Things to do in Chubu #4: Showa Village

Things to do in Central Japan (Chubu) #4 
Showa Village at Minokamo, Gifu

Showa "Village" is a little historical replication town from the same family as Meiji Village and Little World in the Gifu, Inuyama (just outside of Aichi) area. It is supposed to bring back memories of life during the Showa Era, or 1926-1989 (Apparently Godzilla and the original gameboys are already getting outdated so it's time to enshrine the memories of the time period at this park.)

Most of the replicas seem to focus on 50s/60s items such as television sets. Overall it's just a big park where you can walk around, stretch your legs, and see painted buildings. It cost money to enter but was not so expensive. Next to the park there is a Michinoeki.

They have some animals, which, perhaps it were best they didn't as the pens seemed a bit small and I can't imagine an alpaca enduring the summer in Japan, but overall it was a nice day out to stretch your legs and escape some of the smog of the big river delta that is Aichi and Mie prefecture.

Enjoy these photos, taken during springtime.

Max standing before a mock tea plantation. The tea bushes are real. It was nice.

House related to the tea plantation. Most buildings house small shops where you can pick up basic Japanese snacks like Dango (rice balls on a stick), meat on a stick, or oden fish cakes. 

Various activities are available for an additional but reasonable cost, such as ceramic pot throwing on a wheel, or simlpy painting already made pieces. 

Apprently people were really happy and really bright during the Showa Era.

There are murals throughout the park.

A schoolhouse, or building done in a traditional style.

A bus/train runs around the park and you can wait for it at little shack like stations like this.

The alpaca.

Small Animals "Encounters" Area

Look at the cute alpaca face! 

Room to roam if the city gets too tight for you!

A little house where you can watch rice pounding.

The pounding.

E-Published! First Edition of Pity Smacked!

Hello Blogspot World:

I have started a blog exclusively to follow my writings and fiction at http://maliaautiofiction.blogspot.com
It's for short writings, musings, and brainstorming writing exercises as well as for writing about the writing process and announcing any developments in full length completed works and such (if I can get to that point!) I did it in high school, I can't see why I can't do it now.

I have released my first ever full length novel's first edition. I wrote and edited this book during the time between eighth grade and sophomore year of high school. And I've chosen to e-publish this edition for kindle. Perhaps I will do print-on-demand available through Amazon once I've done a complete edit and overhaul. This will require getting back in touch with the characters to the point I feel I can accurately explore them on the written page. You really have to know your characters, even better than you know your friends. Hell, you have to feel and imagine for them. It's hard freaking work when you work a full time job. I can see why there's the stereotype that writers have to be holed up by themselves, and I'm just not that solitary of a person. Although I'm rediscovering passion for my projects.

It is imperfect, but fundamentally I think it's a great story so if you can see past little glitches, have a lot of time on your hands, and just want to see a story written from a young pure heart, this is the story for you. All original characters, and all original story line: 

This is available at Amazon.com kindle store. Kindle is functional on PCs, Kindles, iPads, and Macs once you download the software. http://www.amazon.com/Pity-Smacked-ebook/dp/B008CXL0TC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340989605&sr=8-1&keywords=pity+smacked

Funny Tiel

Cutie Cockatiel's Ma Name!

From Youtube Video at:

This is what cockatiels do when they want to be misted, get clean, or take a bath :D

Enjoy the random birdie!

Truth in Advertising: McDonalds

Tee Hee

Halloween Class Ideas

Pre Halloween Week Decorations!

It's holiday time at my school in Japan!

I've been invited and given the freedom to get as involved as I want at my school next week!

I'm inviting the children to come dressed in costumes. Some may show in costume, some may not. I may keep some ears and impromptu costumes. Good thing I have small classes! Four kids is the maximum size!

Here are some good FREE websites for Halloween Activity ideas:

ABCteach.com

http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/halloween/

Disney Family Fun.com

http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-printables/halloween-printable-games-activities/

Enchanted Learning (Not all Content Free)

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/halloween/

Hakuna Matata

Shared from a sharing on a friend's facebook:

Malia Earns her Flight Wings (Desk Apple)

I think the previous teacher wrote "Bai Bai" Actually...

And then the little black marker was a student writing...

Then I wrote (Heart) you too!

I must say, before I left the U.S. I was pondering what other jobs might be open to a Japanese speaking person with a lot of people-experience through teaching. One job I considered was Japanese speaking flight attendant for Delta. That may have been exciting, but I decided I would rather have something a little more settled that would still allow me to be in touch with Japan and seeing the world (or Japan, at least) rather than just the world's airports in the world's biggest cities.

I'm very happy with my decision.

My work started at long last, just over one week ago. (Although I came to Japan 3 weeks ago) So far so good. Funds are tight but the necessities of life are pretty affordable. I should be able to start saving in no time if I stop train-traveling around, which I find is my biggest expense.

I work at a casual small-business language school, not a chain or corporation. I'm not an ALT. So my experience is different than other bloggers out there. I'm very happy. Of course, no place is perfect, but I've found myself an excellent fit. I get to see all ages and all personalities, every one of my students is so different- there is never a dull moment at my school. I'm on my feet all day. I don't get the vacations of ALTs, or the down time in the teacher's room... And even though although maybe one day I would still like the immersion into a Japanese school, but for now I am ever grateful to my school and to the city I'm living in. It was good to me in high school when I was an exchange student and it is good to me now when I am working-same city! I'm going out with one of my host family's tonight. Their ages are very close to mine... maybe 10 years old. Only 5-7 years older than my husband. We're in the same age group. Even though I'm ineikaiwa it's not corporate. Like I said, it's a small business and exchanges with my boss and co-workers are warm. We're paid fairly and it's good to be working with happy people.

For the first week I was training under the teacher who's leaving. Since I have experience with returnee students, middle, high, college, and adult students I was able to start out in those classes on my own from the beginning. All they require is patience and skill in moving from subject to subject and keeping the students talking (and knowing when to nix the Teacher Talking Time... because Teacher already knows English ;) ) All that ended yesterday when I took the reigns and did six classes or so... all age ranges. It was just fine. First week was a lot of planning and going to school early and staying late, but I think I've more or less got the hang of it. Just need to expand my repetoire of games for the kiddos. Usually we spend the last 5 minutes of our classes playing a game to leave them with a positive memory of English class.

Anyway, one of my little girls wrote "Bai bai" to the last teacher and "Malia-Teacher" on the white board in front of our school. It was a d'aww moment and my first little kiddo note about me. The picture is in the blog.

Peace.

Shrimp and Lotus Root Mayo Salad

Shrimp and Lotus Root Mayo Salad

____________________

Renkon (Lotus Root) 1 cut ... 8cm 300g

Onion Stalk (the green part), 1 piece ... 150 g ... 1/2 of a small onion

Shrimp (1 tray)

Salad Oil, Mayonnaise, Salt, Pepper

____________________

(1) Prepare the lotus root: Peel, clean, and quarter lengthwise, then cut into 1 cm thick pieces. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. You may also soak the pieces briefly in water with vinegar, wash, and dry. Also cut the onion into 1 cm thick pieces. Dust the faces of the shrimp with starch.

(2) Oil a pan and sautee the shrimp until cooked. Add lotus root and onion, sautee for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp alcohol , cover and steam 2 min. Add 3 tbsp mayo and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Thank you Oreji Peeji! (オレンジページ2011 10/2)

Engrish: When it Rains it Dumps

It's Shit Rain!

Hwaseong Palace, Suwon, South Korea

Consulate Trip Part II, Seoul, Dongdaemun

Seoul View: Traditional Meets the Modern Corporate

Again, Black and White Cars Only !?

Dongdaemun Shopping Area, 5th Floor: Beads and Components

There is an A, B, C building, all connected. More like Bead Universe

Thank-you for chaperoning me, Sweet Husband Max.

The Building has Two Floors of Fabric and Clothing Components Vendors

The Bead Floor had these Handbag Components

Cute Teddy Bears, Naked, Ready to be Dressed Up and Turned into Accessories

This Photo Just doesn't Reveal the Scale

Components Galore

These are for Shoes or Hair

But Let your Creativity Wild and you Could Work these into Anything

We got our visas today! After all that. I'm glad I don't have to go into the city again for a while. It's now only about one week away from us leaving.

Although I'm a bit confused because the visa is for one year, which means if I go before my job begins to settle in, then the year begins, and my visa expires before my contract does. So that's confusing.

I went back to Dongdaemun and got a loot of beads and beading supplies! They're so much cheaper than back home... all the components and everything. It's basically like a huge bead show except it happens all year round.

If you know anyone who is going to Korea who is also into designing fashion or accessories, the Dongdaemun shopping center is a good place to go. You can also see Korean traditional dress (Hanbok), Korean Bedding (Also very colorful and pretty), Korean spoons (including "silver spoons" which are really silver and cost just as much...), and pretty much anything you can imagine.

If you're a crafter, visiting this place should be on your short list of places to go in Seoul! But have something in mind of what you want, or plan more than one trip, because I have seen crafting goods that I never imagined in my wildest dreams.

Birds to Fashion: Gang Gang Cockatoo

Gang Gang Fountain by ~pixipatrin on deviantART

Inspired by the Gang Gang Fountain Video (See that blog for the movie! It shows the character of this charming cockatoo.) If I can stay motivated there will be more to come! I regret using the ink. I love pen sketches which are painted with watercolors, but failed to achieve the sketchy effect. And using a camera rather than a scanner for the image didn't help it, either. It's my first watercolor work on this scale, so I'll just view it as a learning experience. I miss prismacolor pencils and using thick acrylic. I really like to pile paint on the paper. Watercolor doesn't work in the same way. I'll get used to it!

The trees are red peppercorns and the berries are one of the Gang Gang's favorite foods.

Watercolor Techinques

Major Mitchell's Cockatoos in Love

Gang Gang Cockatoos, Sorry they only have one foot

I've been spending time with a younger charge (even though I was friends with the neighbor's granddaughter back in the home country, we played tennis from time to time), than I did during my days as a tutor to college students. Anyway, it's a nice chance to get to go back to basics and just have fun without pretenses! (As you become so inclined to do at the higher levels.)

We spend hours water-coloring together. It's fun and a stress relief, so I went and picked up a set of watercolors today. But I would like to learn some basic techniques to get me started ,as compared to other mediums I don't have a clue about watercolors. Hence the state of the paintings I've put in as small images in the blog. I'd like to stick with it (I need to stick to a lot of things these days...) I prefer acrylics, but since I don't have much experience with watercolor I figure I might as well try learning a few techniques, should I like it.

Anyway, I'm leaving a link to a fun WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUE WEBSITE

I will add more links if I pursue this interest in the future.

http://www.johnlovett.com/techniq.htm (Thorough, Easy to Understand, Attractive Layout, and FREE!)

http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm (Quite Detailed)

http://www.johnlovett.com/techniq.htm (Good Basic Summary)

I would like to go to Australia

I absolutely love birds, and most of my favorites are species in Australia. These include all the cockatoos, but mostly the Gang-Gang and Major-Mitchell's Cockatoo. Don't forget cockatiels and budgies. Just imagine my excitement when I was on a random tangent and I found that Australia is minting a series of special edition coins featuring its fabulous birds. I took a screen shot of one of these dollars being sold for $15. Very special. Can't deny that I'm tempted (but won't purchase)... and even more tempted to go to Australia. But I'm saving money for a house with land.

I do have things to say about Korea but that will have to wait for another day.

いい部屋ネット/Good Room Network

My hometown is surrounded by many nurseries. I've heard even a lot of Japanese maples are supplied from Oregon.

Crown Melons are Famous in Fukuroi, Japan, sister city of my hometown in Oregon

http://www.eheya.net/

If you want to know something about living expenses in Japan, you can check out apartment costs at that site. Which is kind of fun. Even though depending on the program/employer you lprobably don't get to pick your first apartment.

I caught a cold and it is not fun. Tomona will be here on Saturday and I wanted to be bright eyed, bushytailed, and excited to meet her but looks like I'm just struggling to survive this week. Luckily it is just a cold, there hasn't been a fever involved, so that says something about the severity. The congestion has been keeping me from sleeping well which is making all the difference.

Grumble grumble.

I can't wait for acupuncture because I know one day I had aches and pains and felt all stiff and as soon as it was over I felt wonderful. That's on Thursday.

No word back from the requirements committee.

My net -interview with the ALT company went well, although talking on skype is darn hard. My connection is no good and a lot of the conversation tends to get garbled up. Anyway, excited about my interview with them over the break and looked at the positions in Aichi and Shizuoka. All of them look like they're in really awesome places.

The most interesting to me is one in Mori, Japan which is by Fukuroi, Shizuoka. Fukuroi is my city's sister city and their relationship began in November 1988. My birthday, year and all! It's like I am the patron saint of the Fukuroi-Hillsboro sister city relationship! I'd definitely love to get that post sometime... and would definitely love to live in a rural place.

Anywayyy didn't get the interview information e-mail so I'll be getting back to them about that... so far so good except for this darn cold (and all the catch-up I'm going to be playing... good thing Tomona is coming and we can do the reading together, it will be good for her English and good for my Japanese)

Can't Hold Me Down

Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan

Looks kind of like Gakke no Ue no Ponyo (ENG. PONYO)

http://www.sumitomo.gr.jp/english/discoveries/town/maizuru01.html

So far so good. The term is catching up with me and I've been tired this week, but ballet last night seemed to pull me out of it. When I get tired I am so tempted to not work out or move at all... but it really helps. So moral of the story, when you're feeling tired just give some light exercise a whirl (ballet isn't that light ; ) So I guess i'm pretty strong these days)...

There is definitely something to say about changing up your brain-waves. I feel like I use the same part of my brain all day at school and blowing off steam through activity is just what I need.

I will be going to JAPAN for the first time since 2007 very soon. I've got some interviews there and am excited that most of them are in AICHI where a lot of my friends are located. (Although, not all of them are there, there are a lot in HIROSHIMA and of course most exchange students I meet at uni are from KANTO-Tokyo) Depending on what happens at the companies, I am very interested in interviewing for a job in MAIZURU, Japan. Besides having an awesome name, it is a small port town with a lot of beaches. I bet they get a lot of stuff coming in from Korea (or maybe it is more of a symbolic military-type port, I'm not sure.)

There is someone on Youtube who is documenting culture through driving around his town (MAIZURU) and along the TANBA highway. He usually sets these adventures to great music. I will go home and find the movie I bookmarked. Anyway it's fun to youtube all the cities where there are jobs.

It might be best to start out in Aichi where I know some people, but I'm totally up for living away from it all in a small town. Watching the youtube videos I've totally fallen in love with Maizuru and even if I don't get the job, it will certainly be a pleasure to travel there.

One of the companies is an ALT company, based largely out of Nagoya (Aichi) which is a great plus, but they have jobs all over the place in locations that I know. I would love to be an ALT... as my inkling is that its more of an immersing type experience in Japanese culture. You're not only an English teacher but become part of a school. I know a lot depends on the school and how many schools you're working at.

I'd be happy anywhere, I hope at least one of these interviews will result in a job... and wouldn't that be great if I got my pick! I know the market isn't what it used to be but I know I'm qualified and I've been wanting this forever... so it's just a matter of making things reality.

__________

BIG RANT (ignore if you're so inclined)

One thing standing in my way is the Academic Requirements Committee. I had to apply to have a sociology class I took for honors college to be counted as non-history "social science" credit. The committee refused it, stating that they wouldn't be disturbing my plans too much to detain me here to take a class. Oh my, all I can say bureaucracy in this shade is not my favorite. It has been stressing me, but that is another thing that ballet helped me take off my mind.

My writing credit has already been taken care of.

The Committee will reconvene since the writing credit waiver has only just processed.

It just makes your soul hurt to be in such a situation. How to get through human emotion and need in such a detached, bureaucratic situation.

We will see. Must keep my thoughts positive and visualize what I want to happen.

But it's left me feeling heartbroken and strung out this week.

I'll keep you posted. It's a life lesson, but I'm not going down without fighting this. I legitimately took a sociology class when I was in the honors college. Honors college didn't work out, but I still paid (honors college fees, by the way) and did my time. It's not like I'm evading a requirement... I just fulfilled it by the means that had been described to me at the time.

Universities... are... difficult to deal with. But I think things might work out. My degree audit was updated today to show that I completed my writing credit.

I explained my entire situation... I don't understand how anyone can deny someone's pleas. Gosh it's like being on trial. They bring up everything and have grilled me. Sprinkle me with salt and eat me whole. Anything is better than seeing my dreams which are so close now being taken away now because they will not see my sociology class (400 level with a thesis paper, I might add, which WAS honors college gen ed), as EQUIVALENT to 200 level intro survey classes. How is that inequivalent? Doesn't that EXCEED? It's honors because they force you to go ABOVE and BEYOND... so why is the beyond being punished?

Where is the logic in the world? Where is it? I don't see it. But I have seen the face of pure evil. Sometimes I forget it exists, but then there are things like this to show you that it is truly out there. Watch your back. Dot your i's and cross your t's.

Phew that was quite a vent. But I am hoping in my heart of hearts, since they are meeting again, and they said that "having the writing requirement not met" "tipped the balance" (even though I explained that it was already approved... but JUST NOW processed today after I e-mailed various people all around the university) so they will meet again now that it is processed.

Someone save us all.

No, I cannot "just take an online poli-sci class" (Why? Isn't that like going backward since I have already done all this honors work in sociology?) because then I wont' get my visa and I won't be able to work.

Sheesh.

End rant. Sorry for that. I will try to post little tidbits about various cities in Japan that interest me. POSITIVE stuff.

______________

This weekend I'm writing a paper about Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. It's turning into a comparison to Norwegian Wood... which is fitting since we are covering it in class. So similarities, differences, things that become themes for Haruki Murakami.

It will be posted in Japanese. Since I have to write it in Japanese. The fun part will be making the powerpoint/presentation on it.

Another Recollection

*** We went for a "big sushi" dinner, good times! ***

So this week I have brought you everything from pomeranians to electrosmog... why not do some more walking down memory lane~~~ and get away from wondering how much my mitochondrial DNA is being affected by wi-fi, cell phones, and microwaves.

For the first time in a while, since my schedule has let up and I've been feeling better, I sent letters/Christmas cards to all the people who have been good to me in Japan. ^.^

I got one from my friend Taeko today. My first host family ^.^

Anyway, she has a blog too. It is in Japanese but Google Chrome can translate it.

-----> http://ameblo.jp/lapisia108/entry-10773972694.html

Anyway, I'm putting a picture on my blog of when we went to sushi with her family.

_____________

I know a lot of people going to see Gants. I think it comes with being in a Japanese major. If you're not that into manga/anime sometimes you can feel like the odd one out in classes. I wouldn't mind seeing it but the tickets were $12.50 each and for Max, I, and his brother to go that would come to 40.00. I want to buy some ballet shoes and might have to buy an expensive book for my research project... so I guess we'll have to entertain ourselves tonight. Which is fine by me, we have yoga!

FLUFF POM: SMILE

AN EPIC PICTURE

I wish I had an exact link to hook you guys with but I think the source website is written in the bottom corner of the picture.

Western Izakayas and TRUE VACATION~~

So today I was looking through the local paper and I guess there is an Izakaya Meiji in Eugene. I didn't know about it until today, but my mom came because my follow up appointment for the CYST was today. And the CYST is GONE! So good news all around. My blood pressure was really low though... no wonder my legs fall asleep so easy and when they do it's the whole darn leg and I walk around like a cripple for a few minutes after... dizzy standing... heart beating like crazy. But a lot of relief. I'm going to Izakaya Meiji with the boys tonight. I think I'll take my camera and hopefully the food is pretty good.

It's "Wild-Western" themed with izakaya fare... I'll let you know how good it is, but the bar-goers of Eugene have given it a 4/5 star rating on the scale which is pretty good. The only almost authentic Japanese food I've had in the Eug is the raamen and even most my students don't really like that (Toshi's best thing is the gyoza I think...Toshi's Raamen) You can get much more authentic Korean food in Eugene... no coincidence that most the Korean places are Korean-owned. Just looked at the menu... they have it all! Garatan, karaage, korokke. All the good greasy Japanese stuff. And of course yakitori. Aww good memories. I'll include a picture from a time eating yakitori in Japan with my school friend's family.

Are you sufficently hungry yet?

Scarves of the Year

As promised, the scarves I have made this year.

View one is the entire collection:

White, Green: Garter stitch, 100% acrylic, Lion Brand Yarn "Homespun" (I don't like it personally but I got a great deal on it at Goodwill)

Pink/White: 100% Wool (very soft), garter stitch alternating color.

Brown: 100% undyed Wool (coarse but not overly so and very warm), garter stitch/ 3*3 seed stitch, and stockingnette with garter boarder (although that doesn't keep it from rolling.

10/29/2010

Well. Was feelin a bit better when I woke up... got to sleep last night finally. Progesterone cream helped knock me out. Mum says according to her research it was used as an anti-seizure in the past.

Actually picked up a few things around the house this morning... but then the chest pain started again. Need to get the negative thoughts out of my head such as, "what is the incidence of heart worm in humans...?"

Let's just hope that I survived the first bad flare of this (almost four years ago xD )... so maybe I can survive this time too.

Looking at pictures that make me happy and trying to figure out. And now I have all this time on my hands to try to contact people going through the same thing and find out what works and what doesn't.

There's my bird Tink. She's a sort of yellow-pearl cockatiel. I wouldn't say that she's a lutino... just somethin really unique about her and the friendliest cockatiel I've met. Except I have a cockatiel Popcorn whose previous owner looked like my dad and she is sooo friendly to him. I'm pretty sure she thinks he's her mate. Just wanted to brighten up my blog a bit.