Blogs from Tokushima , Tokushima, Japan, Asia - page 3

Asia » Japan » Tokushima » Tokushima August 24th 2010

"Do you like eel?" asked one of my co-workers. "I don't eat anything with a face, remember?" "Oh, but they cut the face off first." This about sums up the general understanding of vegetarianism here in Tokushima. Some people are surprisingly knowledgable, asking me about the fish and chicken stocks used in soups. With the others, though, it's been a lively game of charades meets pictionary explaining every animal that I do not eat to the shocked faces and "wuhhh?" noises of my audience. I think it's part of my job as the token foreigner to be outright strange, which is actually pretty fun. The concept of what constitutes meat really is relative to the culture and the individual, as I was thankfully warned before I left the U.S., and as I discovered when my "no ... read more

Instant Fame

Asia » Japan » Tokushima » Tokushima August 17th 2010

Susan P

Arasowaren means something like "no fighting," standing for international peace and understanding. This is the team which I and my fellow Tokushima JETs joined in dancing through the lantern-lined streets of Tokushima City for the annual Awa Odori dance festival, the second largest dance festival in the world. We wore Yukatas (a type of summer kimono) and proceded to butcher a traditional Japanese dance in front of hundreds (or even thousands?) of spectators, who mainly thought the whole thing was hilarious. I also couldn't help thinking it was pretty funny as I watched all of the strange, sometimes groovy, dance moves that were occurring to the beat of giant drums and shamisens. Some foreigners' interpretation of the Awa dance more closely resembled a broadway-style jazzy strut or (in the case of some dancing inept gentlemen) a ... read more

City of Bridges

Asia » Japan » Tokushima » Tokushima August 11th 2010

Susan P

I'm here! I've started my new life in Tokushima City, which I've decided to name "City of Bridges" after the hundreds of sweet little bridges that I cross on my bicycle everyday, and that nearly hit me in the head several times when I took a boat tour of the city. There are 138 rivers that flow through the Tokushima City area, and they all meet at the ocean which, by some divine miracle, I can see from my apartment. On the outskirts of the city lie tree-covered hills and mountains, which I can also see from my apartment as they fill with mist on rainy mornings. Before you get too jealous of me and the view of natural beauty that greets my balcony, you should know that my primary view is of warehouses and construction ... read more

Tokushima, Shikoku - An Awa Odori ending

Asia » Japan » Tokushima » Tokushima October 7th 2009

Tokushima

Lebdawho

Day 1 So let's continue with Obon 2009. The next morning, my companion and I headed up, very early; like 7:30am early, to the Takamatsu train station to see what we could do to get on to Tokushima and the rest of our trip. We were met with the news that the trains still wasn't running to Tokushima. With this news in hand, we headed to the bus station, which seemed to be our only option, to see if they were still going to be running. Lucky for us, they were. We managed to get on the bus bound for Tokushima without any problems. The bus ride to Tokushima was really something. When your riding on the shinkansen, since your moving so fast, you are really just moving through the scenery and not really taking anything ... read more

☆MY BIRTHDAY☆

Asia » Japan » Tokushima » Tokushima June 10th 2009

KISS

hannnnnna

２００９年６月１０日(水曜日) おめでとうありがとう。本日、無事に２４回目の誕生日を迎えられました。環境も場所も過ごし方も、毎年ごとに変化のある私の誕生日。今年は・・・数年前から脳内企画されていた、みんなで「ＫＩＳＳメイク」が、ようやく実現化されました。普段はクールなあの子もシャイなこの子も強制参加。時間が経つにつれ、パリパリに乾いた顔の絵の具が地面に落ちて、掃除は大変でしたがそんなことお構いなし。笑顔。笑顔。笑顔。２４歳なりたてほやほや時間はそんなこんなで穏やかに過ぎていきました。皆でやると楽しい！皆が楽しいが一番！そんな今年の６月１０日。ただ、写真には写っていませんが、実はもう一人KISSメイクをした友達がいます。撮影時にちょうど彼女と喧嘩・討論が始まった為、マンションの外に出て電話をしていた彼。駐輪所に場所をうつして皆で大はしゃぎしながら撮影している間も話し中。えらくもめていたみたいで。一同が部屋に戻りひとまずクールダウンした頃、ピンポーンとインターホンにうつる彼の姿。と、その横に警察の姿。おや！？この時点でもうおわかりでしょうか。彼が警察と一緒にいる理由。つまり彼は、ここの住人の誰かに通報されてしまったのです。「階段にピエロが座っている！」と。ひとまず玄関先まで来た警察に事情を説明。そして和解。帰り際にはなんと、警察の彼から「お誕生日おめでとうございます」というお祝いメッセージをいただきました！うん、きっといいことあるに違いない！２４歳万歳。いえい。兎にも角にも百恵ちゃん風に・・・私のわがままに付き合ってくれて、ありがとう♪楽しい一年にします！... read more

Brief history of Japan

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol...more history

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