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!  :)

March Madness in Japan! - Japanese Doll and Spring Festival

If you're wondering if March Madness happens in Japan, it does!  But just in a different way. :)  There are many different festivals and events unique to Japan....and some of them take place in March.
On March 3rd, families who have daughters celebrate The Doll's Festival.  At this time, they pray for the girls' growth and happiness.  In many houses, they will set up a beautiful display of dolls....many of which they make themselves.
The dolls are meant to take on any suffering, pain or sickness that the daughters might have.
Families will usually start to display the dolls in February and will then take them down immediately after the festival.  Superstition says that leaving the dolls up too long afterwards will result in a late marriage for their daughter.  So you can almost bet that here in Japan, ALL of the dolls are take down on March 4th...without a doubt. :)

Miki's mom and I in front of their doll display :)

The doll display that Miki's mom made  :)

My two new friends :)

March 9th is Japan's annual Spring Festival.  And let me just say....this thing was awesome! To sum it up, the Japanese dress up in some pretty funky outfits and parade down the streets singing, chanting, and smashing their sticks together to welcome spring.  I'm not gonna lie, it's the rowdiest I've ever seen the Japanese get...but that might be in part due to the fact that I saw one guy slam half a bottle of wine in between chants.  :)

 I somehow always forget that I am usually the only foreigner at events...or for that matter anywhere (I'm not really sure how that slips my mind) so I'm always surprised when everyone starts paying extra attention to me.
The people in the parade spotted me out in the crowd (I guess not too hard when ur the only white person and ur wearing a bright pink coat) and welcomed me to the festival and their city.  They then left the parade and asked if I wanted to take some pictures with them.  Sure, why not?!
This Spring Festival was THE COOLEST.  :)

I call him "Lion Face"

Winter Wonderland in Nikko!

Before heading to Nikko, the only thing I knew about the place was that it was a World Heritage area known for its shrines and temples.  For some reason, probably lack of research on my part, I had no clue this place was up in the mountains.  Stepping out from the train station, I was greeted with a stellar view of the mountains hovering over this cute little mountain town.  :)

Although my pictures won't do it justice, the temples of Nikko were spectacular and rightfully deserved World Heritage status. 

Toshogu Shrine

Buddha statues that filled the forest

The famous little red bridge of Japan is also located in Nikko....

Best little red bridge ever :)

My night in the guesthouse here made me really appreciate my apartment even MORE than I already do.  I guess that's what happens when you share a room with 4 other people, and one of them is a 70 year old man from El Paso,Texas who likes to snore. A Lot.  I think I slept about one wink.

The next morning I woke up and was greeted with a beautiful and unexpected winter wonderland!!  After exploring all of the temples and shrines on my first day with gorgeous, sunny weather.... to see everything covered in snow, gave the place a whole new atmosphere.  It was unbelievable really.

Futarasan Shrine area

On my way out of Nikko, I had about 45 minutes to kill before catching the train.  I walked into the tourist information center and was planning to just warm up and browse around for a bit.  Before I knew it, there were 3 Japanese women surrounding me and speaking, obviously, only Japanese.  I kept trying to explain to them that I had no clue what they were saying but apparently they didn't care because they just kept right on chatting.  :)   I was finally saved by one lady who spoke a tiny bit of English.  They then sat me down for some traditional Japanese green tea and sweets.  Don't mind if I do.  :)  One of the older women tried to teach me how to make the froth on the green tea using a whisk made of bamboo, although I'm not sure she was too happy with the results because she made me do it twice.  :)   Soon after I failed to froth the tea perfectly, I found myself trying on Japanese wedding kimonos.  Lesson learned, it pays to stop in the tourist information center on your way OUT of town.  :)

Lady who tried to teach me how to make froth...and my eyes aren't open :)

I don't know why I look so tall

More Japanese Culture!

 After talking with many of my students over the last few months, I've learned a little bit more about the Japanese school and work culture.  Get excited.  :)

The majority of the Japanese high schools have regulations that restrict their students from having a part-time job while attending school.  The only exception is if one of their parents has passed away and they have to help support the family.  Otherwise, there are very few high school students that have jobs.  They are expected to focus solely on their studies.  Quite honestly, after being here and seeing their daily routines, even if they wanted to, they wouldn't have a time for a part-time job.  After school, they usually attend a cram school, and then after that many students will go to an English school.  There are some days they are attending 3 different schools.  I don't know how they do it....and maybe that's why when they finally get to my class and I ask them how they're doing....they respond...."I'm sleepy."   :)

Some of you may have already heard the rumors that the Japanese people work like crazy.  I would like to clarify that.  The rumors are true.

The Japanese professionals here DO work like CRAZY.   They have vacation days to use, but guess what?  They don't use them.  Although they have the "choice"and the "free will" to take vacation, they really don't have that choice.  One of my students admitted that this is one of the negative parts of the Japanese culture.
Although they have the vacation days, there is ABSOLUTELY no way they will use them.  
When I asked my student what would happen if he used his vacation days, he laughed as though that would obviously never happen....but then said, NOTHING would happen.  He wouldn't get fired and he would still have his job.  But there's no way that he would ever take vacation because that's just the culture. If you take off of work, it makes it seem like something else is more important than your job (Ummm.....Am I missing something here?)

This is one of the reasons the Japanese government has actually made it mandatory for people to take off of work.  With certain companies, they have set vacation days, so everyone has off on the same day.  It's also one reason why Japan has a lot of public holidays... it forces people to take off of work.

My Japanese friend used to work in an office in Tokyo, and she explained that she wasn't allowed to leave the office until the boss left.  And yes, this is an actual  rule.  About 2 nights a week for a year, she said she would finish her work, and would have to sit there for an extra 2-3 hours until her boss left the office!  Sometimes he was even there for personal reasons.   Let's just say I'm sure as hek glad I'm not working in that office!!!

Exciting stuff hey?  :)

A Taste of Culture and Etiquette

WELL. I finally know what it's like to experience an earthquake.  As a matter of fact, I was "lucky" enough to have had two in the same week. Lucky me.  :)
Rather than my alarm clock waking me up one morning, it was a lovely little earthquake instead.  I sat on the edge of my bed to try and "evaluate" the whole situation.  Surprisingly enough, I actually felt pretty calm.  Either that, or I completely froze and didn't know what the hell to do.
The other one happened during one of my adult classes.  The building suddenly started to shake and I think my heart jumped out of my body for one whole second.  And then it was over. And on with class we went.  :)

After being here in Japan for about 5 months, here are a few of the things I have learned about some of the Japanese culture and etiquette. There are, however, so many different aspects and intricacies that make up this culture, this doesn't even scratch the surface.
But here are a few just to give you an idea...

There are often times many little gifts that are given here in Japan. After receiving a gift it is customary to say thank you at least 3 times.  You should obviously say thank you when you receive the gift, another thank you the next time you see the person so they know you remembered their gift, and the next time you see them, a nice little hand written note would be a nice touch.
It's also polite to give a gift after receiving one.
The other day I brought my manager a little item from the bakery that I visit.  Literally, no less than 60 seconds later, she came into my room and said she had cookies for me.
I also gave my Japanese friend a single piece of candy, like one little starburst. The next time I saw her, she gave me a WHOLE pack of Japanese candy.
 It's IMPOSSIBLE to give a gift here without getting a gift in return.  So what I've concluded is that I should give everyone here a gift.... because I'll probably get something even better back.  :)

When on a train or public transportation there are many unwritten "rules" to follow.  Always sit with your legs closed and have your bag neatly on your lap so it isn't in anybody's way.  If you're reading a newspaper it should be folded a certain way so as not to disturb the person next to you. And of course there's no talking, which they do out of respect for one another.  I do have to say there are times this is nice, especially if you're not in the mood to talk to people...but other times it can just be a little TOOOO quiet.  Although there could be hundreds of people on the train, you would still be able to hear a pin drop.

Always, ALWAYS, take off your shoes upon entering somebody's home.  And be sure to have a pair of socks with you....going barefoot isn't very polite.
NEVER wear the slippers for the toilet anywhere else except for in the bathroom.  And yes, there are special slippers for the toilet in not only people's homes, but in businesses and schools as well.

Here are a few things Not to do:
Dont talk with ur hands in ur pockets- it's considered very rude.
Dont stick ur chopsticks in ur rice -This display is only done at Buddhist funerals so it's seen as a very bad omen at the dinner table.
Don't eat while walking- it's seen as bad manners and "ugly."

I'm pretty sure I have accidentally broken almost all of these "rules" already.  So that's something I'm still working on.  :)
 

Allison and Shannon Do Japan!

I think it goes without saying that when one of your best friends comes to visit to help celebrate the holidays in Japan, amazing things are bound to happen.  Here's a glimpse into our Japanese holiday vacation.  :)

The first night Allison arrived, we went to THE one and only bar that feels so like home to me...let's just say Best First Night Ever.  Japanese guy sits next to us...and although he couldnt speak any English (and of course our Japanese is not yet fluent) he just kept giving us "presents." This was pretty much a foreshadowing of what the rest of our trip would be like.  :)

LOVED this guy  :)

 We were lucky enough to participate in a half marathon just a few days into our trip...the weather was sooooo freaking beautiful and pretty sure we were the only foreigners.  :)  Although I think we missed the memo to dress up as a Japanese anime character....

Pokemon or Pikachu?  I'm not sure...

We took a trip down to the Okinawa islands for a few days and decided to rent a car one day and cruise around.  We somehow found what seemed to be a hole-in-the-wall car rental shop....which was perfect...spoke with a man who couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand him, barely showed any form of ID, signed a paper, and we were off!   We may or may not have gotten lost a few times, somehow ended up in a random Japanese tiny town bus station in which 3 Japanese old men bus drivers drew us a map to a Sake Brewery we were trying to find, saw some amazing beaches and of course accidentally drove on a sidewalk.  To sum it up, it was a great day with the rental car.  :)

I have no clue what he's saying

Our "map" from the bus drivers 

Zamami Island

The Japanese tradition for Xmas is to celebrate with, you guessed it, KFC. We of course decided this was the obvious choice for our Xmas dinner as well...but little did we know that we were supposed to make a reservation for the chicken literally months in advance!  After about a 2 hour long ordeal with lines out the door, we FINALLY got our fried chicken.  In search of KFC we stumbled upon a pretty awesome Xmas concert.  Merry Xmas to us and the Colonel.  :)

Xmas at KFC!

Please note the cow and pig

Our time in Tokyo was pretty hectic since there were millions of Japanese buzzing around for the holidays...especially at the Tsukiji fish market.  It's the World's largest wholesale fish market with the World's freshest sushi....so this place is absolutely nuts.  There are mini trucks everywhere blasting through people...pretty sure Allison almost got taken out more than once, fish guts and blood, and not to mention everywhere you look you see a poor little fish take his last breath.  And the sushi here actually was unbelievable...fresh as fresh can be.  :)

Gross

Typical day in the fish market

 Our lovely place for relaxation in Tokyo was the capsule hotel we stayed in....this place was AWESOME.  The capsules are pretty small, but yet big enough to sleep with your luggage in there if you want.  They even had a TV and cute lil dimming lights....let's just say I was pretty much in Heaven in this thing...especially because I was falling asleep to Japanese Ice Skating.  Allison loved the slippers here.  :)

Cool slippers

Our time spent in Mt.Fuji and Kyoto were full of some spectacular world heritage sights....

Mt.Fuji at dusk

Kinkaku-ji -Golden Pavilion, Kyoto-actually made of real gold

 We rang in the New Year in Nara which of course could not have been a better place for us.  Started the night off in our hostel with some episodes of Sex and the City, beer, popcorn and a few other travelers.  Ended the night at midnight with all the other Japanese at one of Japan's most famous temples.  They all wait in line to go into the temple at midnight...we didn't realize there would literally be about 10,000 people in line...so we just observed the Japanese at their best.  :)

Beginning NYE w/some beer and popcorn  :)

Someone's new favorite animal

NYE at the shrine

Oh and how can I forget the fact that we tried snake sake.....

Not sure why we did this....

During....

After...

Cheers to such a great time in Japan with such a great friend.  Oh and by the time Allison left, her Japanese was near to perfect.  :)