Cherry Blossoms

There's only one downside about going to Japan in June as far as I can tell: I'm going to miss cherry blossom season.  Every year, right around the beginning of spring, a warm front moves north through Japan and the cherry blossoms burst open, creating a sight to behold throughout the country.  People have even made a science of predicting when the blossoms will open in each region and major city. This week, people in Tokyo and Kyoto will be witness to the beautiful blossoms unfolding. 

Cherry blossom viewing is a tradition in Japan that is also practiced in some places here in the United States, most notably in Washington, D.C., where nearly 7,000 Sakura trees are located.  These trees were gifts from the Japan to the United States in 1912 and in 1965.  

From what I read, the cherry blossom front is so followed by the Japanese people that meteorologists cover the phenomenon in their daily weather reports.  I found a site that goes into this in more detail, but I really couldn't tell you what it says because it's all in Japanese.  However, the picture on its front page says plenty:

Even though I won't get to see the cherry blossoms this time, I will make it a point to visit Japan in the early spring sometime in the future, hopefully when my daughter is old enough to travel and appreciate the spectacle.  Until then, we have this on our front door to welcome the spring:

And they bloom year round!  Thanks, Jo-Ann Fabrics!

Practicing

*official disclaimer: sorry the photos are bad, I took them on my cell!*

My daughter's flower girl dress came in and I went to pick it up at Alfred Angelo over in Altamonte Springs.  On my way home the traffic was awful, and after an hour on 436 I accepted that fact that I probably wouldn't make it home by the dinner hour.  So I started to look around for a McDonald's or something along those lines, and I saw this:

One of the things that's made me the most nervous since getting into the JFMF program has been the knowledge that I'm going to have to try some Japanese cuisine, and enjoying that cuisine involves the ability to eat raw fish. I did not want to go to Japan and get sick the first time I tried raw fish, so I had to practice. I called my wife and told her was no possible way I could make it home for dinner before 7 pm and that I'd be dining on raw fish, to which she said "BWAHAHAHAHA MORON!"

I walked into Hatsuhana and sat down at the Sushi Bar.  The server put some type of order form in front of me where I would have to choose my own pieces of Sushi.  I couldn't make heads or tails of the thing so I finally told her that I had no idea what I wanted.  I explained that I was going to Japan in June and that I wanted to try some real Sushi before my trip, and asked what she would recommend.  She told the Sushi chef across the bar, who recommended (in Japanese) the Sushi and Sashimi combo platter.  It was eight California rolls (cooked, which I've had before), five pieces of Sushi (RAW, which I've wanted to try but never had the nerve to), and eight pieces of Sashimi (RAW pieces of fish, which I've never dreamed of trying.)  Looking at the chef sharpening his knife across the bar, I swallowed my fears and said, "Let's do it!"

As the chef began preparing the dish, I felt the fears that I had swallowed begin to kick the insides of my stomach.  I wanted to run for the door!  No way, I had to stay.  My stomach started to hurt.  Would I be able to eat raw fish?  I thought I would throw up right on the Sushi Bar.  But I didn't.  And before I knew it, this was staring me in the face:

There was no turning back now. The chefs were looking on to see what piece the rookie would try first.  I'll bet they expected me to go for the California Roll.  I carefully studied the platter and chose a tasty looking piece of salmon Sushi. I dipped it into some soy sauce and gobbled it down in one bite.  It was really good.  Immediately my fears vanished and the world started turning again.  The chef spoke directly to me for the first time.  "Raw fish for the first time?  You're brave, man." I've got to eat the real deal, I told him, I have to get ready. 

 

I told him that I really liked the salmon, and dug into the shrimp.  He asked why I was going to Japan in June.

"I'm a teacher, and I just got accepted into a program to go over there for three weeks."

"JET program?" he asked.

"No, the Fulbright Memorial Fund," I replied.  The chef stopped and thought for a moment. 

"That's the one run by the government, right?"

"That's right!" I said, picking up my first piece of tuna Sashimi.  

"What prefecture are you going to?" 

I told him that I hadn't been assigned to any area yet.  He told me that he was from Kyoto and that I should go there and check out the architecture and the temples, that I'd see things built  hundreds and in some cases over a thousand years ago. 

"One of the places people like to visit the most is the Gold Temple," he told me.  I said I would make a point to go to Kyoto and see it.  I'll add that to things I'd like to do on my day off, which I'd like to spend traveling and doing some drawing.  

As the chef continued preparing dishes for other customers, our conversation turned back to Sushi.  He said that what I try in Japan will be different than what I was dining on, that some would be more chewy, other piece would be crunchy, and that in any case I should expect a more classical style of Sushi on my trip.  I got a little nervous, but he said that if was able to eat raw fish tonight, I would enjoy it in June as well. 

My chopsticks hit bare wood.  I looked down and saw this welcome sight:

I did it!  I actually ate real raw Sushi and Sashimi, and here I am, two hours later, without even the slightest hint of a sour stomach.  And it was GREAT!  I highly recommend Hatsuhana to anyone in Orlando, it's worth the drive!  

As I got up to leave, the chef said, "In case I don't see you again, enjoy your trip to Japan."

"You'll see me again, my friend.  I have to keep practicing."

The chef laughed.  "Practicing! Alright, see you later!"

You bet he will!

Sonic Booms

Last night I went outside to try to watch Space Shuttle Endeavour return home to Florida after its visit to the International Space Station.  There are a lot of things that I love about living in Apopka, but one the most unique is living right under the Space Shuttle's return flight pattern.  As the vehicle shoots through the sky above, a double sonic boom can be heard.  If it comes home during the school day, the booms will rattle the windows and usually two or three students will say, "hey, the Space Shuttle's home!"  Yesterday the shuttle commander was bringing Endeavdour home after dark, which is fairly unusual in itself.  I was looking at a high-flying plane, thinking it might be the shuttle, when I heard the two booms behind me to the south.  I knew I had lost the possibility of seeing the spacecraft coming in.  When I got back inside, my wife was watching the shuttle coming to a stop on the runway.

Today about half of my students said that they heard the booms.  We've all heard the shuttle coming in at one time or another, and we've all seen the giant plume as the shuttle leaves the grasp of gravity and finds its place in orbit.  Those occurrences are so common in Central Florida, yet they never get old.  With every launch, people can be seen pulling over and getting out of cars, or explaining to their children the column of steam, or just silently gathering to get a good view.   It's nice that for a few brief moments every so often, people in our area just stop and be still and marvel at this amazing human accomplishment.  It's some thing that we can all be proud of.

This particular shuttle flight (STS-123) is of interest to me because it is one that I will be including in my follow on plan next year.  Aboard the shuttle was Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who, in 1997, become the first Japanese astronaut to have ever completed a spacewalk.  The primary mission of this flight was to transport the first piece of the Kibo experiment module to be connected to the space station.  Two other pieces of this laboratory will be sent and attached in two subsequent journeys.  As I present the International Space Station to my students next year, I'm going to spend some time talking about the international partnership and understanding that had to be established in order to make this project a reality.  The fact that Japanese astronauts and equipment can be shipped aboard an American space transport to be attached to a multinational space station is amazing, and I want to make sure that the importance of this accomplishment is not lost on my students. 

Click here to watch Takao Doi give a tour

 of the first part of the Kibo module

Another interesting fact that I learned this week is that the Endeavour was made from the spare and leftover parts of shuttles Atlantis and Discovery.  Good to know they're building shuttles using the same method that I use to fix my roof after hurricanes roll through!

Tonight, no spacecraft in the sky so it's back to Japanese film.  Now Showing: All About Our House.

The Next Day

Today I had the opportunity to share with my colleagues the fact that I am now a "Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar." Everyone was very excited, especially my students!

My principal and I got the chance to talk about the trip for a short time this morning, and we're going to brainstorm gifts that I can bring with me to represent our school as I meet the principals of the schools I will visit in Japan. I want to be a good representative for our area, so I'm going to find appropriate gifts and information from my school to share with the elementary, middle and high school principals; something from my college to share with the administrators of the teacher's college we visit; a gift from my district to share with the superintendent of the prefecture we go to; and maybe something from my town to give to that prefecture's mayor. I don't know how I'll get it all sorted, made, packed or anything, I'm still too excited to think straight or to even write this blog! Yikes!

I had a meeting today with some parents and I wanted to share the news with them immediately!  They were pleased as well.  One the great things about being a participant in this program for 2008 is that it gives me the chance to share my experience with the group of kids who are in my class right now.  I will be looping with them up to fifth grade next year, so they will be the beneficiaries of the program I create as my follow-on plan.  

After lunch some friends dropped off balloons and a congratulatory sign that read "Congratulations Ralph-Sensei! You're Japan bound!" There was a picture of a samurai or something on it.  The kids thought it was great.  There were pictures taken and when I get copies I'll post them!

Sorry this post is so short, gotta go, my two-year-old is telling me that "Brian Secrets" is on TV and she's dragging me out of the chair.  

Sayonara!

So I go to the mailbox today...

and there was nothing there.  I decided to head out to exercise. 

When I came back I was on the cell to my wife as I opened the mailbox and waaaaay in the back, at the bottom, under magazines, bills, late Easter cards, and the rest, I could see this logo:

So the next thing I said to my wife was something like, "Ohmygoshtheletter'shere!"  I came back into the house and she had the camera ready to go, and I tore the envelope open and

Goin' to Japan, baby!

Happy Easter!

No letter yesterday, and I'm actually glad about that for once.  It ensured that I had no distractions last night and today, and it allowed me to concentrate on the important things!

Happy Easter to you, and God Bless You!

Big Size, This!

In Shutting Out The Sun, the author seems to make the case that Japanese fathers don't (or can't) make time to be with their children, or to be creative themselves.  Check out this video, where the dad, accompanied by his wife and daughter on harpsichord, plays "Angels We Have Heard On High" using an ocarina that he carved out of a giant piece of BROCCOLI! 

That's the classic definition of a man with more than enough time on his hands.

Still waiting on today's mail truck!

The Calamari Wrestler

Yesterday I didn't post because I was too busy watching a movie that I rented from Netflix.  In my never-ending journey toward preparation for the Japan trip, I've been working my way through the Netflix collection of Japanese film.  Most of the films I've rented have been pretty good.  This one was insane.  It was called the Calamari Wrestler, and it was about a giant squid who began taking over the Japanese Pro Wrestling Circuit. I only made it about 30 minutes before I had to turn it off and gouge out my mind's eye, it was just too much.  Here, check out the trailer, you'll probably want to throw yourself out the window: 

Don't say I didn't warn you.  

Oh yeah, no letter today.

Bills!

No air-mail letter from Japan!  Dang it!

Maybe tomorrow!

J-Media

Nothing but bills in the mailbox yesterday.  

I got caught up at a late doctor appointment last night and dealt with a wild, attention starved two-year old for the rest of the evening.  While at the doctor, I was reading a very interesting book about Japan called Shutting Out the Sun by Michael Zielenziger.  This got me thinking about some of the other media I've been exploring in advance of the trip.  

As I've been getting ready for the possibility of going on the JFMF trip, I've been reading a few books to try to understand more about the culture of Japan.  Confucius Lives Next Door by T.R. Reid has been one of my favorites.   It's an enjoyable read that made me more than ever want to visit this wonderful place. Reid shares the positives of the interconnectedness of the Japanese culture, the relative safety of travel for individuals, and the remarkable collaboration in the face of pressing economic hardship.   It's the polar opposite of Shutting Out the Sun, which focuses on the low birth and high suicide rates, depression, alcoholism, and other social problems plaguing the Japanese.  Both of the books have been extremely informative, but they approach many of the same topics from such different viewpoints that I'm more interested than ever to travel to and learn about Japan for myself.  (In fairness, I've not yet finished Shutting Out the Sun, so I don't know if it ever steps away from its negative tone.)

I also explored two other books about aspects of Japanese culture that I'm interested in: anime/manga and baseball.   The book on anime was called Wrong About Japan by Peter Carey and it wasn't that great, interested readers won't be missing by skipping it.  I did enjoy You Gotta Have Wa, a book on American baseball players trying to survive and thrive within the big leagues of Japan.  Wa was written by Robert Whiting and published in 1990, so it is very much out of date in terms of players that I recognize.  The history of baseball in Japan was a satisfying section and the main reason I bought the book in the first place.    I did see cultural elements from both Confucius and Sun in the book, especially when discussing the collaborative aspects of the game. It was strange to read that ending a game in a tie is a desirable result, as no one has to lose. The last (and only) baseball game I saw that was a tie was a Spring Training contest between the Braves and Yankees at Disney that was called because there was no more room on the scoreboard for extra innings.  It didn't matter that the game didn't count, people were about ready to go out and tear down the backstop!  Whiting has another book out called The Meaning of Ichiro that I'm going to try to find before June. 

I've found that Netflix has a pretty good collection of Japanese films and anime.  I've searched mainly for media that speak to the school experience in Japan.  In anime, both Azumanga Daioh and Cromartie High School have given me a few (humorous) social and cultural insights that I haven't gotten anywhere else.  Below is one of my favorite scenes from Azumanga Daioh, and it is possibly one of the strangest:

Yeah, weird, I know.  But the whole series is hilarious and will grow on you.  I've rented a number of films, but my two favorites have been Linda Linda Linda and Train Man.  If you get the chance of see either of these, you'll be in for a treat.  Another great but heartbreaking film is Nobody Knows.  Have a box of tissues handy.

I found a fan made trailer for Linda Linda Linda on YouTube:

I'm tired of typing.  This blog thing is tough.  I have no idea how my wife keeps up so well and includes so much information in her posts.  

Back to the window to faithfully watch for the postal truck.  Sayonara!

What a packed mailbox!

March 17th is supposed to be a lucky day, so I bounded joyously to the mailbox in hopes I'd see a Japanese postmark mixed in with all of the bulk mail permits, but alas, junk mail was the order of the day. I think the letter carrier used her foot to cram all of the junk mail, bills and depressing FRS statements into my mailbox today.  We got at least two pieces of mail from every person and business with our address.  

Nothing from Japan, though.  Oh well, tomorrow is the 18th!  Maybe it will be a lucky day!  (Yeech, or maybe not...)

Drop me a line, my Japanese Friends!

Waiting...

Irashaimasu!

I've decided to start a blog as a daily journal about my trip to Japan.  Well... my "would-be" trip to Japan, as I don't know if I'm going just yet. Last November, I created a proposal and a follow-on plan, both of which I submitted to the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund as my application to be part of their June 2008 JFMF teacher group. If accepted, I get to spend three weeks in Japan learning about Japanese education and culture.  If I don't get accepted, I'll just try again for 2009!

I've been reading a lot of online journals in preparation for the trip, and they've been both entertaining and helpful.  One of the things that has caught my interest during this waiting period has been the date that past participants received their acceptance letters. I just can't stand waiting!  My passport came last week, so when do I find out if I made the trip?  In one of the journals, the teacher included a scan of her acceptance letter dated March 18, and on another journal site the teacher listed March 21 as the date she received the letter.  Both of those dates for 2008 fall within the coming week, so I will be approaching the mailbox with a great sense of anticipation every day after I get home from school.  When the letter comes, we'll take a video of me opening the envelope so that you all can see my reaction if I am accepted... I suspect words just won't be able to describe it.  No matter what happens, I'll include a scan of the letter.  

My students already know that I've applied and they know that I'll find out this month whether I get to go on the trip.  They've been asking me almost daily if I found out any news, and every day I tell them not yet... 

We'll know soon enough.  

Until then, Epcot will have to suffice!