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Published: January 7th 2008
Nabe
This is Nabe with Chicken intestines in it. Gawd i don't know how or why they get me to try some stuffLife has been treating me good, but its time to finish off 2007. Where I last left you off I had just finished The UNITAS Christmas party. The next big thing was our unofficial Christmas party. Basically we went out to our managers place and exchanged Christmas gifts and drank a lot.. except for the DD. That sucked. But we also got to drive around and see two houses that had fantastic Christmas lights. So that was cool. but they were honestly so far apart. The whole Christmas thing really hasn't taken off here as much as in Canada. But to bring a little North America to the party I decided to make Egg Nog. Now, until recently I really haven't been a fan of eggnog, but that has changed and it turns out I'm actually pretty good at making it. I just followed the traditional recipe that my father handed to me and his father handed to him and so on and so forth... and by that I mean I got it off the internet and it has nothing to do with my family. However it was cool because it came with a video on how to make it.. but
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Some nice scenery on Christmas Eve being a master of the kitchen and a true man I didn't watch it.
As for the gift exchange. I can personally say that I hate them. i honestly have no idea what to get for them and then I spend the whole day/party wondering if the person who gets my present will like or not. It really just ruins my day. Needless to say I decided to get the one thing I couldn't really go wrong with.. alcohol.. add in some Canadian Maple Syrup (I had brought from back home) and some chocolate.. you can't go wrong with that.. however, it turns out our bosses daughter was going to be there and she was really straight edge from what I can tell... Shes also underage.. soooo... the Jamaican spiced rum that I thought all would like.. turned into a disaster for me. It turned out that it wasn't a problem and my boss said that her daughter can drink.. I guess I'm going to be the one who turns her into a closet alcoholic cause it was a 26.... oh well... I got a toaster which was great, but to be honest I'd been complaining about how much
I wanted a toaster for the last month so they rigged it so I got the toaster.. I was happy.. who said complaining doesn't get you anywhere?
I would like to think that I'm a rather persuasive person but as I write this I'm beginning to realize that I just complain a lot. but luckily people don't hate me yet. So, I was complaining to one of my friends about how I had nothing to do on Christmas Eve and everyone else was busy or away... so she volunteered to take me to a Garden in her home town that she was planning on going to anyways. Anyways shes came and picked me up and took me back to the garden, I'm ashamed to say that her town is an hour away, but in all fairness I didn't know that before hand... lies... I did.. dammit... why am I such an asshole.
Anyways it was great and I'm sure you can see from the picture I had fun. We wrote a note in the book there and tried some sweet sake. I would not recommend it.. basically sake is made from rice and well in this stuff they
just left the rice residue in the sake and heated it up... It was alright tasting... but it had the texture of puke... or what I would imagine puke's texture would be... as... I ... have... never thrown.. up before... maybe once... when i was a little boy and I had the stomach flu.
Then there was a place that served traditional green tea... I tried to pay for her, but she wouldn't let me and paid for both of us... she said cause she invited me it was her duty to pay... now I felt like a real asshole... It was cool and we got to have this sweet bean cake before the green tea which despite how it may sound was rather good. The traditional green tea was different... it was really bitter... but good.. I guess...
This garden also has its own traditional Japanese calligraphy artist. So we went in and checked out some of his stuff and cause there was no one else there he drew me something.. i got to draw the circle in the middle... and I tried to do it in two strokes rather than one because there wasn't enough ink..
but he got mad at me... oh well... He was cool after that though..
A few random things that you guys may find interesting... I went to the gas station for the first time the other week and it was really quite nerve racking. Most stations are full service and the numerous times that I've filled up the family car back home, I generally choose self serve because its cheaper.. so this was definitely new for me... they guide you in like an airplane pilot with the glowing red sticks and everything. It was quite cool.. but then they stop you and this guy starts bowing at me... after 5 seconds I kinda wonder whats wrong with him... I kept starring then.. I realize that hes waiting for me to turn off the engine.. jeez.. .I'm such an idiot.. then things get going... I know what to say... my manager has prepped me well. So then this guy starts filling up the car and then he brings me a nice warm cloth... now if I hadn't been warned I totally would have used this to wash my hands and my face... however I did know that it was for
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Writing a note for all to remember. the dashboard... One of the other foreign teachers was the victim of a mean practical joke where they told him it was for his face and he washed his face with it and all the gas station attendants laughed at him.. I chuckle just thinking about it... ahah... After you are done.. then the attendants guide you out and will block traffic for you to let you go where you want to go.. Its great.
Speaking of the cars.. no accident yet.. but the cars are so much smaller in Japan.. more narrow than anything.. I really feel like I'm driving a clown car when I'm driving... I'm definitely too big for them... The other night I was driving home from work and I was stopped at a stoplight... and I looked in my rear view mirror to notice someone was coming up behind me on a scooter.. omg.. thats my manager.. hes going to ride right next to me and up to the front of the line.. .so being the genius that I am.. I decide that I'm going to bang on the window really hard to give him a good scare... as I start to lean over
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Instead the cottage with light shining it. It was great to get ready to scare the shit out of him... a thought dawns on me... after being in Japan for two months.. I see a guy riding behind me on a scooter and I assume that its my manager.. because how many people ride scooters?? (a lot) there are some 120m people in Japan... what makes me... or what gives me the confidence to assume that one guy behind me is going to be my manager... as the Japanese man rides by me and gives me a weird look I realize I have a serious ego issue that I need to deal with.
Which brings me to Christmas day. I had to work Christmas day... but there was always the option of calling in sick and staying at home.. but lets be honest.. all of my coworkers are working so really what was I going to do. So because there were no classes (the kids got Christmas off) I figured it would be a light day.. so why not make the money. Needless to say that once I got there.. they had us working right off the bat. We had to clean the basement... once that was finished we
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All the books and they were filled with peoples writings took all the garbage from the basement and loaded them into cars and took the garbage to the junk yard... I wish i had my camera there to take pictures.... cause honestly I will never have another Christmas like this.. seriously.. it was the worst Christmas ever... However, my coworkers and I did go out for some drinks after so celebrate our glorious Christmas... yeah... on the plus side.. .I'm really looking forward to Christmas next year because it will have to be better than this one.
When I came to Japan I'd heard a lot of great things.. so it was a little disappointing when I realize that peer pressure extends across cultures.... apparently its unhygienic not to wash your rice before you eat it... I'm pretty sure rice companies are not allowed to sell dirty rice... Anyways they said that the rice tastes better when its been washed... after a couple of hours of being tormented and standing my ground.. I knew I had to decide.. is this the battle I want to stand my ground against peer pressure.. to let them know that I would not conform to their ways just because they told me to...
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The cottage from the outside yeah that seemed like a lot of work just for not washing your rice.. so I crumbled and agreed to washing my rice... so basically for those of you that didn't know this before.. cause I didn't.. wash your rice before you cook it because it will taste better.
Lastly, New Years Eve.. the thing about New Years and Christmas here is that its really reversed from ours.. in Canada we spend Christmas with family and New years out partying... however in Japan.. they party on Christmas and they spend New Years with family. So.. instead of going out drinking on New Years and getting drunk and leaving a party 5 minutes before the countdown.. I got to go to a shrine. It was actually pretty cool.. I saw fireworks and actually remember them... and can say that I was warm because I was wearing clothing and not numb all over. But this shrine business is actually pretty popular in Japan. When we got there at 11:20, there was probably about 500 or 600 people waiting in line to go to the shrine. So we waited 40 mins before the line started moving and then another 40 mins waiting
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Swinging over the river... sort of to get to the shrine.. once there you get to throw money into the shrine collection box (more like bin) and bow three times then make a wish. Only one wish cause other wise they won't come true and don't tell anyone either.
But the tricky thing about this wishing business is.. when i was down in Tokyo I already wished for what I wanted and threw my money in.. now, do I wish for the same thing or something new. In theory I should wish for the same thing, but if you think about it... I already put that wish in.. so if I wish for it again.. that means I believe that the more times I throw money in the more likely it will come true... therefore I should come back here every month or every day and give the shrine more money until it comes true.. well I'm not falling for that trick.. but if I wish for something new... I could just keep coming back everytime I wanted something to wish for it... needless to say.. by the time it was my turn to make my wish I was thoroughly confused and hadn't decided what
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The cottages from a ways away to wish for.. I'm not even sure if I did wish for something.. I'm pretty sure the shrine just took my money without me even wishing.. how lame... theres 80 mins of my life I won't get back
Anyways New years was fun.. we went and got some overpriced food from the vendors which was delicious and walked home. The lineup for the shrine was even longer.. there were probably double or triple the amount of people there before.. soo I'm glad we got there early. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Cheers
Geoff
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