Category Archives: life in japan

a little (or a lot really) more okinawa

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So, the main reason I went to Okinawa was to dive. But, as I got there a little earlier than I needed to and you can’t fly within 24 hours of your last dive, I did squeeze in some other activities. And I even managed to put some makeup on…once.

But before I can even get to Okinawa, let’s discuss my little oversight when booking my flight. I went for cheap, and thus ended up on a 6:00 am flight from Narita. Now, in NY, a 6:00 am flight is not a big deal. You can take the subway, or the bus, or hop in a cab for a max of $60. In Tokyo, there is no bus or cab early enough to get you to Narita at 6:00am, let alone by 6:00am. And a cab ride? Around $200. So, upon realizing this two days before my departure, I had to book a hotel by the airport.

Freak rainstorm hit while I enjoyed a little pit stop to visit my friend Chelsea. Note to all: always carry an umbrella in Tokyo if you’re not going to check the weather.

Professing a cheap price and airport shuttle, I booked a two star hotel. Well, two star was probably a little generous. This picture illustrates pretty sell what the rest of the experience was like. On top of which, oh, no airport shuttle before 6:30 am. What the what? But at least it was only a $25 cab ride… But hey, it was a bed for a few hours of sleep and a quick trip to the airport. And the combined cost of the hotel and the cab…less than half what the cab ride would have been. How ridiculous is that?

So, after my flight, I had a few hours to kill in Naha (the “big” city where the airport is) before I needed to hop on the bus to head north, so I decided to go see this castle at the end of the monorail line. It had some amazing views and was a good little excursion. In addition to that, I got to see a little dance performance and just enjoy seeing a new city. It’s so different from Tokyo. Much more Hawaii feeling…but older and a little more Asian (but only a little).

And then it was time to take the bus and head to the American Village to meet Jan, the dive dude. He was much younger than I expected, but super nice (as stated before–not sure why I didn’t take a photo with him) and I was just so happy to be getting back in the ocean with a tank strapped to my back.

We went for two dives over these beautiful soft coral reefs. Visibility was not great, but given that there was a typhoon just four days earlier, that was to be expected. It was still incredible. I’ve never seen that much soft coral before. And so many beautiful fish. I was also reminded how much I don’t love beach entry diving…but also how quick it is. One of my favorite things was that Jan had this new type of BC, at least new to me. They are super stripped down and have a heavy plate on the back so it’s a lot easier to hover and achieve neutral buoyancy. Also, the don’t make you feel quite so think and stay-puffy. Yes, that’s a technical term.

Jan loaded up lots of tanks for all of our dives over the next two days. That’s a lot of air.

After those first two dives, Jan drove me up to the pension (like a cheap B&B) where he’d made me a reservation for two nights. The cutest little house in the world with the nicest woman…who spoke no English. It was fantastic. He also showed me where a couple of restaurants were for dinner just a short walk from the pension.

After Jan dropped me off and I got settled, I headed to the restaurant he called “authentic Okinawan cuisine” which also had live music happening. It was so great. The food was delicious (I was introduced to taco rice) and the music was so fun and the people were so friendly. I was the only white girl in the whole place.

Great light fixtures
Rocks and grass (fake of course) on the ceiling. So funky.
Okinawa is all about the pig…
Including pig ears. Can you see them? Hint, they’re super thin slices.
Super fun singers! See video below. The song is one you hear all over Okinawa.

The next day was all about diving. It started with a very Japanese breakfast (of which I tried a little of everything…pickled plums are something I will never have again, and marinated seaweed I can live without, as well. The pineapple, however, was amazing!

Jan picked me up and we headed to the dock to meet a number of other divers. We were going out for three boat dives. I was so excited. And it was incredible (the photos of the actual dive were already posted in my dive post).

Between dives we got off the boat and had some lunch. I couldn’t resist a wander over to the beach and this Shisa was just calling out to me to take his photo. So cute! (Click the link for the story…it’s pretty cool and they are all over Okinawa and Kyoto (as I found out this weekend).

Shisa

I wish I’d had my own underwater camera to take on the boat because the views were amazing, but it was way to wet for anything that wasn’t water proof. The dives were all great and it was fun to have lots of company on the boat (not that I could understand most of them, except for Jan and the couple that was diving with us). There was a group of underwater photographers and it was cool to see them get all set up under the water for photo shoots of various things. In addition to that, I got to do my first hole and tunnel diving. I don’t think cave diving is in my future…but holes and tunnels are pretty amazing.

I got back to the pension completed exhausted, lightly sun-kissed, and super salty–basically in the best state one can be in. I fell into bed knowing, but only after telling the pension lady (I don’t know what you call her) that I would need to have breakfast at 7am. We had an early start to go diving with the whale sharks.

And that experience is one I will remember for the rest of my life. Swimming with such a huge animal and being able to reach out and pet it. Seriously incredible.

After that, the diving was done so there would be time for the nitrogen build up in my blood to release prior to getting on a plane. It’s one of my favorite things about destination diving. You have to take the last day and relax. And relax I did.

I decided to spend my last night at more of a beach hotel than a budget pension. Granted, it wasn’t super luxurious, but with views like this and a location on the beach, who needs uberluxe? I spent the afternoon laying out and walking along the beach. It was just lovely.

When that was done, I needed to figure out what to do for dinner (the hotel restaurant left a little to be desired) and I was ready to put on real clothes and some makeup. So, I got dressed and headed down the road on a lovely walk during which I got to watch the sunset and stop as often as I wanted.

By the time I finally got to a any kind of civilization, I’d walked about two miles, but it was totally worth it, especially because it was this place we’d driven by four times in the past two days and it was this great touristy place with an awesome shop and several restaurants. Think Dole Plantation in Hawaii..but instead of pineapple, they had all of these purple potato treats (an Okinawan thing). I enjoyed yakiniku (Japanese version of Korean bbq) for dinner and then shopped my little heart out. It was a perfect last night in Okinawa.

Me and a giant tart

Monday morning I took a nice long walk on the beach and saw some fun creatures and collected some shells.

The I packed up and headed to the bus stop to get back down to the airport, stick my bags in a locker, and go do a little more damage in Naha. I was hoping to get a few more things for the nieces and nephews and I still needed to get my bowl. Naha actually has an entire pottery district, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find it in time, so I headed to the main tourist drag and figured I’d find something there. I ended up missing my stop, which put me right in the neighborhood for the pottery district and I found these amazing ramen bowls. (Shown back at my apartment with delicious, homemade tonkatsu.)

I also got to see some awesome t-shirts (among lots of other shopping).

Rad Wimps. Japanese translation for Hipster.

And I ended up getting so much stuff I had to buy a new, awesome bag to get it all home in.

One of my nieces is going to be super excited about this…

I would love to say that the rest of the trip was uneventful, but that would be a lie. Nothing major. Just a piece of luggage stuck on the baggage carousel with no one able to figure out how to get it unstuck and the rest of stuck waiting for baggage for about 30 minutes. But, considering what an amazing vacation it was, small price to pay.

The end. Up next…Kyoto.

dear you…inspired by two months in tokyo (part 1)

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Dear Japanese women,
A few things I’d like to understand. Okay, mainly one thing. How the hell do you walk around in heels all day long? And not just in the city, but hiking up temples in Kamakura and getting onto boats to scuba dive in Okinawa. I really really really want to understand so can someone please explain it to me? Okay, and while we’re on the topic, reapplying makeup mid-day everyday at work? Seriously? A girl could get a complex. I mean, I am pretty into the whole “doing my makeup” thing, but you just take it to a new level. When I’m on my way home from work every night, having switched my heels for more sensible (i.e. less attractive) footwear and with makeup that was applied a full 10 hours earlier, well, I just can’t compete. No wonder there are so many gaijin men married to Japanese women. So, really, I don’t so much care about the why or the how. I’d just like it to stop so I don’t feel like a total slouch.
Sincerely,
A girl who used to feel pretty put together…until she moved to Japan

Dear Don Quijote,
I’m so conflicted. You have so many great things and such great prices, and yet the assault on the eyes and ears upon entering your premises… Well, it makes it hard for me to be a consistent patron. I want to love you, but seriously…does every display have to talk or play music and flash lights? I mean, don’t you think it’s just a bit much? Even for you?
Sincerely,
A girl who’s just trying to help you out (and not go deaf from trying to save a few yen)

Dear Roppongi,
You have been a fun place to live for these two months. Super entertaining. Always a lot going on. But I will definitely be ready to leave you when these first six months are up. With all of your bars and strip clubs and the men standing outside of them inviting men in. I will not miss that. Now, the view of Tokyo Tower, I may miss. So thank you for that. Oh, and the proximity of the subway. But I’m pretty sure I can find both of those elsewhere. Your saving grace is that there is a gym in my building that I’m just not willing to give up.
Best,
A girl who tries her best to not be disappointed with humanity while walking your streets every day

Dear Japanese food (in all your varieties),
I had this crazy notion that I might be able to lose weight in Japan. That’s when my definition of Japanese food was sushi. What an ignorant fool I was. If I had only known. And could you explain to me why it is that my Japanese coworkers can eat you every meal as if it were their last and still look the way they do? Oh, and could you also apologize to my Instagram followers who wish that I posted more than just food. It’s totally your fault. If you weren’t so delicious and so attractive, it would be so much easier to not post pictures of you. But you are both and so, I just can’t help myself. I have no control.
With conflicted feelings,
Chloe

Dear Japanese men,
I apologize for not following your rules of hierarchy, but I’m a woman and where I come from, that means I get on and off the elevator first and I get the seat on the subway before you do. So, you can keep giving me your disgusted looks when I don’t do things the right way because this is one cultural difference I’m not willing to give up.
Yours,
Chloe

Dear Diet Coke,
I miss you dearly. I made a new friend this week who will be bringing you to me thanks to the U.S. Commissary her Air Force engineer husband. God bless America!!!
With great anticipation,
C-Lo

Dear gym on the first floor,
Thank you for being so convenient and helping me keep my weight gain to a meager 5 lbs as opposed to the 25 I’m sure I would have gained without you. And thank you for having two treadmills. I’d hoped for an elliptical machine, but life can’t be perfect all the time.
With intentions of seeing you even more in the months to come,
Chloe

Dear Dreamcycle,
Thank you for being such a fun way to get around town on the weekends. I’m sorry I’ve left you sitting in the bike room these past two weeks. Hopefully the other bikes are being nice to you. Unfortunately, I’m headed out of town yet again tomorrow morning, but I promise I will make it up to you next Saturday.
Love,
Me

Dear Union Supermarket (or supa maketto in Japanese),
Thank you for being open 24/7 and a block from my apartment. You are small and super expensive, but living in NYC has taught me that I value convenience over almost anything when it comes to grocery shopping. And thank you for having really good produce. Now, if you could just carry Parm Bars (think a Dove ice cream bar but with a chocolate coating that’s just a little more fudgy so it doesn’t crack or fall off), I would love/hate you just a little more. As it were, the convenience store just a few blocks away has them, so I suppose that’s all right. Actually, it’s probably better that we limit our relationship to produce, rice, and meat. I frequent you too often and the temptation would be too great.
Love,
A girl who’s rediscovered her love of cooking in a country that has much better ingredients than she’s used to

Dear restaurants with vending machines,
It took me a bit (and a Japanese friend showing me how to do it) to be willing to frequent you, but now that I have…man are you convenient. I don’t have to struggle through trying to order my food in Japanese because I just make my selection, pay, and hand my little ticket over to the guy/girl behind the counter. Talk about a perfect set up for a girl who’s very tired after her long days at work and the last thing she wants to think about is how to order her darn tonkatsu.
Love,
A girl who hates that she can’t speak Japanese

Dear little damp washcloths and towelettes provided at every eating establishment, be it cafe, fast food, or gourmet restaurant,
You are the best thing ever!!! I do not understand why the U.S. has not adopted this tradition. Seriously.
Love,
The girl who might have to start carrying wet wipes even though she doesn’t have a kid

Dear Japanese toilets,
It’s a love/hate thing. More love than hate though. Especially because you’ve provided hours of entertainment in the conversation form on Facebook, at dinner parties, and with my family/friends back home. I can unequivocally state that you will be missed someday when I leave this place. Even with your gross, germ breeding, heated seats.
With sincere gratitude,
Chloe

Dear kanji,
You make my life hard.
Chloe

cooking again

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When I moved here, I decided I was going to really commit to observing Sunday as a religious day of rest, per my religion. In New York, I wasn’t super, well, religious about this. But I know I’m a happier person when I actually make Sunday a break from the every day. Plus, I figured it would be good to have one day when I wasn’t eating out. And so, after the first week (I am realistic in my goals…I arrived on Saturday at 5 pm), I have been very committed to this. This meant I was actually going to have to cook again…at least if I was going to eat real food.

The first thing I did was figure out how to use my Japanese rice maker that has no English on it anywhere. And while we’re on the topic of rice, can we just all acknowledge that Japanese rice is better? I know most of you haven’t actually had rice in Japan, but I’m telling you, it’s amazing. So good, in fact, that I’ll be hauling a two-kilo bag home for my sister in November because she likes rice even more than I do. Moving on…

I figured out the rice and just started with something basic. I absolutely love to bake, but cooking is a whole different ball game. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but it’s more about speed than precision and I was made just the opposite. Even when I’m making savory things, everything I’m good at is something you put together and bake (swiss cheese chicken, leg of lamb, lasagna, Thanksgiving turkey…yes, my repertoire is weird) or something that requires people to cook their own food (fondue, raclette, paninis), so actual cooking without a recipe…not my strength.

Well, apparently, basic was a good place to start because it was delicious.  It might also help that I think the Japanese have much less tolerance for mediocrity (yeah, that’s right, I’m calling most Americans mediocre) when it comes to food. They are definitely quality over quantity.

So, this was a good start. But then, a couple of weeks ago, I was at my friend Holly’s house for dinner and she had made tonkatsu (this delicious breaded pork amazingness that I’d had one at a restaurant) using chicken instead of pork and it was so good. As good as the restaurant’s, in fact (you know, if the pork had been chicken…). And Holly also informed me, by showing it to me, that you can purchase tonkatsu sauce in the grocery store. It is available in the US, as well.  
Restaurant version

Well, that inspired me to branch out a little and try a fancier stir fry. It turned out quite nicely (I used squash instead of carrot and overcooked that slightly, but otherwise, it was delicious). That’s what I struggle with the most…getting all of the components of a meal hot, cooked, and ready at the same time. Baking is soooooo much easier.

And then I was at Holly’s again, to babysit while she and her husband went out on a date (maybe their first one sans baby since moving to Japan?), and she had made another delicious meal. This time it was gyudon, this super yummy beef on rice thing (bottom right) along with no-bake cookies (and they had a DDP for me, which is not an easy thing to find in this country, a cute baby, and Hulu Plus–if you want me to babysit for you, it doesn’t require much to make me happy).

Side note – I kind of love Mindy Kaling’s new show.
I know the gyudon may not be much to look at, but let me assure you it was unbelievable. I might have considered licking the frying pan. I didn’t, although I’m sure none of you would have been surprised if I had with only a baby to witness it. In any case, this convinced me to do two things. The first? To attempt making tonkatsu (it seemed easier than gyudon). The second? To buy a Japanese cook book. 

So, on Saturday while out and about with another friend, Erika, we found a bookstore and she, being Japanese, helped me find a really good cookbook. We went to a huge store in this lovely part of town, had dessert (it has a restaurant in it), and then wandered over to the cookbook section and found a few books in English. I’m super excited to try so many of the recipes. Unfortunately, the only recipe not in the book I chose was gyudon (it might have been in another book by the same woman and I might have taken pictures of the recipe…it makes me feel better to know I found almost the same one online when I got home that night).

And on Sunday, I made tonkatsu using pork. I didn’t follow the recipe in the book (here’s one from the Food Network if you want to try it). I just did what Holly did and it was incredible. Hot and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The only difference between this and the restaurant in terms of the cooking was that I pan fried, while traditionally it’s deep fried. My Japanese teacher, Sawaki-sensie, also informed me that it is typically served with cabbage. Next time. That said, it was still so delicious and how delectable does it look on a bed of oh-so-delicious sticky?

The best part about this goal to not go out to eat on Sundays (or shop, etc, etc) is that this cooking thing is now spilling over into my weekday life, too. Part of it is that some night’s I’m just so exhausted that the thought of having to use my brain enough to try and order food in Japanese is too much to handle. But the other part is that I’m not so overwhelmed by it anymore. Oh, and knowing that, if I leave my dishes in the sink all week (rinsed, of course), on Friday the cleaning lady will do them. Yeah, my life is pretty awesome. Now, don’t you wish you lived here so I could invite you over for dinner?

learning japanese

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Japanese lessons…

When I found out I was moving to Japan, I was a little nervous about the language. In fact, even when I found out moving to Japan was an option, I was nervous about the language. People like to tell you that it’s not necessary. They like to tell you that everyone in Tokyo speaks English. People lie!

Okay, not really. The truth is, you don’t have to speak Japanese, but not speaking it definitely limits you. Which, if you’re a tourist, is just fine. Big deal if you can’t try 25 new restaurants or figure out whether you’re buying shampoo or condition. And so what if you have to use a little creative sign-language over the course of the week or so you’re here.

Well, I am not here a week. And I’m not the type to be okay not understanding or being understood. Not only that, but I love languages and I love reading and the thought of not being able to have some clue of what the words all around me are saying on subways, on menus, on street signs, on billboards, etc, etc, was not a happy one. And so, even before I knew I was moving here, I started to look into learning Japanese. To say it was overwhelming would be a complete understatement!

So, here’s your 60 second lesson in Japanese. There are two syllabaries (like the roman alphabet, only much longer), hiragana and katakana. Together these are called kana. The two syllabaries cover the same exact syllables, only one is used for Japanese words (hiragana) and the other is used for foreign words (katakana): words like “cleaning”, only when written in katakana it’s “kuriningu”. It’s pretty fantastic.

And then there are the kanji: Chinese characters adopted by the Japanese. There are over 6,000 kanji characters. School children are expected to know 1,006 (the basics) by the sixth grade. End lesson.

Can you imagine? Yeah. Me neither. But I’m trying. Really hard.

Friday night flash cards and pizza…

I am proud to say that I have both syllabaries memorized now and I’ve begun the basic kanji. While I don’t know how many I’ll be able to memorize, even having some sort of sense of what they mean is proving extremely helpful. What’s more challenging, though, is that there isn’t just one pronunciation or use for each kanji. Depending on how one kanji is being used, it’s pronunciation will change. I know, pretty awesome, right? Especially when you’re trying to learn it as a 30-something and when there are really no words (at least not full Japanese words) that have a latin or germanic base.

It is challenging. So, I use apps on my iPhone, flash cards, books, and then my semi-weekly Japanese lessons. And then I try to speak it whenever I can.

With all of that, it seems to be coming along. Slowly. Very slowly. The problem is I don’t have to speak it. I just want to. But because I’m not forced to, it requires a lot of self-discipline and it is EXHAUSTING. It is paying off, though. Yesterday, I was able to describe my family and my new bike to my Japanese teacher and then she sent me an email written in kana and I could read AND understand the entire thing. And that felt AMAZING! Maybe if I stay here long enough, I’ll actually start to get it. Wouldn’t that be exciting?!

じてんしゃの しゃしん ありがとう！   クロエさん の じてんしゃ は かわいい です。
じゃまた

Kind of awesome that I can read that, right? And I love that my teacher is so impressed! (I’m so praise driven, it’s kind of sick.) Now, if only I could speak as well as I’m reading…then we’d really be getting somewhere. (Did I mention patience is not a virtue I possess?)

adventures in bike riding

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I bought a bike! Yesterday, I went with a friend to a little bike shop in her neighborhood and found the cutest bike ever (already fully loaded) for much less than my bike in NYC. I’m in love with it! Unfortunately, yesterday, the weather did not want to cooperate, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from taking this beauty (I’m open to naming suggestions) for a spin.

I was going to head over to the Imperial Palace so I could actually see the grounds and take some photos. I know I work across the street, but it’s still way to hot and humid during the day to wander around on a work day when I need to look at least semi-presentable. So, I headed out with my backpack wrapped in plastic sitting in my oh-so-cute basket and the spirit of adventure in my heart.

As I discovered in New York, having a bike allows you to see the city in a whole new light. And in Tokyo, it’s even nicer because you can ride on the sidewalks, so you’re in much less fear for your life. And as I started out on my ride yesterday, I was so excited to see parts of town I’d never seen before, having only passed through them underground. Well, that excitement was short lived as it started to rain. I decided to keep going (me and rain…) because I’m incredibly stubborn and didn’t really care about what I looked like.

At one point, it was raining hard enough that I did take a little break under an awning, but I got tired of waiting (me and patience…). As I got closer to the palace, I realized I had taken a wrong turn and, as I was attempting to turn around on the very slick, tiled sidewalk (not sure whose idea that was…), my tire slipped. I didn’t fall or anything–shockingly–but it did cause me to look at my tire only to discover it was totally flat.

This was not the tiled sidewalk…it was still raining too hard to take a picture at that moment.

At this point, I was about four miles from my apartment and five miles from the bike shop and in Tokyo (unlike NYC) you can’t take your bike on the subway. It made for a very long afternoon. I’m sure I could have found a closer bike shop to fix it, but since I’d JUST purchased it, I wanted that bike shop to fix it for free. Which they did, after I took the five mile walk with the bike back to it. Stubborn to a fault.

All of that said, I’m still in love with my bike and so excited to start to really get to know Tokyo above ground (as it cools off). I’m also very happy that I am the person I am and that I see things like this as just another adventure. One of my favorites things about my life is how many great things have happened along the way that I couldn’t have planned for.