American Navy Guys

So today was one of those rainy days, I learned its easier not to fight it, I went to the Internet cafe to let it pass. Problem though, there was a storm in the Internet cafe as well...

I didn't realize it until later but 350 seamen from the American Navy had landed in the small town of Hakodate. Some American dudes were cussing up a storm and being real asses. Effing this and f-bomb that... Loud enough for the entire cafe to hear. Repeatedly. I have been to this cafe several times, I know the people that work there. They know I am American and that I don't speak Japanese well. Today, I got the wide-eyed, wrinkled-nose, head nod that translates internationally to: I don't like those guys, I wish they would leave. I assumed they were disgruntled NOVA employees and apologized to the staff and went on my way.

Then walking home I saw three gaijin asking a native for directions. She was trying to be polite but I was clear she didn't know and was done trying. Turned out they were some creeps from the same ship... They were looking for lingerie and dildos for their wives. I have only known you guys for 10 seconds and I already feel uncomfortable.

This is the first since arriving in Japan that I have felt unsafe.

Story isn't over though. I met the captain and the commanding officer that night in the local bar... Told you it was a small town. So I got to chatting with them and my opinion is that they are both class acts. Speaking zero Japanese but very polite. Gentlemen. Then a dozen of their seamen walk in. Complete jackasses. Bragging about the size of their wankers and muscles and tattoos. More f-bombing the effing f-bombs. Several, with wives and children, talking about getting a piece of ass before leaving town... Taking their shirts off challenging Japanese people to arm wrestling.

One dude bragging to me about understanding 80% of whats being said. Not likely. He didn't seem to catch the parts about his friends being drunks, being fat, I don't like them, or lets leave if they are staying. In fact, none of the Navy guys seemed to realize they had scared every local person out. Don't need to speak Japanese to see that.

I was so embarrassed. These are Americans. Brothers from my country... Such arrogance. Drunks. Ambassadors. No wonder the whole world hates Americans. Stupid. Disrespectful. This is the image we are portraying abroad... Loud. Ostentatious. Rude.

So then I started thinking about the captain and xo. Here they are doing joint operations with the Japanese military for the next three years and the two highest ranking big cheeses on the boat don't even know the words for please or thank you in the bar? They are observing all this obnoxious behavior without an eye roll. No doubt they have seen worse. This is what its like in every port town when the American Navy comes through?? This needs to change.

So we went to a different bar. Much quieter. I started talking to a couple Russian guys who spoke English very well. They confided they wanted to meet some women but were having trouble cause they didn't speak Japanese. Found out later they were married too. At this point I was fed up with drunken sailors, so I told them to go to the bar we had just left. Lots of beautiful women there. I even gave directions. My only hope is that they found it.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!
幸せな誕生日おかあさん！






Some photos from the Sapporo Botanic Gardens at Hokkaido University.

Halloween Party

Island hopping in Onuma-koen

Onuma koen, a lake dotted with islands connected by trails and bridges and with a backdrop of picturesque Mount Komagatake, is a perfect place to see Japanese maple change to saturated hues of red and orenji and yellow.

I was invited to join an international group of students for the annual fall bbq. Every autumn the international students of the Hakodate campus of Hokkaido University go to Onuma Koen for several hours of hiking the trails and finish with a bbq at the seminar house.

I met so many wonderful people. Rahman from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mizuho a local donsako from Nanae. Ming Yue from Tenjin, China. A guy from Laos. Mugo from Kenya. Anna from Portugal. Emi, Kani and your Spanish speaking father. All brilliant and friendly people, most of whom are studying at the local university. Thanks for sharing an enjoyable afternoon with me.

Thanks for letting me know about the trip Seki-sensei!

Full moon over Hakodate Bay

Señorita Miwa

Feliz Cumpleaños Srta Miwa!

A little background info... Miwa-san is an engaging woman of 31 years who refused to let me speak English after she found out I could speak a little Spanish. Her sisters husband is from Guatemala and so its important to her to be able to speak in the native tongue of this part of her family. I went to a Spanish restaurant a little while back as a tribute to my sister in Mexico. And when Miwa found out I was able to recall a few words that was it. No English. Oi, makes my brain hurt converting Japanish to Japanglish and trying to recall words from over 15 years ago...

Tomo threw a party for Miwa`s 31st birthday. Photo of Señorita Miwa and boyfriend Shunsuke on her birthday. Aren`t they an adorable couple?


Dinner was a pot of vegetable stock boiling from a butane burner to which was added Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, onions, sprouts and balls of chicken meat called toridango. Served in a lemon soy sauce daikon radish mixture... Its delicious! And to show my appreciation I ever-so-politely poured it on my leg and the floor. Oi.

Then the Nihonshu and presents and birthday cake got broken out.

Some photos of dinner:

and a couple belly shots. Ha tricked you.


Ontanjyobi Omedeto!
Happy Birthday!
Feliz Cumpleaños!

the popup pirate with penalties

Middle of a typhoon, sitting around the tables in Beer Bar Yamashita and my friends and I are playing the popup pirate in a barrel game, this time with penalties. Not a sentence I thought I would ever write...

What is the popup pirate in a barrel game you ask? Its a little plastic barrel with a miniature Sinbad who pops out of the barrel when you insert a sabre into the wrong slot in the barrel. Its a famous kids game in Japan. Throw in a couple beers and an eyeliner pencil for a penalty and you get a crazy fun way to sit through the torrential downpour of a typhoon.

a relaxing day

Tomo and Niiyan took me to breakfast at the fish market this morning. Cuttlefish sashimi with ginger. Oishii! Forgot the name but it was squid ink mixed with miso paste. Rice and soup and a couple other veggies and fish. Interesting way to start the day isn't it?

Then they took me for a drive up the coast to an onsen. Reminiscent of the Pacific Coast Highway in California or the beach road in Cannes, sans race cars. Absolutely beautiful drive. The outdoor hot spring (rotemburo) has a view of Mount Esan and a view of the sea. Now that is a relaxing way to clean up for the weekend!

Niiyan shows me his extensive beetle collection! Gigantic beetles from Malaysia, Africa and Japan. Wow!


Americanized Hamubuga dinner!


I feel like my head is going to explode, too many memories for one day. Thanks Niiyan-san and Tomo-san.

mei mei tei & Yuki bday

A delicious cook-your-own lamb rump joint that Tomo-san took me to. Dome-shaped cast iron skillet drains grease from slices of browning lamb with various veggies on top. Oishii desu ne!



Afterward we met up with Yuki-san for her birthday.
Happy birthday Yuki!

a sad girl on a ship

I really like the dreamy, sad mood of the photo. That was a great day...

friends rescue me for lunch. and then tofu tacos.

Its an emotional place Hokkaido. Strange, unexpected things remind me of Dad here. I was writing emails home, feeling a bit homesick this morning... And just then Tomo and Chiharu appear to rescue me for lunch! We took a simple lunch at Eileys and headed to the grocery store for tofu burrito ingredients. Somehow I got volunteered to make dinner tonight... I chose tofu tacos since its a simple recipe and I figured Japanese taste buds would appreciate a new tofu experience. Problem is no tortillas. No salsa. No brewers yeast either. So I figured we would make our own salsa and tortillas and improvise on the yeast.

Tomo jumped on the tortillas and used crushed corn chips as a base. Tasted like grainy, corn crepes. Delicious! Oishii deshita! Yo jumped on the guacamole and made the best guacamole (aside from my mothers of course) that I have ever tasted. My crazy assistant, Chiharu, ate all the chips before she finished the salsa. I worked on the tofu, it was a hit!

A little short on food for four hungry cooks, we headed to Yo`s house for some drinks and to meet up with Yuki.

Thanks for inviting me into your homes today everyone. One of my favorite days in Japan and somehow I only have one terrible photo.



Tomo, Yo, Yuki, please send me some photos.

ropeway night

Kazumi took me to the Hakodate ropeway where I would meet Yo and Chiharu for another night of craziness. What a view! And I got the VIP treatment since both Yo and Chiharu have worked or are working there. Heaps of thanks.

We went back to Eileys for some drinks but at least this time I was sleeping in the room above the bar. So I did not have far to stumble home. There is something terribly satisfying and terribly wrong about eating breakfast at the bar you drank at the night before. But Eileys is just the perfect bar to do it in.

Another photo from the ropeway I really like. Me, Kazumi and Yo.

We lost Kazumi to work the next day, but the rest of us continued on to a Belgium Bar across town...

Chiharu, aka Funky-Girl. She cracks me up.

Kamupe!

opapi

My first night in Hakodate. A dinner of sushi off the bar belt followed by a stop at the local Irish Pub Eileys. Little did I know that this place would soon become my home. Literally...

Craziness ensues. Opapi.

Photo of Sato-san and Kazumi-san at Yamashita. More photos from Yamashita, the second bar...

This place is crazy fun. Nowhere else but Hakodate, Japan would a foreigner feel comfortable going to a second bar across town without hesitation.

Thanks everyone!

Zenpo-ji

Everything is wooden in this shrine complex. Intricate, beautiful, weathered wood. I do not know the name of this obviously important sculpture nor the significance of the rope sandals hanging from the fence. [aunt ruth and grandpa jack would love this place]

Up the hill is the hall of 500? monks. Since it is an active monastery, many monks in black robes were watching me climb the steps. In my best Japanglish, I inquired if I could see the temple and speak with a monk. To learn more of the history of the place and about Buddhism... I was rather rudely told to leave. No doubt my curiosity was rude behavior that I did not understand. I quickly left giving my most sincere apologies... Sorry zenpo-ji.

On the other side of the hill is a pool famous for its purity and its carp with human faces on their heads. I struggled to take a picture of one for an hour, without success.

The Capsule Hotel

Nothing says a "cozy nights sleep" like sleeping in a capsule. Feeling squeamish at the thought of sleeping like a bee in a honeycomb? I was.

Although, claustrophobic types might be a little nervous about the 1m x 1m x 2m sleeping arrangement it actually is a nice setup. There is a TV, alarm clock, radio and fan. Just like sleeping on a twin size bed that has a fiberglass ceiling and walls.

But in reality, the WellBe Capsule Hotel was quite posh. There is a good-size onsen and bathing area. A dry sauna, a wet medicinal sauna, and a salt sauna. I tried throwing salt around and slapping my belly like a sumo wrestler in the salt sauna but it wasn't for me. My favorite was the medicinal sauna. 50 degC and 70% humidity with Eucalyptus scent and color-changing mood lights.

And nothing says classy like an underwear vending machine.