Saturday, February 17, 2007
Sapporo
Early in February I took a long weekend trip to the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island. Sapporo's biggest draw is their annual Snow Festival, bringing visitors from all over the world (including myself). Highlights from the trip included the famous snow sculptures, visits to beer and chocolate factories, and Satoland (a winter wonderland with such novelties as a giant snow slide, a snow maze and an army of snow men, which can be seen below). Other memorable moments include dropping 8 dollars on one plate of king crab sushi (as delicious as it was expensive), staying in a capsule hotel and a beautiful lantern festival (see above posts). That's a lot of lists for one post....my apologies.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Merry Christmas クリスマス おめでとう
Hey everyone. Merry Christmas! Actually....I'm just getting around to writing this post in late February. Oops. Anyway, as you can see below, Japan isn't completely devoid of Christmas celebrations. However, things here are, not surprisingly, a little different. For example, gift giving is a very small affair between people in a relationship (usually boyfriend/girlfriend), and Christmas cake is a really big deal (they were really confused that no such thing existed in the States).
Sendai City celebrates the season with a festival they call the Pageant of Lights, during which they line the streets with countless Christmas lights. The final product was rather lovely.
Christmas time is also the time for special holiday themed lessons at my Elementary schools. The lesson plan was more or less the same for all grades, with some variations made for age/ability differences of course. First, we sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," followed by a quick game that introduced holiday vocab words, and finally we finished by making Christmas trees out of cutouts of our hands. On one side, students would decorate the hands to look like a Christmas tree and on the other half they would write want they wanted to receive. This years most desired gift? The Nintendo Wii.
Sendai City celebrates the season with a festival they call the Pageant of Lights, during which they line the streets with countless Christmas lights. The final product was rather lovely.
Christmas time is also the time for special holiday themed lessons at my Elementary schools. The lesson plan was more or less the same for all grades, with some variations made for age/ability differences of course. First, we sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," followed by a quick game that introduced holiday vocab words, and finally we finished by making Christmas trees out of cutouts of our hands. On one side, students would decorate the hands to look like a Christmas tree and on the other half they would write want they wanted to receive. This years most desired gift? The Nintendo Wii.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Nikko
This weekend I went to Nikko with my friends Evan and Satomi. Not only was this my first big trip out of Miyagi prefecture, but it was also my first trip on the Shinkansen (Japan's famous bullet train). It was pretty cool to be moving so fast, but because you accelerate so gradually, you don't really notice how quickly you're going. That is, of course, until you pass another Shinkansen going the other direction.
We spent 2 days and 3 nights in Nikko, spending one full day exploring Nikko's natural beauty and one day exploring its cultural heritage. Nature day involved pleasant walks through woods, strenuous mountain climbs, and scenic waterfall viewings (Nikko has more natural water running through it than any other place I've ever seen). We were hoping to catch the changing leaves, but because we were in the mountains we were, for the most part, too late. Nevertheless, Nikko does have a lot to offer in terms of the outdoors.
Of course, what Nikko is primarily know for are its temples and shrines. Arguably second only to Kyoto in regards to its concentration of religious landmarks, Nikko is teaming with beautiful architecture and points of cultural interest.
I don't have any pictures of the more famous landmarks such as Toshogu or Shinkyo (sacred bridge) because a) you can see them elsewhere, and b) I like these pictures better. Deal with it. But I think the pics will back me up when I say Nikko is a beautiful city that makes for a relaxing and interesting weekend.
We spent 2 days and 3 nights in Nikko, spending one full day exploring Nikko's natural beauty and one day exploring its cultural heritage. Nature day involved pleasant walks through woods, strenuous mountain climbs, and scenic waterfall viewings (Nikko has more natural water running through it than any other place I've ever seen). We were hoping to catch the changing leaves, but because we were in the mountains we were, for the most part, too late. Nevertheless, Nikko does have a lot to offer in terms of the outdoors.
Of course, what Nikko is primarily know for are its temples and shrines. Arguably second only to Kyoto in regards to its concentration of religious landmarks, Nikko is teaming with beautiful architecture and points of cultural interest.
I don't have any pictures of the more famous landmarks such as Toshogu or Shinkyo (sacred bridge) because a) you can see them elsewhere, and b) I like these pictures better. Deal with it. But I think the pics will back me up when I say Nikko is a beautiful city that makes for a relaxing and interesting weekend.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Bunkasai (School Festival)
Yesterday was our school's Bunkasai. Literally, 'Cultural Festival,' but I think 'School festival' is a far better description. The day started with each class giving a short skit about the school year which usually included several humorous impersonations of teachers (luckily I was excluded), and replays of important events over the past few months.
Next were several speeches given by the students, two of which were English speeches given by students I had been working with. They were, needless to say, awesome. After that came a brief recorder concert, whose highlight was, in my humble opinion, a breathtaking rendition of the Beatle's 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.' Actually, I think everyone appreciated the ironic value of the concert as each song was following by clapping and quiet chuckle.
After lunch was a choir concert. Actually, a better word would be competition, as at the end of the concert, two groups were crowned winners. This was apparently a rather big deal as there were a few joyous tears shed. After this the whole 'festival' got noticeably more casual as kids got on stage and tried their hand at rapping, playing the guitar and, for some, just jumping around on stage.
With the rise in informality also came a rather substantial dip in quality, but the kids were having fun. (A LOT of fun) Actually, maybe my favorite moment of the day was when two students sung a song with teachers playing the background instruments. Not only were they good, but it was funny to see our head teacher shredding licks on the guitar.
Next were several speeches given by the students, two of which were English speeches given by students I had been working with. They were, needless to say, awesome. After that came a brief recorder concert, whose highlight was, in my humble opinion, a breathtaking rendition of the Beatle's 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.' Actually, I think everyone appreciated the ironic value of the concert as each song was following by clapping and quiet chuckle.
After lunch was a choir concert. Actually, a better word would be competition, as at the end of the concert, two groups were crowned winners. This was apparently a rather big deal as there were a few joyous tears shed. After this the whole 'festival' got noticeably more casual as kids got on stage and tried their hand at rapping, playing the guitar and, for some, just jumping around on stage.
With the rise in informality also came a rather substantial dip in quality, but the kids were having fun. (A LOT of fun) Actually, maybe my favorite moment of the day was when two students sung a song with teachers playing the background instruments. Not only were they good, but it was funny to see our head teacher shredding licks on the guitar.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Naruko
This weekend my friend Evan (see Japan Photo Guide in the links sidebar) and I went to Naruko. Known for its Onsens (hot springs) and its scenic gorge, Naruko is an ideal place for Koyo (Fall foliage viewing). Another pleasanty Naruko offers is the pervasive smell of sulfur thanks to its natural mineral springs . Aside from its distinct funk, Naruko does offer some beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately, I think we hit the gorge a little early; the leaves probably won't be in full effect for a few more weeks. But since it was such a perfect day, I'm not complaining. After spending a few hours walking through the gorge, we hit up a famous lake in the area. It's claim to fame is that it is one of the most acidic lakes in the world with a pH of 1.4, which I believe is on par with stomach acid. Yum.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)