Great Article

I found this article the other day and it was the first logical explaination of high prices in Japan.

No Turkey. . .

I asked around the office where I could purchase turkey. I was laughed at, and I finally provided that henna gaijin entertainment they've been waiting for. Turkey in Japanese is shichi-men-cho (七面鳥) which means literally means seven-sided-bird. I have no clue where the name comes from, but I don't know if I would eat a bird known to have seven sides. Back home I ate turkey all the time, it's my favorite type of sandwich all while being a really healthy lean meat. That's one thing Americans have up on Japanese in terms of healthy food.

My friend in the next town was having a Thanksgiving dinner for a few of us gringos and I really wanted to have turkey but I gave up and bought beef. It was nice though, we all cooked a meal, drank wine, and chatted it up long after the wine was complete. It was nice because we all were displaced for our holiday yet we made the most of it, even though we opted out of the traditional food. The point of Thanksgiving isn't the turkey or mashed potatoes, it's being with the people you don't see very often and recognizing the good even in the midst of the bad. That's exactly what our group did. we are all relatively new here; moreover, none of us new eachother well. Each of us would have preferred to be with our families but for that night we became family and I think everyone went home happier than when they arrived.

On an another note, a bunch of the Viet Cong went back to the homeland a few weeks ago and I've had to share the kitchen with very few people. It's been nice being able to use the appliances and not having to wait for clean pans and chopsticks. All good things come to an end. Cliche but I don't know how else to describe the feeling I just had. I heard a lot of people walking up the stairs speaking jibberish. Laughing and yelling. It meant only one thing: The Viet Cong are back in full force and they're going to try and take the kitchen from me! Not under my watch. I know better this time, I'm their Sempai and if they piss me off I'll make them clean my nutsack.

(I have nothing against Vietnamese people...I do have issues with the ones who live in my dorm though. If they were Korean, Mexican, Croation, or American, I'd have the same issues)

Matsushima, ah Matsushima...

That is the first line of a famous poem about Matsushima, one of the three most scenic views in Japan and where I spent my Saturday. I was invited by the sales department and it was a really good time. I kind of wish we weren't so rushed the whole time and I'd like to go back and be able to take my time.

Matsushima is a small town overlooking a bay that is dotted with tiny islands covered in pine trees. Matsu means pine tree, shima means island, thus we have pine tree islands. These islands scatter the water-some bigger than others, some more famous than others, but together they do provide a spectacular sight especially if it's a sunny, brisk autumn afternoon.

We left the parking lot at 6:30am and we went by a bus that was perfect for the 17 other travelers, our luggage, our snacks, and our coolers full of alcohol. Like the last bus ride I took, the guys were breaking out the beers as soon as they got on the bus but I had to refuse until around 8.

With all the drunks, we stopped a few too many times for bathroom breaks and arrived to Matsushima late. We missed the boat that we were scheduled to ride and decided to get lunch and take the next one. Lunch was amazing-being on a bay that is famous for its oysters and being in an area that is famous for seafood in general, everyone ordered oysters and kaizen-don(sashimi donburi). The oysters were huge, slippery and ugly but they were delicious. I ate fresh scallops, oysters, sashimi and I was content.

On the other hand, my fellow travelers' tastes weren't fulfilled with mere seafood they needed something else. What was it? Beef tongue. Near bye Sendai is famous in Japan for its beef tongue. Every Japanese city has at least one local delicacy that it claims to be the best in Japan. My town for instance claims it's sauce katsu is the best in the land. Osaka claims its Takoyaki to be better than anywhere else, and Hiroshima's okonomiyaki is famous all over the islands. But Beef Tongue? So random. Honestly, I've had beef tongue before and it's pretty good but I'd rather eat steak or prime rib. I just thought it was hilarious that these people were creaming their pants over something so obscure as cow tongue. Myself and a few others opted out of the beef tongue craze and went to see the castle ruins of Aoba castle. I was glad that I did it because there was a beautiful view of Sendai with some nice statues and monuments in the park.

Back to Matsushima-we took a little cruise boat around the bay and got to see a whole bunch of the islands. Every now and then the boat stopped so we could get better looks at certain islands which were said to be more beautiful or famous than the others. I didn't really care about this because the scenery as a whole is what makes it one of the 3 scenic views. The view wasn't the most awe inspiring thing in the world-the rocky mountains and some coastal views in Hawaii beat Matsushima in terms of awesomeness, but this
place's beauty was very subtle. It wasn't one view that made it one of the most scenic places in Japan but it was the experience. A single tree rising from the rock; the holes bored from thousands of years of weather wear; the hawk darting out of the woods to catch a fish; the fisherman in their boats; the oyster pastures spread out over the water-the list goes on but it were these small things that gave it beauty. It wasn't merely the islands but it was the spaces between them that made them inspiring. The serenity invoked from the autumn leaves dusting the mountains in the distance and the simple, pointless conversations with my companions made the hour spent on the water more than just walking around a tourist trap.

We made the ride back from Sendai that day and made it back to Kiryu by around 9pm. We still had a lot of snacks, beer, and chu hai left over so that was split up amongst us to take home. I'm actually enjoying one of those beers as I currently write this blog entry. I think a day in the Sendai area was enough but I wish I could have taken more time to walk around the cities of Matsushima and Sendai to get a feel for the local flavor a bit more. But, it was a good trip and hopefully I'll return during another season to get another experience.

Stupid

Japanese people don't like their faces on television. It's annoying as hell when someone's getting interviewed and you have to stare at his shoulder or back. It's even more annoying when they blur everyone in a crowd so you can't see anything but the subject. And why the fuck do they all need their voices blurred out? It's not like they're all witnesses to a mafia killing and need to be fearful for their life. It's people who witnessed an accident or are affected by certain laws.

Anyway, I was staring at the back of this kid's head. He was a highschool student wearing one of those black military coats and the back of his collar was covered with snowflakes. Dandruff. Seriously it was pretty nasty.

It's 5:00 somewhere...Who gives a shit?

My cell-phone alarm was ear-splitting as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. 7:00am on a Sunday isn't how I enjoy spending weekend mornings and I immediately fell asleep again. I woke up again at 7:30 because I new I had to be ready to leave in an hour. One of the members of my team at work was throwing a big barbecue party for a visiting member from our Shanghai office. I said that I would go, but that early on Sunday I awoke regretting my decision.

Another member of purchasing arrived at my dorm and took me to the place everyone was meeting. We all met at one of our warehouses and rode a bus to his house. At 9:30 am the bus took off and before I had my morning coffee I was taking pulls of nihonshu. Well not pulls, rather sips of the vile substance from a plastic cup. I have to say that I'm not a fan of Japanese sake; I'm willing to drink it if it's being served but I wouldn't buy a bottle of the stuff for myself-maybe I've only tried the bad stuff. Anyway, someone said that the ride would only be 20 minutes; however, four beers and that cup of sake later, we pulled over next to a pond so that myself and two others with weak bladders could pee. A teenager was fishing in the pond beside us and didn't think twice when three boisterous, obviously intoxicated men got off the bus and started draining their lizards at 10am. I have to give that kid props for keeping his cool. He's going to grow up to be a very good man. I know it. We stopped again 10 minutes later at a rest stop where I finished another beer and urinated outside because I couldn't figure out how to open the door of the men's room.

At around 11:30 I stumbled off the bus to find other members of my company at the barbecue, starting fires and hauling the food from the house and onto the grill. The day had started out great-I was drunk and soon to be fed piles upon piles of meat.

I figured we'd eat yakiniku and maybe a few other things, but I was very wrong. It seemed like every 10 minutes a new delicacy was being added to our feast-sashimi, oden, beef, and pork. Finally out came the venison-I found out my coworker is a hunter which made me respect him even more. I have a special place in my heart for gun touting Japanese men who live in the mountains and grow their own apples. That's right, he had about three apple trees and we all got to take our pick of fresh, ripe apples!

Back to the deer meat. I ate it raw, I ate it cooked, I ate whatever was put in front of me. I had forgotten that I liked venison so much! After the venison a plate was being passed around with a dark steamy plate of another beast. What was it this time? BEAR. No kidding, I ate bear. It was rather chewy and overcooked but the meat had an interesting flavor. I recommend trying it if you ever get the chance.

This entire time I was pounding the booze. Japanese sake, Chinese sake, Beer, Wine, Chu-hai, and anything else I could pour down my throat. The barbecue lasted until after we were out of food, but ended when we ran out of alcohol. When it became clear that there wasn't anymore, I got desperate and began searching the tables for unopened cans of beer and I found a can. I was very proud of myself and the other guests' eyes screamed envy at me. I laughed at them as I poured the brew down my throat.

For once I wasn't the only foreigner at one of these kinds of things-there were some Chinese people and some Thai people who spoke fluent Japanese. It was nice because people weren't constantly complementing my "arigatou's" and "hajimemashite's." One of the Thai girls was pretty cool and we ended up getting food with another one of her friends after the barbecue...more on that later.

I realized that I enjoy children a lot more when I've been drinking. This sounds horrible, but I feel after I loosen up I can earn their affection better than when I'm sober. I had a short conversation with a girl who was probably 12; it was probably her first time talking to a non-Asian but she didn't seem to care. She asked if she could shake my hand and I showed her how to shake hands with just enough squeeze. It was fun while it lasted; she left me after realizing that punching family members while they are drunk and passed out was more fun. I can't blame her and wish that my uncles would have been "that guy" at family Christmases. I'd probably have better relationships with them than I do today.

I fell asleep on the bus ride back and woke up in the parking lot with a hangover. It was 6pm. I got back to my dorm, drank some water and went back at it with my new found Thai friends. However, the place we went to deserves it's own separate post. To make a long story short we went to a new hip "English-fusion" cafe/bar. In reality it was a gaijin host club and I felt really awkward being there. All the waiters/bartenders eat and drink with the guests speaking English-they even played shuffleboard with us. They were nice enough but that's their job-to smile and nod and be friends with the all the guests. On the upside, they make stiff drinks and serve beer in large glasses. I may return for that reason alone...maybe the darts as well.

I was reminded this weekend of the joys of being totally hammed by noon and to sustain such a feeling until late in the evening. I may complain about life in Japan at times, but it is days like last Sunday that make me love this place. Coworkers, adults, and old men-acting like college students before a morning football game (only without the game of course).