A Taste of Taiwan

I found out that going to Taiwan for a "vaca-shan" meant that I now need a vacation from my vacation.  :) I guess maybe it was because Core and I decided to pretty much exhaust ourselves in the first three days by walking around and exploring for about 15 hours every day in the hottest heat of my life. Note to self:  Don't do that again. We were averaging walking about 13 miles/day...and in 90-degree weather - that was not smart.  Maybe that's why we drank the famous Taiwanese bubble teas everyday. They are SO GOOD. Either way, I discovered that I don't do very well in the heat.  :)

Yangmingshan National Park

Fumaroles from all the post-volcanic activity

Mt. Qixingshan

Taipei, which was once known as the ugly duckling of East Asia, is now a vibrant, bustling city with scooters, Chinese-influenced temples, and street food galore...and might I add CLEAN street food....at least for the most part.
It's easy to eat like a queen here....the street food is delicious, quick and cheap! There are awesome night markets all over the cities of Taiwan. Some are busier than others and they all offer a huge variety of different kinds of dishes. The places right alongside the harbor had a crazy amount of seafood stalls, there were dumplings galore, and of course pig intestines and stuff like that.  And no, for the record we did not eat any disgusting brains, intestines or anything that looked or sounded ridiculously gross. We did, however, try the stinky tofu. And for some odd reason, I kind of liked it. Someone else on the other hand (no names mentioned) literally almost threw-up. But I will be honest...this stuff seriously smells terrible!

Where are all the cars?

Guandu temple

No,  I was not scared.

Yes, she ate it ALL.

August in Taiwan is typhoon season and sure enough there was a pretty big typhoon that struck the island while we were there. Lucky for us we were safe in a small lake town called Sun Moon Lake.  The day the typhoon came was considered a typhoon holiday so almost everything was closed. All buses, trains, and planes were cancelled for the day. The only thing for us to do was to go back and forth between the Family Mart and 7-11 convenience stores to buy food and hang out. But let me tell you, these were definitely the places to be during a typhoon holiday....Thank God they were open!

While the typhoon was happening....

We were enjoying tea-soaked eggs

And relaxing in our lovely little dorm.  :)

We stopped in the Southern part of the island for a few nights in a city called Kaohsiung. The city had a much slower pace than that of Taipei but had some pretty awesome places to visit. The Buddha Memorial hall, Lotus Pond, art district, and tiny little island off the coast were just a few we had time for.  :)

These weren't actually steps....we were only pretending

Buddha Memorial Hall

Lotus Pond

Tiger and Dragon Pagodas

While we were in Hualien on the east coast we decided to take a tour to check out all the sites. Usually we don't do tours but this was one of the best ways to see the coastline as it's lacking in good public transport. Our "tour"actually turned out to be private with our own cab driver since no one else signed up, which was amazing. And funny enough, we ran into the Taiwanese news station who wanted to interview us and ask us why we were taking a cab down the coastline. They are trying to get the government to get a better public transportation system down the east coast. Hopefully we were able to help...although our mandarin isn't quite up to par. :)

Of course we're speaking Mandarin

Coastline :)

On our last Saturday night, we went up to a harbor city called Keelung for what is known as the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival.  It is one of the biggest sacrificial ceremonies in Taiwan and dates back to 1851. "It is believed that spirits of the dead are released from their realm, or hell,  during this time in order to return to the world of the living. The festival is created to pray for peace and pay homage to ancestors with a variety of activities, such as the offering of sacrifices and water lantern releasing. The practices of offering sacrifices is to please the souls of the dead with flowers, fruits, and delicacies. "

Ghost Festival

Two weeks in Taiwan was definitely enough time to get a good taste of the country and eat enough dumplings to last a lifetime. After spending our last night sleeping in the airport.....back to Japan we go!  :)

Find Core

A Japanese Kind of Summer

Like many cities across the world, summer is a time for many awesome festivals and Japan does not fall short on that list.  To sum up the festivals (matsuris) that I've been to so far, they consist of a lot of street food, Japanese dancing, floats, drums and booze. Not too shabby. :)

Here are a few pics from the Narita Festival....

Everyone loved the airplane bird...man?  not sure

so. cute.

 The best festival of all, of course was the one that was held LITERALLY right outside my front door step.  Like. literally.   I mean how can you beat being able to walk to and from your house in a matter of two minutes to get a cold beer out of your fridge?  The answer is you can't.  Which is why this festival was awesome.

Us with our favorite little man...and HE initiated the peace sign!

work it boys

One of my students and her mom wanted to go to the festival with us for a bit.... little did we know they would be bringing over yukatas for us to wear.  A yukata is a Japanese dress similar to a kimono. It's not as formal though and it's made of polyester rather than silk which is what is used for a kimono.  Sara's mom put the yukatas on us....in a very methodical way.  It's not like you just slip these things on, that's for darn sure.
Sidenote:  Wearing a yukata on a hot summer night does NOT help with the heat factor.  Oh and I now understand why people walk the way they do while wearing these....they are NOT easy to walk in!

this is NOT an easy process

I think I'm turning Japanese....

My little BFF :)

This same weekend was also my friend's last weekend here....we had one last partayyyyy at our favorite bar. :)

Literally one of THE best places in the world.

The cherry blossoms and flowers of Japan

Let me just start by saying that I can't believe I am writing a blog post about trees and flowers.  BUT, it's happening. Since these living things that I never seemed to have paid too much attention to before have gotten me through these seasons, I believe I owe them a shout out.

Living in Japan has given me MORE than enough time to notice and really appreciate the trees and flowers of this country.   When spring arrives, this place is hoppin.  It's not like I've never appreciated flowers or trees before, but my appreciation over this past year has soared to a whole new level.   I have literally, and I mean LITERALLY watched these trees and flowers bloom... day by day by day....by day...i think u get the point. 

In the beginning of March the plum trees began to bloom and the flowers come in all different shades of red, pink, and white.  The plum tree festival that I went to had a park that consisted of over 3,000 plum trees that were blooming all at once!  It really was beautiful and I especially liked these trees because they had a such a strong scent that could be smelled throughout the entire park.  :)

Perhaps the most iconic place to see cherry blossoms, Japan is renowned for its show-stopping blooms. The sakura (cherry blossom) is the unofficial national flower of Japan. The Japanese see the trees’ brief bloom as a symbol of the impermanence of life. They pay homage to the flower at hanami – blossom-watching parties – where they eat, drink and dance beneath the branches.  The trees are only in bloom for about 2 weeks, but it is ABSOLUTELY beautiful.

clearly this is winter

cute little buds

I HEART cherry blossoms

Cherry blossoms everywhere

Cherry blossom tree after the flowers fall off...

 In June, the hydrangeas begin blooming.  One of the temples has a beautiful walkway that is full of hydrangeas of all different sorts.  On the other side of the walkway are fields with some of the greenest rice paddies in the area.  I really loved this place.  :)

Hydrangeas

Needless to say, Japan has really opened my eyes to the beauty of the life of a flower.  From seeing the bare trees in winter, to the small buds beginning to form, to the trees blooming, it's been beautiful. I cant believe I just said that....but it's true.  :)

I even like willows

The design on the these flowers....

Japan Unmasked

My blog today is actually from some parts of a book that I've been reading called "Japan Unmasked." I believe it will help to explain a bit more about the Japanese culture and what I am experiencing here on a daily basis.  Although I have been here for 9 months now,  there are many things I have yet to learn about the "Japanese way."  And quite honestly, by the time I leave here, my knowledge of this culture still won't have even scratched the surface.  I have many "why"questions about certain things here and in order to get my answers to those questions, my only hope is in the books that I've found.  So to the book we go. :)

 Japan Unmasked
"All of the primary attributes for which the Japanese are known-their strengths as well as their weaknesses, have their genesis in the cultural molds referred to as kata, "form/way," or shikata, "way of doing things."  The way of doing things provides the ultimate answer for what makes the Japanese Japanese.  It refers to the way things are supposed to be done, both the form and the order, as a means of expressing and maintaining wa, "harmony," in society and the universe.  The absence of shikata is virtually unthinkable to the Japanese, for that refers to an unreal world, without order or form.  Japan has no genuine philosophy as such, only form.  Doing things the right way was often more important than doing the right things."

It didn't take me long to learn that there are certain ways of doing things here.  But my question is, do they continue to do these things in the "right way/form" because they want to, or because they have to?  I mean does everyone in Japan really want the same exact bike and wire basket?  Or deep down do the girls really want a fun pink bike?  :)

Dude, where's my bike?

I mean....

"Just as there was only one acceptable way to perform all the various actions of life in pre-industrial Japan, from using chopsticks to wrapping a package, there was naturally only one right way of thinking- the "Japanese" way.  Cultural conditioning based on the kata system made the Japanese extremely sensitive  to any thought, manner, or action that did not conform perfectly to the appropriate kata.  In formal as well as most daily situations every action was either right or wrong, natural or unnatural.  There were no shades of gray that accommodated individualistic thought, preferences, or idiosyncrasies."

Because everything is so conditioned here, even thoughts, this is why it is a little difficult for me to ask the question "why?"  There sometimes aren't even answers for the "why"questions...except that it's just the "Japanese way."

The hallmark of Japan's kata-ized culture from earliest times has been the promotion and maintenance of wa, or harmony.  Personal behavior as well as all relationships, private and public, were based on strictly controlled harmony in the  proper inferior-superior context of Japanese society.

A not surprising characteristic of the Japanese that derives from their emphasis on correct form and harmony is their tendency to avoid doing things altogether if they are uncertain about how to do them."

The harmony that is found in this culture is quite extraordinary and I have NEVER seen anything like it anywhere else.  It really is amazing that there is SO much harmony found throughout the entire country.  Unfortunately, this harmony sometimes comes at the expense of people losing their individuality and not being able to express themselves.  But with every culture, there are pros and cons with everything.

 "The significant difference between the "Japanese way" and the customs that developed in most other societies was that the Japanese kata-ized their whole existence.  Practically nothing was left to chance or personal inclinations.  The kata factor was applied down to everything- down to the arrangement of food on a tray.  Further, the Japanese goal was not just the minimum acceptable standard of behavior, action, or work- it was absolute perfection."

Think of a perfectionist you know.  Then imagine an entire country...millions of people acting, behaving, and thinking in the same manner! I can already see the signs of perfectionists in my little 4 and 5 year old students who organize the slippers outside the door if they aren't lined up correctly.   At a very early age, children are already being taught the "rules" and the "Japanese way" to do literally everything.  By the time they reach adulthood, everything is already so conditioned that nothing is left to chance or for their personal preferences. 

"Some of Japan's traditional kata based practices and skills that remain in place today include the tea ceremony, flower arranging, kendo, judo, and sumo.  Even the imported sport of baseball has been kata-ized.  There is a Japanese way to organize furniture and office desks, for learning how to drive, for treating guests, for buying and presenting gifts, for virtually everything in life."

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has a certain way of being done here.  Fortunately for me, I don't and won't ever have to know all of these ways.  :)

"Because of ongoing exclusivity of Japanese culture, the Japanese are unable to accept foreigners as they do other Japanese and tend to be comfortable with them only when they are in Japan as temporary visitors.  As long as foreigners can be treated as guests, the Japanese are able to exempt them from the demands of Japanese culture and can extend extraordinary courtesies and privileges to them.  Non-guest foreigners in Japan inevitably encounter the cultural dichotomy that prevents the Japanese from fully accepting them.  They must therefore continuously be aware that as tolerant and hospitable as their Japanese hosts are to short-term visitors -who are not expected to know or practice their kata-ized etiquette- they are still offended when anyone, foreigners included, behaves "incorrectly." "
  
Although I do try to be myself here, there are many times where I find that I am just trying to do things that are "correct."  There are too many right and wrong ways of doing things here that I am often times too focused on this to truly express myself.

"Few non-Asian residents of Japan complain very much about being excluded from Japanese society.  The weight of the society on a person who is Japanese is very heavy.  The truth of the matter is that life in Japan is only tolerable for most non-Asian residents because they are excluded from the society and treated differently.

 "The close-knittedness and security provided by Japan's web of kata have also made the Japanese exquisitely sensitive to anything unexpected.  They cannot stand for things to be unpredictable- which is one of the reasons why those who are un-Westernized are so uncomfortable when dealing with foreigners.  Because they cannot predict what foreigners are going to do or say, such Japanese are under constant stress when in their presence."

"Kata have, in fact, traditionally been used to replace honest human relationships.  The social etiquette the Japanese developed to support the shikata system doesn't fit in the modern world but that without kata the Japanese are lost and do not know how to behave."

Besides the couple of Japanese friends I have made, I believe this is one of the biggest reasons why foreigners aren't able to develop many strong relationships with people here.  Many of the Japanese might be more concerned with doing or saying the right thing....which leads to friendships and relationships taking much longer to develop.

"There are several reasons why few westerners, even today, speak Japanese with any real fluency.  The language is so intimately integrated with the thought processes and behavior of the Japanese that it is impossible to speak it correctly - from the Japanese viewpoint-without knowing how to think and behave like the Japanese do.    When someone speaks the language w/o following the dictates of Japanese customs, it strikes the Japanese as arrogant, as anti-Japanese, and as proof of the old belief that foreigners are incapable of learning how to speak the language properly."

Luckily I'm not fluent in Japanese hey?!  :)

I know that some of this stuff might be hard to read if you're not familiar with Japanese culture, but this is the best way I can sum up the majority of my existence here.  :)

South Korea!

Let me start by saying that Korea was nothing like I expected. The capitol, Seoul, is a huge international city where eastern traditions meet the modern west.  Many parts of the city are still full of Korean traditions and culture...and other parts of the city are super hip, trendy, and artsy.  Way more so than I ever imagined.  In many of the main parts of Seoul, they have tons of live music, crazy asian markets, and food stalls everywhere.  The city is beautiful and surrounded by mountains.

Changing of the Guards, Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul

Walking the Suwon Fortress Wall

The people here are much more outgoing, outspoken, and more expressive than what I'm used to in Japan.  On the subway, people were actually talking, running to get seats...you know....like the normal. :)  I guess since I've been in Japan so long, I'm quite used to silence on the trains and everyone conforming to absolutely everything.  Although I do like Japan, South Korea was a MAJOR refresher.  :)

These food markets were HOPPIN  :)

I like to try new things, but I also know where to draw the line

I think I'll pass

My first night I went to a Korean professional baseball game....and let me tell you , I was pretty darn excited.  These games are NUTS!  Outside the stadium, they sell a bunch of different food and drinks that you can bring into the game.  Now you're probably thinking hotdogs and hamburgers...wrong.  Let's try more like fried octopus and I don't even know what the other things were.  But I did find the beer.  :)

This "tailgate" food honestly did NOT look appetizing

My high school friends for the game :)

Sunset at the game :)

The day I went for a hike to Bukhansen National Park it started raining right when I got off the subway.  I thought about not doing it, but then saw all of the other hikers (aka older Korean people) still going for it.  Mind you, they did have hiking shoes and rain gear...basically hardcore hiking clothes.  I had my little flimsy umbrella.  :)  Anyways, I decided why not...I had nothing else to do.
Let me just say, I had NO CLUE what I was getting myself into.  Especially since it was raining.
After a 4 hour hike, two guys who were totally watching out for me, one who even gave me a granola bar and carried my umbrella for me at a very crucial moment, I finally, somehow, made it to the top...for some stellar views of.....fog.  :)

The picture showing what my view should have been :)

At the beginning of the hike...in my "hiking gear"

It was about 5 minutes after this picture that I took a pretty hard fall :)

While traveling in South Korea, I didn't always know where I was or where I was going...but I always knew I was in the right place when I stumbled upon some pretty amazing views and sunsets.  :)

Sunset over the city of Seoul

Bukhansen Mountains surrounding the city

The Koreans, especially the kids, LOVE taking pictures with foreigners.  At times, I would ask someone to take a picture of me, and before I knew it, they pushed their entire family into the pic!!  :)

The kids here were pretty outgoing :)

Please note the small child in red

If you ever get the chance to visit Seoul, I would highly recommend it!  :)