ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Back in December, a few friends and I took a trip down to visit Kochi! Since it was right before Christmastime, we wanted to check out the Kochi Sunday market to make sure we were loaded up on souvenirs for those of us who were going home soon to visit family. The Sunday market was awesome, full of vendors selling produce, candy, art, food....even tacos! How often do are you able to get your hands on those in Japan?? I ended up buying some konpeitou and sugar candy to take home, along with some veggies to take back to Niihama. Some of my friends stopped by to get some knives, which were super cool. After checking out the Sunday market, we wandered around the nearby outdoor mall area, stopping by whatever shops people wanted to dip into.

Once we had our fill, we drove ourselves over to spend some time at the beach. We drank in the seaside views, rifled through the rocky sand for treasure, and a few brave souls played in the waves, tempting the water to chase after them. Even though it looked fun, I was not about to walk around with sand in my shoes for the rest of the day. We climbed up to a little lookout point and took out fortunes at the shrine up there- I got good luck!

We made our way back to downtown Kochi and into Hirome market to grab some dinner. It was there that I met the love of my life, the one I'll spend forever chasing after, the one who got away: katsuo no tataki, or seared tuna. I was not prepared for this to be such a defining culinary moment, but the flavor of this dish is insane. The process is pretty simple-thick slabs of tuna are put on skewers and placed over flaming straw- but sometimes, simple is all you need. It's then paired with a couple different dipping sauces- both of which were amazing. The worst part of the experience was realizing that I'll have to drive 2-3 hours if I ever want to have it again...

Once we'd had our fill on food, ice cream, and coffee, we made our way to Kochi Castle to experience the night illuminations there. This year, the illumination was flower themed, and one of the activities you could participate in was a virtual stamp rally of sorts- using your phone, you scanned qr codes and tried to find and collect all eight flowers. Once scanned, a picture and short description of the flower would pop up as it added itself to your index. We also went inside the castle itself, and I will say, of all the Japanese castles that I've been to so far, I enjoyed the experience of being at the top the least. The railing at the top just felt a little too precarious for me! Also, the stair were comically steep- I had to be so careful going down, basically sliding down them one by one.

After collecting all eight flowers, you scan in at an area that puts together a little projection just for you, congratulating you on all your hard work! We then stopped to watch the lightshow on the castle itself, which was really cool. It was then time to start the drive back to Niihama, leaving behind a successful Sunday in Kochi.



  

I love to go to 2nd hand stores like Hardoff and 2nd street. It is really fun for me to browse and look for unique items. I often get collectable cards for my brother or household items from there. My favorite thing that I've gotten from there is my computer case, its huge. I like it because I use it everyday.  

I'm coming up on six months in the Philippines. It has been an amazing experience living here, experiencing my wife's culture, and getting to know her family. I am glad I came!



  

Welcome back!

This past week I celebrated my birthday!! I had so much fun with my friends at a barbecue place called 肉匠 綾商店 (Nikusho Aya Shoten). It was hands down one of the best meals I have ever had!! The best meal, specifically, was the raw sirloin meat sushi. It melted in my mouth. I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Please try out this restaurant if you have a chance!!



Till next time,


Pamela  

This curry from Ebisu in Takuma was incredible! Super flavorful and the restaurant itself was very nice. I Highly recommend it!  

I celebrated Christmas day with my former Japanese teacher in Shikokuchuo and it was lovely! We ate the best chicken ever and had some of the best cake I've ever had! I love the holidays but it makes me a little fat! Oh well (:
  

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (meaning beautiful/graceful ocean) is located on the northwestern area of the island of Okinawa. It is the second largest in the world after the one in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA.

The main fish tank (Kuroshio Sea) is around 35 meters long, 27 meters wide, and 10 meters deep. It contains manta rays, various species of fish from the surrounding ocean, and even a very large whale shark. There is a second large tank (Coral Sea Tank) in which there are around 450 colonies of reef-building corals.

There is also a shark exhibit in the aquarium, and a dolphin tank outside the aquarium near the ocean with regular shows put on by the dolphins and their trainers. Visitors can even get up close to the dolphins to touch and feed them if they wish. Also outside the aquarium main building is an additional building with a small tank that houses a mother manatee and her baby. Visitors can watch their playful interaction through the glass tank.

There is so much to see and do at the Churaumi Aquarium. It is a very popular place to visit. If you ever take a trip to Okinawa, then a visit to the aquarium should be on your list of places to go!
  

While we were in Colorado, we got to try "using" dowsing rods. Dowsing rods are usually two sticks or metal rods. People used them in the past to try to find water.



However, the people who used these rods were big frauds. They said they were using the rods to find water, but really they knew how to find water already. They looked at nature and the environment to figure out where the water was. But they told people the rods found the water since they didn't want people to learn their secret of how to find water by themselves.

But when we used the rods, we were told we could use them to detect ghosts! It didn't seem very truthful, but it was fun to pretend! Do you think you can find ghosts this way?
  

I recently took an allergy test. I already knew that I was sensitive to dust and cats, but I was surprised to learn that I'm allergic to this plant. Do you know what it is? In America, we call it a cattail. I've never thought twice about cattails. I had no idea that I would have an allergy to them. So for me, keep away all cats and CAT-tails!  

Another very popular piece by Bach is the Concerto For Two Violins, BWV 1043. Bach wrote several concertos, but this is perhaps his best known. It was
a favorite of Albert Schweitzer. Bach's sons
transposed the music to be played on two organs.
and several performances of the Concerto can be found on YouTube, violin and organ alike   

The snow can build up quite quicly in Hokkaido making roof clearing a challenging task. On this small garage the snow has built up over time and created layers that are difficult to remove. It is best to remove the snow on a regular basis. When the snow is powdery it is much easier to remove than after it slightly melts and become heavy.  

As I mentioned in last week's blog, I really enjoy following the American professional sports leagues - especially the NFL, NBA and MLB. Even being a half a world away, it is fairly easy to stay updated with the most recent events if one has the internet. In fact, one can even pay for an online service to get live streaming of games of one's favorite team or league! In that way, a sports junkie can watch his favorite team LIVE in real time. I'm not that 'hard core' of a fan, so I can wait a bit to read about the summary of a game, as well as to analyze the box scores, and watch the post game interviews...all online of course!

As I also mentioned in last week's blog, every week there are some of the most interesting and amazing team, game, and player storylines. Recently, say about 2 or 3 weeks ago, a defensive NFL football player was making a tackle as he got hit directly in the chest by the player's helmet he was tackling. The impact caused this 24-year old defensive player to go into cardiac arrest. He collapsed on the field as his heart stopped beating. Physicians and medical personnel rushed out to him on the field and had to perform CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) to get his heart beating again. Only to have it stop again! CPR had to be performed twice on him to stabilize his heart before going to the hospital. Fortunately, the player has made a miraculous recovery without any lasting neurological (brain) damage, though it looks like his playing days are over. Also, the game in which they were playing was canceled as many of the players were traumatized by this on-field experience.

It was good to see this, and it certainly did put things into their proper perspective.





  

Which do you prefer, cats or dogs? Personally, I like dogs more than cats. I like very big dogs because I'm also quite big so it's fun having a large dog by my side. But, I still think cats are very fun and cute as well. My friend has a lot of cats and I often see hers and they make me happy. Which do you prefer and why?  

For New Year's, my friends and I got together for a takoyaki party, or a takopa! While we are not professionals by any means, we had lots of fun making takoyaki together, and they turned out delicious. Of course, we topped them with kewpie mayo, takoyaki sauce, and katsuobushi. Here's hoping that this new year is just as messy, fun and delicious as homemade takoyaki!



  

Did you have a fun new years? I did! we had delicious food, dancing, karaoke, and launched fireworks. It was a really fun time!


  

Hello!!

I went to Yashima two days ago with some friends.

One of my friends introduced us to one of his favorite restaurants in Yashima. It was serene. The picture does not do the restaurant justice.


Till next time,


Pamela  

I had this strawberry milk crepe the other day. The amount of strawberries and cream inside of this dessert made the texture pillowy smooth. Very very good.  

One of my friends went home over Christmas/New Year break but before she went we were able to exchange presents and have a nice Christmas Ice Cream Cake from 31! Look at it! Doesn't it look delicious???
  

In Japan, on New Years Day, Japanese traditionally eat a special kind of food called Osechi-ryori. This term is loosely translated into seasonal or significant period food. The custom was imported from China and developed during the Heian Period (794-1185) in Japan. Over time, the tradition has developed into a custom that is widespread throughout Japan. The foods used in Osechi-ryori are varied but there are many common staple foods that are included such as O-zoni (mochi soup), pickled vegetables (tsukemono), and a large portion of boiled vegetables (nimono) with soy sauce and sugar.

These foods were typically made at home prior to 1 January; but today many people purchase them at specialty stores, grocery stores, or even convenience stores in Japan. The dishes usually are served in lacquered boxes called jubako and stacked on top of each other. Each food dish has a meaning for specific blessings or wishes for the new year. They also have positive attachments based on their shape, color, and name!

Osechi is normally eaten on 1 January as the first meal of the day – usually sometime around mid-morning. Families celebrate with this special food and along with lively and animated conversation; and hope for a happy and healthy start to the new year!
  

The hotel in the Colorado hotel was amazing! Inside, there was a hot tub and a pool for small children, but the main pool was the most interesting part. You can't really see it in this picture, but the pool went right through the wall to the outside! You could choose whether you wanted to swim inside or outside, all in the same pool!



This is the part that was outside. The pool was heated, which was good because it was very cold outside! I couldn't swim in the outside part because even though the water was warm, the air was freezing!



What is the coolest place you've ever swum in?