New Year's Eve~ Hot Ramen~!

Thursday, December 31, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments

Tosh, Shimon, Annie, and I decided to bring in the new year Japanese style. We went to a local shrine that was suggested by Shimon and Tosh. We waited for a bit at the shrine, but we were too cold so we decided to get something warm to eat.

I had the best Ramen in the world at the shop that was located near the shrine. It was spicy, hot, savory, and the best thing I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a Ramen that compares to it.

After eating we went back to the shrine to participate in the festivities. We mainly huddled close to some burning logs and just talked.

I thought about the year that had gone by. I thought about the friends that I had made and the life I was living. I was thankful for everything. I just was glad to be living in that moment. Even though things might change in the future and we might all drift apart, I was grateful for having everyone that moment and I was thankful for being there.

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Warmth of Family During the Winter

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
I went to visit my host family in Nagoya the day before Christmas eve. Who else would you rather spend your Pre-Christmas eve with?

I was happy that no matter what happened with my life in Toyohashi, I always had a wonderful family in Nagoya that I could count on. This kind of family life was something I didn't get to experience much of back in the US. I know that even though she's not my real mother, I really love her as much as anyone else who I consider to be my mom.
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A Christmas Party~

Sunday, December 20, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
Gabby's Christmas Party 2009~!
Wonderful friends, foods, drinks, and presents!
I invited my Japanese teacher to the event and he seemed to enjoy himself. There was a random gift exchange for the party as well. I got a cat that Nancy (Shimon's Mom put into the exchange). All around a fun and jovial time.

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Beautiful Downtown Toyohashi

Monday, December 14, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
Toyohashi, my windy home for the year, has a spectacular downtown. There are shops for almost everything you could need, amazing food vendors and restaurants, and a station that can take you almost anywhere in Japan.

The view was especially amazing this winter. They really go all out with the lights and Christmas spirit (Japanese style of course). The crisp winter days and nights are contrasted by the warm lights and beautiful decorations all down the main street downtown. No matter how cold it got, and believe you me it got really freaking cold during the winter months, the warm lights always gave me a boost of warm energy and invigorated
me, reminding me that I was living in such an amazing place.

I always loved walking downtown during the winter because it was so calm and beautiful. Sure, it was lively near the station during the day and early evenings, but when I got back late some nights around 10ish and walked back to my apartment; the calm streets and beautifully lit buildings made my walk home almost like a time for meditation and self-reflection.


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Mt. Horaiji

Monday, November 23, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
Mt. Horaiji Shinshiro
Nancy invited me to see the autumn leaves at Mt. Horaiji in Shinshiro. It wasn't that far from Toyohashi by car, about an hour or so.  We spotted some monkeys on the road up to the main parking area.

The Autumn leaves were beautiful and we also met a few other foreigners who were visiting the area. When we were leaving the cars were lined up (about 30 cars back from the entrance). This destination was not only beautiful, but very popular.


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Here's some information I found online about the destination.

Mt Horaiji, located in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, was formed by lava 20 to 15 million years ago. The mountain consists of dacite, pitchstone and other minerals found in the area.

Mt Horaiji is located on the southern edge of dormant volcanos in Okumikawa. Horaiji Temple and Toshogu Shrine stand as venerated sites on the slopes of the mountain. Moreover, religious relics such as an old mirror have been found here.

The main building of Horaiji was scorched by fire many times and in Showa 49, the present building was completed. Toshogu Shrine is associated with the Tokugawa family and the third general, Iemitsu, built it for his father, Ieyasu. You have to climb 1425 stone steps to visit the shrine.

For each of the four seasons, Mt Horaiji has a highlight. It is famous as a good place to enjoy the red leaves of autumn and, in November, a Maple Festival is held here to which many people come.  
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A Rachel, A Wedding, & Bowling

Saturday, July 25, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
What's Pink, Green, & Orange, with sweetness all over? No, it's not a watermelon on a ShamWow towel; it's Rachel in her new yukata! Rachel was dying for the opportunity to show off her new yukata, but there were no festivals in which to wear it too. Her time was running out in Japan as well, so she decided to wear the yukata to dinner at the local Coco's Curry House.

As we approached the store, I admired Rachel for her valiant effort to wear her yukata, even if it was just to dinner. There was also a stomach-churning feeling of embarrassment; I didn't think anyone else would wear a yukata to dinner on a normal work day. I have to hand it to Rachel, she didn't seem the least bit phased as we entered the restaurant.


When we entered, we were greeted and shown to our table. There I think Rachel started to feel a little bit uneasy, but we just talked and decided what to eat. The worse part about the whole situation was when our food came. The waitress decided that it would be a shame to get the beautiful yukata dirty, so she made Rachel wear a big bib. I guess they did have a point, but I don't think this helped Rachel feel more at ease.

There was something more eventful that happened that weekend. My Japanese co-worker, Mai, was getting married. I was invited to the after after-party. You might think I felt a little rejected, but I was relieved. If I had been invited to the main wedding I would have had to give the groom and bride a cash present. I just couldn't afford anything at this time. I was glad to participate in the after after-party.


The party was fun and it consisted of a lot of activities that involved everyone and gave people the opportunity to meet each other. I think it was well planned and an open bar wasn't a bad idea either. I was glad I had familiar faces around because I feel awkward in those kinds of situations sometimes. I think everyone had a blast and I had a great time getting to know Catalina a little better. I think we are going to be great friends. Unrelated to the wedding was bowling that weekend at Round One, a fitting end to a great week.

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A somber end... An unknown future

Sunday, July 12, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
Nothing is permanent. We just have to treasure the moment. We can't live in the same time forever.

As the moment approached towards Ray's inevitable completion of his contract, I was unsure what to expect. Ray had not only been a great co-worker, but an invaluable friend. This being my first real full-time job, I was a novice in most respects, but his guidance and wisdom made the transition from being a college student to a teacher possible. He showed me that teaching is about getting the students to have fun and getting them interested in the subject matter.

To tell you the truth, I was more in Japan for the cultural experience; teaching was always some-what secondary. He inspired me to teach to the best of my ability and that the job, though hard at times, was really rewarding; I would have a lasting impression on these students.

I am also worried about what exactly the new teacher is going to be like. The unknown always gives me some apprehension. Is she kind and fun like the rest of the people I've met so far in Japan? If so, I'm sure we will be great friends. Catalina, are you going to be friend or foe?

This weekend some friends from church decided to have a proper farewell ceremony for Ray. The main organizer of this event was J.P. He's a tall, skinny man who's always dressed properly. Hiding in this skinny build is a man who loves to eat. The past couple of lunches we've had together consisted not only of excellent food, but an amazing show of how the stomach can stretch on a skinny person.

The Brazilian restaurant we went to was located in the city of Hamamatsu. The drive took about an hour, and I fell asleep for most of the ride. I don't know why, but I felt very lethargic after church. Maybe it also had to do with the weather. It began to pour in the morning; Weather in Japan can be very chaotic. It can be a sunny with no clouds in sight on one day, and a typhoon on the next day. A tip for all the people planning to stay for an extended amount of time in Japan: Buy a good umbrella!

After finding the place, we ran out of the van and into the restaurant, trying to avoid getting drenched from the onslaught of island weather. The food at the restaurant was excellent. The menu consisted of all-you-can-eat meat with a salad buffet. The meal was comprised of all kinds of slices of beef, all slowly cooked to perfection, and bathed in it's own juice. There was an amazing selection of meats from different parts of the cow that I wouldn't have even thought to eat. There was a waiter who came out every 5 minutes with a kabob that had another cut of beef. There was also a superb cheese lasagna that really had the good cheese I had been missing while in Japan.

I tried looking for this place again, but I have never found this secluded restaurant since. The restaurant and my dear friend, Ray, will be missed. Hopefully, I will be able to find them both again.





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Weekend, don't end!

Monday, May 4, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
As I woke up, I realized that I didn't have work the next day, this endowed me with an invigorating energy.

With this newfound strength, I rode my bike to the neighboring city of Toyokawa. The two neighboring cities are separated by a large river that stretches far past the horizon. The bridge that came between me and my destination was a long arched concrete structure. This arched concrete dragon made me cringe at the thought of biking up it because I was so out of shape.

After huffing and puffing, I conquered the concrete structure and arrived at my destination. "Where to?", I asked my faithful sidekick, Ray. "To the dollar store!", he replied with enthusiasm. "The dollar store?" you might ask... Yes! Dollar stores in Japan are amazing. And this was the behemoth of dollar stores. There was everything a person could ever want at that dollar store. You could literally start your life in Japan from the various products at this dollar store. The only problem was that not everything was a dollar. (Dollar store referring to the 100 yen shop)

This posed to be a problem when we were checking out. Ray decided that he wanted one post card. How does this pose a problem you might think. Well... if you're buying a two for 100 yen marked postcard, they will not let you leave the store unless you pick up another post card. Yes, they wouldn't let him get a single card for 100 yen because it was two for 100 yen. After talking with the cashier in frustration, Ray gave up and we continued exploring the strange land of Toyokawa.

On Sunday, my host family came to visit. I just showed them around Toyohashi. It was nice seeing my host family again, and I was glad they drove out here to visit. It takes about an hour or two to drive to Toyohashi from Nagoya, so it's a pretty long ride.

We went around town, did some shopping, and hung out. We ate lunch at a decent ramen place near the Yamada Denki. After which they headed back to Nagoya. I hope I can go out to Nagoya soon and visit them.

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Nagano Here We Go!

Saturday, May 2, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
What makes golden week so golden? No, it's not the spring showers, but the consecutive national holidays that are connected to a voluptuous weekend. I was finally going to have some time to explore Japan... or so I thought. The first three days... I relaxed! "You're in Japan, you should go immerse yourself in the culture!", I could hear some people yelling, but after the first couple of tumultuous weeks, trust me, it's what most people would do. I decided for the first couple of days to just relax, but I also planned to take a trip with some international students from a local college.

This was a bus trip to the beautiful, serene mountains of Nagano. The bus ride took about 4 hours from Toyohashi station to our first destination, but it wasn't too bad. I talked with an Indonesian international student named Sidu. She was interesting and reminded me of a person I met in high school in Japan.

The only problem I had with the trip was that the stops were very brief. The trip primarily consisted of sitting in the bus, only leaving about an hour and a half to explore Nagano.

Everyone was very nice. I noticed almost all of the students had very nice DSLR cameras! They all seemed to be avid photographers, including Sidu.


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My First.... Excursion Around Toyohashi

Sunday, April 26, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
After a chaotic week of work, I got to explore Toyohashi with my co-worker and new friend, Ray! Having a weekend after a hard week of work is very gratifying, but it also feels very fleeting. I already feel the approaching work week, but it motivates me to have extra fun.

Ray decided to show me around Toyohashi this weekend. Toyohashi is actually quite big. You wouldn't know it unless you traveled around the city; it takes around an hour or so by car to get across.

Anyways, as we were biking around the city we ran into one of Ray's students at a kind of festival that was happening. It seems there's always something being celebrated in Japan. It was actually pretty interesting. It's nice to know that Japanese people are willing to go out and do these kinds of things. I personally would be too lazy to dress up and participate in a festival.

Moving on, we biked to a big shopping complex and game center called Sega. Here we stopped to eat at McDonalds. While we were eating I spotted some 12 year old boys smoking outside. I guess it's pretty easy to obtain cigarettes because you can buy them from vending machines. But it was still pretty shocking.

After we ate we went to play some games at the game center. There were two types of arcade systems at the game center. There were the token based ones which allowed you to try and win more tokens, and there were regular arcade games. Ray played the token based system and he actually won around $300 worth of tokens. He had more coins than he knew what to do with, so he gave some away and transferred the rest to an account with the game center which he could use to access later.

I had a great time and I will definitely try to get back to this place!

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A part of me in my Apartment

Saturday, April 18, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
Here I am in Toyohashi, Japan! What was I looking forward to the most? (Besides meeting my coworkers) Yes, I was looking forward to my apartment and here it is!

I'm living in an apartment complex called Higashi Mansion II. It's located about 5 minutes away from where I work, so it's very convenient. It's also pretty close to the main train station, which allows me to travel basically anywhere fairly easily. I live on the 5th floor of the apartment complex. It's the top floor and is quite a climb if you take the stairs, but luckily there's an elevator.

I pay around $420 a month for my 1 bedroom apartment which is actually awesome! It's what everyone here calls a 1LDK. Which means it has one bedroom, a living room, dinning area, and kitchen. I don't really call the ledge of the kitchen counter a real dinning area, but I can't complain. I also have a bonus loft area, which is awesome. It's probably because I'm on the top floor which allows for higher ceilings.

I really like this apartment. If only I could get something this nice in the Bay Area for $420 a month. This apartment is going to be my home for the next year.




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Training, Okayama, and Karaoke

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
The first two days in Japan were great. Everyone in my training group was really nice. Since there were only 6 people, I got to know everyone.

The first two days were just for settling into Japan and exploring Okayama. It's strange not knowing what you’re getting yourself into, but having people around you who are in the same situation makes things a lot more bearable. We had a lot of fun before training. We had adventures searching for a wi-fi hot spot, exploring Okayama Castle, walking around town trying to find places, trying to comprehend the expensive prices for things, and living in ignorance of how different the training days would be.

Everyone seemed restless finding a wi-fi spot because they wanted to contact their families and tell them that they were okay. They should really just have wi-fi at the training facilities, but we found a coffee place with an unsecured network that everyone could use. When you’re abroad, you really begin to appreciate the awesomeness of skype.

Having our internet cravings satisfied, we all decided to travel around Okayama looking for a grocery store. Why were we looking for one? Well after noticing the expensive prices everywhere, we decided that cooking would be cheaper in the long run. We walked, got lost, had an old man help us, and finally found the store. Luckily there was a Japanese major amongst us so we didn't have to wander completely ignorant of all the signs and maps.

We ended up walking to Okayama Castle. It was quite beautiful. We had lunch in the shade under some trees and then explored the castle.

Okayama castle was pretty interesting. From the top of the castle you can see the whole city. The castle seemed to be surrounded by an endless sea of buildings, an island of antiquated beauty in a bustling modern city. There was an exhibit that gave us the opportunity to wear traditional Japanese clothing. It seemed very hot and made me sorry for anyone who had to wear those clothes during the hot and humid Japan summers.

Second day, everyone pretty much did their own thing. I went with two other people; we ended up renting bikes and rode around the castles garden. It was beautiful and we were able to see the sakura in bloom.

Our last night before training was pretty crazy. It consisted of drinking, karaoke, drinking w/ random Japanese people, and more karaoke. It was an amazing ending to our first two days before training.

Training... I can't say much because not much happened and it's in our contract not to mention anything about what happened. All I can say is that it was hard, stressful, and each day after training we had to prepare for the next day’s training. This was our true introduction to the Japan we would be facing, 5 days a week.



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Haircut... OMG I'm going to dye!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
I got a haircut in Chinatown today with Rachel. The haircut was cheap and decent, so I can't complain. After the haircut I decided to dye my hair with a generic on-sale hair bleaching kit ($5, how can you beat that?). The directions said to leave the dye/bleach in your hair for about 30 minutes, but I figured that 15 minutes would be enough to get it brownish. After 15 minutes... it was ridiculously orange! I mean I'm okay with the hair, but I don't know if my job will think it's professional enough...
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Stinson Beach Pictures Uploaded!

Monday, April 6, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
I've uploaded pictures from my recent trip to Stinson Beach. I don't know if this server's stable. It's already crashed once on me while uploading pictures. Wish me luck!


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