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Published: February 17th 2008
Jessie at school
Jess is all settled into her new office, where her students drop by to volunteer to refill her kerosene heater, which does little to keep her thawed during her days. More on Jessie's school to come...So, for about a day it was white in Minami Alps. Actually it has snowed four times here already, which is a lot compared to last year's one. The snow only lasts for the day and then melts away. We are hearing stories of all the snow in Iowa and Wisconsin and we can't say we miss it. The first time it snowed I opend the curtains in the morning and yelled for Greg to look. We ventured out on our bikes that day, which was quite challenging, but fun.
Winter in Yamanashi is very short (technically we are already in Spring here) and not very cold, so we have taken advantage of some of the outside festivities. Last week we went to a festival held every year that stretches almost a mile down a busy street in Minami Alps. There were vendors lined on both sides of the streets selling traditional treats and homemade goods. We had a great time with our friends Yoko and Kuan, tasting everything as we made our way down the street. The food is my favorite part of festivals in the States, but the sites and smells of this festival were unlike anything in
Bonsai in the snow
Our neighbor's garden looks absolutely amazing when it's snowing -- and any other time, really. the states. There wasn't any fried cheese, but there was cotton candy. Of course it was next to the vendor selling piles of tiny baby fish and oh yeah, the lady who made me eat a sardine. Everything we tried though was distinctively Japanese. My favorite was a small pancake disk stuffed with custard (hot off the griddle!). They come in a variety of flavors including chocolate and sweet bean and are very popular. Everything was beautifully displayed, even if it smelled disgusting, it looked amazing. The Japanese go to great lengths to make everything look perfect and appealing.
This past week we celebrated Valentine's Day, which was also different, but fun. Here, for Valentine's Day the girls give the boys treats or presents. It's common for the girls to make handmade chocolates and put them in decorative bags. My students (being too young to really have boyfriends) gave chocolates to their girl friends and teachers. I was lucky enough to get some and, yes, I ate them right away; they were delicious. March 14th is White Day in Japan, which is the reverse of Valentine's Day. Here the boys are suppose to give the girls presents. They say
Pack mule
Usually I (Greg) am the one with the 18-liter jug of kerosene strapped to my bike. It's worth it to keep our place warm, but it makes you really top heavy on these little bikes. it was created by the chocolate companies to boost sales, but they celebrate it anyway.
A sad note about my Valentine's Day: Greg rode my bike to the flower shop to buy me flowers, but the flowers were too big to put in the bike's basket (they're huge) so he had to walk home. When he went back to get my bike, it was gone - someone had stolen it! Bikes actually get stolen all the time here. They are not very expensive and everyone rides one, so it's actually a common occurrence. I was just bummed it happened to me.
So, we have enjoyed the winter here, but can't wait for Spring - it should be beautiful.
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Joie
non-member comment
This wont help you while your in Japan but....
you can be happy to know I have treated your bike like my own child (if I had one) and it will be in wonderful condition for you when you return home. :)