Monday, February 26, 2007
Shamisen Awesomeness - YOSHIDA BROTHERS -- Tsugaru Jongara 2007.1.1
Shamisen is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument. It's fretless, has three strings and the strings are plucked with a flat, car-window-ice-scraper-like thing that you will see if you watch this. Please enjoy these brothers rocking out.
Friday, February 09, 2007
RANDOM8
Little Kanji, from the taiko group, flings a ball down the alley. Me, Yoshie + Kanji (big sis, little bro), Chika + Suguru (same) and Nagisa, all went bowling a week ago. We had the gutter-guards put in for Suguru and Kanji which meant those who would've done terribly normally did better than those who would've done alright without them. It was fun times!
Shoko's big dog, Daikichi (or Dai-chan). Shoko took me to her absolute favourite place in the ken (more favourite than the previous places that we saw in the autumn)...it's a gorgeous hike through bamboo and other trees unknown to me to the top of this huge hill from which you can see Kudamatsu on one side and neighbouring Tokuyama on the other. About halfway up the hill Shoko let Dai-chan loose and man that can dog run. Energy for daaays. Just tore all over the forest without missing a step.
Angela Aki - the only taste of "J-Pop" that I've really taken to. She writes her own songs, plays her own piano, and sings with her own voice. A rarity in pop these days, I think. She's half American, went to uni there, and is fluent in English. She also has a lovely down-to-earthness which I judge from her appearences on TV. One time she was playing one of her songs with a full orchestra at this beautiful concert hall and she walked out in jeans, t-shirt (not a tight sexy one, but a regular, kind of baggy t-shirt) and a zip-up hoody sweater. Awesome.
Below are two pictures (in a series of 5) that Mike or Anna took while I was napping in their apartment over winter holidays. I discovered them by accident later when I was previewing that pics on my camera.
Little Kanji, from the taiko group, flings a ball down the alley. Me, Yoshie + Kanji (big sis, little bro), Chika + Suguru (same) and Nagisa, all went bowling a week ago. We had the gutter-guards put in for Suguru and Kanji which meant those who would've done terribly normally did better than those who would've done alright without them. It was fun times!
Shoko's big dog, Daikichi (or Dai-chan). Shoko took me to her absolute favourite place in the ken (more favourite than the previous places that we saw in the autumn)...it's a gorgeous hike through bamboo and other trees unknown to me to the top of this huge hill from which you can see Kudamatsu on one side and neighbouring Tokuyama on the other. About halfway up the hill Shoko let Dai-chan loose and man that can dog run. Energy for daaays. Just tore all over the forest without missing a step.
Angela Aki - the only taste of "J-Pop" that I've really taken to. She writes her own songs, plays her own piano, and sings with her own voice. A rarity in pop these days, I think. She's half American, went to uni there, and is fluent in English. She also has a lovely down-to-earthness which I judge from her appearences on TV. One time she was playing one of her songs with a full orchestra at this beautiful concert hall and she walked out in jeans, t-shirt (not a tight sexy one, but a regular, kind of baggy t-shirt) and a zip-up hoody sweater. Awesome.
Below are two pictures (in a series of 5) that Mike or Anna took while I was napping in their apartment over winter holidays. I discovered them by accident later when I was previewing that pics on my camera.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Better late than never: My Grandma plays the electric organ. [Originally shot in August of 2006]
She didn't know I was taping....the room is what the call the "store"; lots of random craft-like things my grandpa makes, as well as an enormous collection of jazz and old rock albums that my great-grandmother accumulated.
She didn't know I was taping....the room is what the call the "store"; lots of random craft-like things my grandpa makes, as well as an enormous collection of jazz and old rock albums that my great-grandmother accumulated.
Kids Say The Darndest Things.
One of the games I play with the kids as a warmup is the ol' "Who/What Am I?" game. It's basically a riddle game; I describe myself and the kids have to guess "Are you ----?". The following are two episodes of this game that actually happened this week. *Note. most of the kids, as you might very well do when listening to a language you are just beginning to learn, pick out certain key words they know and skip over the words they don't know. Which explains what happened.
"What am I? I can be short, I can be long.
I can be small, I can be big!
I am in every school and house.
I know everything! There are many of me in the library" [answer: a book]
One 7th grade girl, Reina: "Are you poo?"
Mr. Tadachi, who I was teaching with that day, thought of this one:
"Who am I? I was the president of South Africa.
I fought for freedom and equality. I was in prison for 26 years.
I am over 80 years old. I am a black man. Who am I?"
Mischevious boy: "Michael Jackson!" and then did a little dance.
One of the games I play with the kids as a warmup is the ol' "Who/What Am I?" game. It's basically a riddle game; I describe myself and the kids have to guess "Are you ----?". The following are two episodes of this game that actually happened this week. *Note. most of the kids, as you might very well do when listening to a language you are just beginning to learn, pick out certain key words they know and skip over the words they don't know. Which explains what happened.
"What am I? I can be short, I can be long.
I can be small, I can be big!
I am in every school and house.
I know everything! There are many of me in the library" [answer: a book]
One 7th grade girl, Reina: "Are you poo?"
Mr. Tadachi, who I was teaching with that day, thought of this one:
"Who am I? I was the president of South Africa.
I fought for freedom and equality. I was in prison for 26 years.
I am over 80 years old. I am a black man. Who am I?"
Mischevious boy: "Michael Jackson!" and then did a little dance.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Illness - Ill!
Just a short story to let you know I am well cared for here.
Two days ago, on Tuesday, I woke up in the morning feeling like I might, just might, throw up. But I said to myself, no, Ken, this is probably just from eating two suppers the night before. So I went to school, did my lessons for the day (all in the morning that day) with my usual vigour and good energy but then felt a little weird afterwards. Munechika sensei (English teacher) told me that Okuda sensei (another English teacher and my private Japanese tutor) was absent that day because she came down with the flu. Well. I was at Okuda's house the night before for my lessons so I thought, hmm. Maybe I've caught something ( I was later informed that flu takes at least 5 or 6 days to manifest itself after contraction).
In any case, I was starting to develop a fever so Munechika called the Board of Education office, talked to Kawamura (one of my supervisors, she of the ginger tea) who promptly drove over with Komatsu (my other super) and picked me up from school, like an ambulance or something. They drove me to a nearby clinic where I met one of my students, 3rd year girl. Komatsu asked me if I was embarassed that this little girl was here by herself and I was escorted by two adults. After getting some drugs, they drove me home and commanded me to sleep.
At this point you're probably thinking to yourself, wow, what considerate teachers and supervisors he has, that they would take time out of their day to do all this for him. Wait til I tell you that those two showed up after work with a big grocery bag full of appropriate food for feverish people. Moreover, when they arrived, they brought in another big bag full of fruit and juice that Shoko (she of the awesome daytrips and encyclipaedic knowledge of everything Japan) had dropped off and hung on my doorknob, so as not to disturb me (I had told her of my illness via cell txt). While we were marvelling over all this goodwill, Munechika sensei dropped by with a hot take-out okonomiyaki (one of my fav foods, as she recalled from one of my lessons) and a box of strawberries. Wow.
The entire inventory of gifted foods is as follows:
5 packages of rice gruel (soft, hot rice soup stuff)
3 cups of Doraimon chocolate pudding
2 cups of fruit yogurt
2 big apples
2 packages of fresh rolls from the bakery
1 cinnamon roll from the bakery
2 packages of multi-vitamin juice
1 pack of omochi
1 quick-make udon set
1 okonomiyaki
1 bottle of apple juice (355mL)
1 bottle of Aquarious (2L)
1 bottle of Pokari Sweat (1.5L) [these last two are like energy
drinks...very delish]
1 box of strawberries.
My parents called the next day (I had emailed them about this wonderful generosity)and they were very happy and thankful to know I had such good friends looking out for me. 'Are they all women [who brought this food for you]?` asked my Dad. `Incidentally, yes they are', I replied. 'You are your father's son', he said with a laugh. Whatever THAT's supposed to mean!
The point of the story here, is that I am not alone, even when ill. Fear not for your little Kenny, he is in good hands.
Just a short story to let you know I am well cared for here.
Two days ago, on Tuesday, I woke up in the morning feeling like I might, just might, throw up. But I said to myself, no, Ken, this is probably just from eating two suppers the night before. So I went to school, did my lessons for the day (all in the morning that day) with my usual vigour and good energy but then felt a little weird afterwards. Munechika sensei (English teacher) told me that Okuda sensei (another English teacher and my private Japanese tutor) was absent that day because she came down with the flu. Well. I was at Okuda's house the night before for my lessons so I thought, hmm. Maybe I've caught something ( I was later informed that flu takes at least 5 or 6 days to manifest itself after contraction).
In any case, I was starting to develop a fever so Munechika called the Board of Education office, talked to Kawamura (one of my supervisors, she of the ginger tea) who promptly drove over with Komatsu (my other super) and picked me up from school, like an ambulance or something. They drove me to a nearby clinic where I met one of my students, 3rd year girl. Komatsu asked me if I was embarassed that this little girl was here by herself and I was escorted by two adults. After getting some drugs, they drove me home and commanded me to sleep.
At this point you're probably thinking to yourself, wow, what considerate teachers and supervisors he has, that they would take time out of their day to do all this for him. Wait til I tell you that those two showed up after work with a big grocery bag full of appropriate food for feverish people. Moreover, when they arrived, they brought in another big bag full of fruit and juice that Shoko (she of the awesome daytrips and encyclipaedic knowledge of everything Japan) had dropped off and hung on my doorknob, so as not to disturb me (I had told her of my illness via cell txt). While we were marvelling over all this goodwill, Munechika sensei dropped by with a hot take-out okonomiyaki (one of my fav foods, as she recalled from one of my lessons) and a box of strawberries. Wow.
The entire inventory of gifted foods is as follows:
5 packages of rice gruel (soft, hot rice soup stuff)
3 cups of Doraimon chocolate pudding
2 cups of fruit yogurt
2 big apples
2 packages of fresh rolls from the bakery
1 cinnamon roll from the bakery
2 packages of multi-vitamin juice
1 pack of omochi
1 quick-make udon set
1 okonomiyaki
1 bottle of apple juice (355mL)
1 bottle of Aquarious (2L)
1 bottle of Pokari Sweat (1.5L) [these last two are like energy
drinks...very delish]
1 box of strawberries.
My parents called the next day (I had emailed them about this wonderful generosity)and they were very happy and thankful to know I had such good friends looking out for me. 'Are they all women [who brought this food for you]?` asked my Dad. `Incidentally, yes they are', I replied. 'You are your father's son', he said with a laugh. Whatever THAT's supposed to mean!
The point of the story here, is that I am not alone, even when ill. Fear not for your little Kenny, he is in good hands.
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