family (or a close friend) dies, you`re not supposed to walk under Torii gates that year. There are many other traditions associated with death in this country, more so than in America it seems, and I don`t know the half of them I`m sure.

In other news, Braden went to his part-time job for the first time today :). He said it was really good. He spent most of the time just putting food into trays for bentos (Japanese portable meals, like a lunch box) and then getting stuff ready for the next day. We`re very grateful that he was able to get this job, its a real blessing :).

Anywho, that`s all thats been happening lately. The people up north are still suffering from want of supplies (especially gasoline for emergency and evacuation vehicles), so any of you that are able, please chip in a little for the effort :). Bye for now.

Mar. 15th

Wow, in just a couple weeks it feels like a lot has happened that I wanna write about, but compared to what's happening up north what I have to say seems rather insignificant o_0. So I guess I'll start there. Off the north-east coast of Honshu (the largest of the islands that make up Japan) there was a giant earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami that completely destroyed several small coastal towns and washed away hudreds of people, homes, vehicles, etc, into the ocean. I saw the footage on the news and it was pretty incredible. Horrific, but incredible. The ocean is mighty indeed. It demands our respect and fear. The earthquake also damaged a couple of nuclear reactors in the region, and now the areas around there and Tokyo are suffering from a shortage of electricity. Those of us in the south west part of Honshu didn't feel the earthquake at all, not even the slightest tremor. We are, however, also being encouraged to conserve electricity in an effort to help out our north-eastern neighbors. Despite the tragedy in the north, life here in the south continues as usual, except that the TV shows nothing but updates about the tsunami cleanup effort and the state of the nuclear reactors, and we are trying to use our electricity a little less. Our hearts go out to all those that are suffering from the tragedy, and we are praying for all the victims and recovery workers. We also made a small donation to the cause, we don't have much to give but I guess every little bit helps.

In other news, Braden got a part time job! Starting Friday he's going to work every morning (but Sunday) at a place that makes bentos (ready to eat lunches for those salary men on the go). The job is early in the morning (6 to 9 I think) which is good since Braden will be starting classes again soon and they shouldn't get in the way. He still needs to get all the paperwork done before its official, but hopefully that will go over smoothly. We could really use this extra money o_0.

Another fun thing to note: today, for the first time, I went to a Japanese onsen (hot spring). Japan, since its seismically active, is just FULL of hot springs. Just in Matsue there are about 4 of them I think. I see hot springs featured all the time in Japanese anime, movies, manga, and other cultural stuff so I've always wanted to visit one. I've been to hot springs in America (like Lava Hot Springs) but Japanese hot springs are different, because people actually bathe naked in them o_0 (and they are always split into a men's side and a women's side). It was a little awkward for my first time, but I was with a friend who told me where to go and what to do and the hot pools were very relaxing :). Before getting in the spring everyone has to wash themselves in a little showering area, then you get in the hot spring for a nice hot soak. They had three different pools, some hotter then others, and one of them had two little waterfalls coming down that you could sit under for a relaxing water massage. It was nice. Afterwards we ate lunch there, and they even had a little shop with local produce that was really cheap, so we bought some oranges and mushrooms and returned home. All in all a very pleasant morning and afternoon :).

P.S. The picture above is from a parade practice meeting that we went to. Braden and I are going to be in a Warrior's Parade! On April 2nd we all get to dress up in traditional clothes and march around Matsue like we've gone back in time! I'm very excited :).