Merry Christmas 2012!!!

It’s Christmas Eve again in Japan and Mom has just got home from work to enjoy her usual view of the Christmas tree through rose coloured glasses…Tonight has always been her favorite night of the year. In Canada, her family would get together and play games, eat appies, drink cocktails…enjoy the anticipation of Santa’s arrival. Since coming to Japan the feeling has obviously changed, but there are still moments to be had, champagne to be drunk, blessings to bestow or receive…a peaceful home, a happy family, a few pretty boxes under the tree, new friends and traditions to be made….and when it’s all said and done, she has me…for cuddles and love, and to, finally, drag her drunk ass upstairs when all that yuletide cheer disappears…and we sleep all nestled in bed, dreaming of bones, chicken and meat….(or maybe that’s just me?) 

Merry Christmas to All and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!!

japanese houses are ridiculous…

So, as usual, our house is freezing…In Japan the houses are not built for cold…minimal insulation, single pane glass.. houses are heated through dual use heat/cool air conditioners and electric or gas heaters…Mom thought it would be a good idea to dress me in my Halloween costume to keep me warm…I hated this outfit at Halloween…what makes you think I would appreciate it at Christmas??! F$%#ing rabbit…..tricks are for kids…

ok…have a good day, i guess…

This is the face that I make every morning, yet Mom still goes to work..WTH does a girl gotta do around here? (sighhhhh. ) She probably doesn’t even feel bad…stupid job…

Winos Rejoice!!!

 

Did you know that there is plenty of gorgeous wine country in Japan? I was as shocked as you are when Mom told me we were off on a road trip to Yamanashi Prefecture to finally tour the Wine Cave of Katsunuma Winery that she had read about years ago and long coveted after. Four short hours later, we zipped off the Interchange and into the vineyards of Central Japan. Those hours had flown by due to the spectacular countryside scenery of late October…Autumn dressed in her finest technicolour dream coat!

We even had a stop at Suwa Lake in Nagano Prefecture where we all got to try Ostrich done teriyaki style which was absolutely delicious! We got a chance to enjoy it while running around in the dog run at one of the rest stops along the way….(this new idea of dog runs at the rest areas along the Interchange is really a genius idea for anyone traveling with their furry companions..especially after many times trying to get business done on pacing in the parking lot hoping not to get run over by half asleep truckers…)

In the last hour, rounding a mountain bend to watch Mt. Fuji appear triumphantly before you will, literally, take your breath away! It’s impossible not to fall in love with Fuji-san from the first moment you see him. You can understand how a person could devote their lives to this once angry giant. In fact, when we got up the next morning to watch the sunrise creep across the countryside, we ran into a man who has lived at the base of Fuji-san for twenty years and every day takes a picture to commemorate their journey together. He told us how lucky we were to have such a gloriously clear view as it is a rare case during that time of year..which we were to discover later that same day when Fuji-san was completely clouded over….But where was I? I lost my place… That tends to happen when I think of Mt. Fuji..

Anyhoo, we landed in wine country and headed straight for Katsunuma Winery. The Katsunuma Wine Cave was the destination Mom had dreamt about. She had read an article about Japanese wine country a few years ago and had never forgot the part about the Wine Cave. The article had mentioned for the cost of about $12 (¥1,100) you could sample as many wines as you liked for as long as you liked….Hundreds of wines to be exact. All you can drink for a set price, or “nomihodai” in Japanese, is one of the fabulous perks of enjoying the nightlife in Japan… this combined with “tabehodai” (all-you-can-eat) is the usual fare for end of the year parties that some company workers wait the whole year for! So Mom rushed off to join the crowd leaving Papa with the car keys and me in the car….can’t say as I enjoyed the winery at all but that’s not the point here….

Winding down the staircase, tin cup in hand,  the anticipation was what one might call “palpable”. The entrance was simple, but the bounty was well worth the wait! Japanese people tend to have a rather sweet palate for wine which results in most of the home grown vintage to be rather juicy and low in alcohol content. Mom’s tastes are quite the opposite and knowing she was limited in time ( Papa being the driver, couldn’t enjoy plundering the bounty along with her so patience would eventually grown thin…), she decided to optimize time by checking the alcohol content before sampling the fare… nothing less than 13% would do for a nice dry Chardonnay which, to be honest, really did limit the selection considerably. However, there were about a dozen really nice wines to choose from.(.taking note to bring the girls next time after watching a few ladies really taking advantage of the nomihodai) she narrowed it down to two bottles of home grown talent..

 After that we headed to the “Pension” which is a cheap bed and breakfast in Japan. During the bubble period in Japan, the pension communities exploded all over the tourist areas of Japan and the people enjoyed getting away on the weekends to relax in the countryside. When the bubble collapsed, many of these pensions communities were swallowed up and emptied into ghost towns. We stayed in an area on the edge of Kawaguchi Lake that would have been thriving at one point but was now eerily quiet…which Mom thoroughly enjoyed exploring on our walks…She loves to make up stories about the now boarded up windows and vacant cottages…we enjoyed a long walk after sunrise the next morning…it is easy to understand how the vineyards and fruit trees grow so healthy in this area of Japan…the ground is rich and the soil is deep and dark… the area peaceful and the people gentle and inviting…

But before I get to the next day, we need to talk about the remarkable views of Fuji-san we witnessed just before sunset that day. The heavy rain the day before had allowed for a perfectly clear Monday for an extraordinary opportunity to view Fuji-san in all his glory! Words can’t come close to describing this experience…

And the next morning, before the clouds moved in, we were able to observe Mt. Fuji awash in a pink haze, a gentle calm of serenity enveloping this sleeping giant….

 

 

Then the clouds came in and we were left to travel alone without our hulking guardian…until we meet again Fuji-san, thank you for a beautiful journey!

 

RAWHIDE!!!

(to the tune of Rawhide with Nabe pronounced NAH-BEH..)

NABE! NABE! NABE! Man, I’d love some NABE! Let’s go make some NABE –RIGHT NOW! Chop it up, throw it in, pour the soup, close it up, take me out, wipe my butt, bring me in, gimme snacks, eat your soup while I watch and beg to eat some  NABEEEE!! 

That’s right people! It’s Nabe time again! What is Nabe you might be asking? Wellllll, let me ed-ju-ma-cate you here and now…It is what you western cow poke might call a Hot Pot. Lots of deliciousness all in one bowl and nothing heats you up faster or longer than George Clooney, oops, I mean hot Nabe. It’s the family favorite in the winter time along with oden (which is lots of good stuff made from fish pastes and tofu and the like…trust me, it’s awesome..). Best part is that Nabe is the easiest thing in the world to make, especially since they have made dozens of different kinds of pre-made soup stock all packaged up and ready for the party that is about to happen in your mouth. Japanese people have a long love affair with Nabe and, in fact, Mom is planning not one, but two parties over the holiday season centered around Nabe dishes and good friends. Nabe is also a great way to empty out your refrigerator when the end of the week rolls around and the vegetables are starting to turn to the Dark Side…fungus food poisoning, you want it not.

Here’s a little demo if you are so inclined to try it yourself! I’m not sure of the selection of soup stocks in your neck of the woods but if you are really nice and send me some chewy snacks, I might just send a little lovin’ your way too….there are other ways to prepare the soup which can involve heating konbu (a kind of seaweed) in water to create a lovely broth for fish or adding a concentrated paste to water. Both of these dishes require the water to come to a boil before adding all the of the other ingredients. The way I will show you is the easiest as everything goes in all at once and you just heat until the steam comes screaming out of the top hole like quitting time on the Flintstones and then serve!

Here you see I’ve bought leeks, shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage, enoki mushrooms, pork meatballs, fried tofu, noodles, konnyaku, and various foods that are usually found in Oden because on this night Mom couldn’t decide whether she wanted Nabe or Oden so she thought she would go crazy and have both! (Wild daze….that’s funny for about 4 of you if you watch Japanese TV..) Usually this isn’t done, but I’ll explain more about Oden on another post…Basically, just get whatever veg gets your motor running, and try to match it to the flavour profile of your soup..For example, pork meat is the best bet for a kimchee base while a clear seaweed broth is perfect for  the simplicity of an oyster nabe..Mom and Dad love tofu and mushrooms so that is usually what gets the most facetime here….

Anyways, chop it all up and put it in your Nabe dish. A good Nabe dish is made from clay or cast iron and it doesn’t need to be expensive .  Just make sure it is sturdy enough to survive direct heat for an extended amount of time without cracking….the worst nightmare would be to have your pot cracked and explode hot soup all over your family!

Everybody into the poool!! Now that all the ingredients have been added into the pot it’s time to add the soup stock…these are a few of our favorites:

So let your cauldron bubble until it’s steaming hot and you’re ready for the best part: Service! Nabe is great for parties since you can just keep adding more soup and more ingredients throughout the evening…turn it off to take a break and return later for the rest…and if you think you’re up to it, it’s time to add the noodles! When most of the food is gone, you’re left with this deliciously multi-layered broth that is the perfect base to slurp up some ramen noodles in…we rarely get that far having over done it with the veggies…but if you can’t eat it all that night, remember like every good soup, the next day will be better!

Happy, Happy….

Finally! I’m Back!!

I KNOW! I know! It’s been a few months since my last post and Christmas is upon us yet again. If you listen to Mom tell her side, she’s busy with the new school, working hard and zonking out when she has a free moment. She even takes her computer to work with her now and I can’t use it! Talk about frustrating! And she wonders why I ignore her good-byes when she puts me in the pet circle on her way to work…I mean, I am a busy doggie! I’ve got things to do, people to interface with, cookies to eat! How am I just expected to sleep all day without any outlet for my creativity? She finally slipped up and left the computer at home today so I’m going to attempt to make up some lost time.

I’m going to start by telling you the REAL reason we haven’t talked in, like, FOREVER! A couple of months ago, she got the full series of The Sopranos as an early Christmas gift and you would’ve thought it was crack for the immediate addiction that overwhelmed this household. Last night, she finally finished the last episode, but with all the cursing that happened shortly after it finished, I was sure the whole series was going out the front window! Have you watched Sopranos? I, mean, ALL of them consecutively over two months? No? Me neither. I’m with you. Talk about lazy! But she assures me now that she has slept on it, pondered it in the long shower this morning and all throughout the day, it was, in fact, one of the best (if not the best) series finales television has even bestowed upon the universe. But what else could one expect from the creative geniuses that brought us the most revolutionary program in the history of television! Or something like that, I didn’t catch all of what she was going on about this morning on our walk. Nor did I really care. I was trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, but with all her blabbering I couldn’t get to the zen place I needed to complete the task at hand… so I had no choice but to just poop on the floor later. And then SHE gets mad at ME?! What the hell is that all about? Humans. Oii, don’t even get me started..forgetaboutit..

The point is it’s Christmas time and I’m going to pour myself a cocktail and catch you up on what has been going on these last couple of months before I get completely absorbed in the holiday socializing and the New Year will have snuck up and past us by! There is so much more to say about 2012! 

Hold on, I’ll just grab a glass…..

Here’s Mommy!!! Daisy presents an interview with her mom…

I figured since it has been a couple of months, I would ask my mom why she thought it was important for us to start a blog together other than the obvious reason that I am fabulous and cannot be contained to just one family…So here is the transcript in it’s entirety since Mom got mad when I wanted to just trim it down to bullet points…

daisy: ” Alright then, let’s have it. Why are we bothering the people with your inane stories and contrived anecdotes when the internet is already bogged down with thousands of other, more talented writers, doing the same thing?”

mom: ” Well, thank you Daisy for the complementary opening question. Here’s the thing. I remember hearing from family a couple of times that I should consider creating a book or blog or something about the mini-adventures I have during my life abroad. I laughed it off as I have read several books and websites who can do a much better job than I can describing life in Japan. Self-confidence is something I have never had an abundance of regardless of how I may portray my character to others. So what makes me so special that others would want to spend their valuable free time reading about it? You see, I had originally studied politics in university. I actually had cards written out and adhered to my room that read: accountability, responsibility, efficiency and effectiveness.  Therefore, in order to commence a project like this one I needed angles to assess my possible hurdles. Insecurity being the first hurdle to overcome.

So where to begin? I started my adventures abroad as an English teacher in South Korea before returning home to “settle down” and get a “real” job. I did get a good paying job with great benefits that was able to pay the rent while making some fantastic friends. This was the break that I was looking for and the chance to actually stay in one place longer than a year to be able to afford a real home. So, naturally, I came to the conclusion that all these benefits meant nothing to me and that, in fact, with all the wonderful attributes of working for the government in a job to advance my placement in my own country, I did hate this job. Therefore, I once again began the process of soul searching. This led me to where I am now, teaching English in the land of the rising sun. Like thousands of others before me, I chose to go back to do the thing that I felt had been truly rewarding in my life. A job where I could make some sort of impact. I didn’t know at the time that the decision to move here would change the course of my life so drastically that I would be on the verge of never returning home except to visit.

But as for being a travel writer (or blogger) that is left up to the reader. I am not your normal travel guide. I have no motivation to stare fear in the eye through bungee jumping or skydiving or entrenching myself entirely into a culture to the point of losing my Canadian-ness (if that is even a word)…Truth be told I am lazy. My Japanese language ability is crap. I’m an insecure yo-yo dieter with an apocalyptic fear of spiders, clowns and raw chicken. I mean, death comes early enough, why speed up the process? I do hope to one day be able to capitalize on the ridiculous amount of pop trivia and movie quotes that are lodged in my brain because at some point it has to good for something, right? Right? ( I also struggle with the need for approval. I think I’m starting to get a leg up on that one, but I don’t know. What do you think? ) The thing is I don’t believe in fate or destiny. I used to believe in fate but in order to remain sane, I had to reject the notion that there is a plan for me as no amount of sitting on my ass and waiting ever produced any results.

So what is the bottom line? How is it that a woman with no backpack and no cargo pants can write a travelers blog about Japan that anyone would ever care about? My passions are eating, shopping and dogs. I look for adventures that involve a decent hotel with a comfortable bed. But the truth is, I love my life and I try to suck as much out of every experience as I can. The thing is I am your average woman in every way. So that is my angle, I am your average Jane living life according to Murphy’s Law and I hope you enjoy my life in Japan as much as I do (or don’t depending on the day)….But be prepared cause I do a lot of stupid shit….”

Autumn has a smell

My mom tells me that she can smell the season…I’m a dog and I can’t so I don’t believe her. Actually, most people don’t believe her when she says she can smell it. But I bet you can, can’t you? Autumn is on the way now here in Japan and Mom is in such great spirits as a result that I don’t dare question it right now. There is a chill in the air today that swept the curtains up and tingled in my little nostrils. The change is coming and we love it. Soon the leaves will relax changing to auburn and burgundy. The fiery red of the maple leaves and the brilliant yellow of the ginkgo (mom’s favorite) blending to the eventual reveal of the winter coats of bark. Life relaxes, and we breathe deeper contemplating the passing of each year over cozy bowls of soup, pulling tightly on our autumn shawls and blankets. However, we welcome a rejuvenation of the energy that had been slowly siphoned over the broiling summer months, a renewed purpose and focus to the tasks at hand. The melancholia of summer turns to reflection as tea steams our glasses and nabe bubbles over the fire. Long walks invite the spooks of the trees to join us, halloween is coming after all, hiding around the corners to jump out with a “BOO!”. Halloween is Mom’s favorite time to go out. It’s your chance to be anyone that you like for one day with out looking like a looney. She buys me costumes that I hate but tolerate and her friends come over to gasp at the disgusting appetizers she concocts for hours tending to her cauldron for just the right shock and delicious combo….but that’s for a later post. My purpose here was to tell you autumn is coming and I can smell it too, but don’t tell her that cause we all know how much she loves to be right…

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Change

They think I’m crazy

walking with my head up

looking above with renewed eyes

talking to the trees.

” I see you, ” I speak slightly above

a whisper —

the miraculous little buds

closed tightly in a warming embrace.

Soon the petals will relax.

The change is coming.

How I wish I were those petals

that with one glorious stretch —

             I would let go!

                                                                  –February 24, 2009

Nothing is as wonderful for our family than the change of the seasons. Japan has such a distinct difference between each season that encompasses everything about your life not just the weather around you. In Canada, the season of spring and fall melt so quickly into summer and winter that other than the mud on your pants and seasonal allergies you might miss them all together.( I’ve listened to my Mama tell stories about Canada so maybe that’s just her biased opinion so I don’t mean to offend any of you other Canadians that I am sure will hotly contest that last statement.) But in Japan, the drastic change in the landscape and temperatures were really quite a shock and delight for her. On my daily walks, the signs of the new season arriving are a highlight of my meager doggie existence. You can mark each change with a different flower; the plum blossoms, cherry blossoms and wisteria of early spring breaking into the azaleas of May and the hydrangeas signaling the coming rainy season in June and July. From there, the serenity of what the Japanese call the ” new green season” arrives with it’s hundreds of shades of green that usual sends my mama into metaphor sensory overload and frustration when she tries unsuccessfully to describe her favorite color…the green that rests between neon and lime..the symbol of life…After that, we watch the summer hibiscus bloom while mama frantically runs around desperately trying to keep her flowers alive in the heat (unusually unsuccessfully). This flows into the sheer bliss of the cosmos of autumn that she loves so much not only for their multitude of vibrant colors, but also, because they symbolize the end of the dreadful heat of summer while trumpeting in the glorious autumn breezes of October and November. Then the trees dance in their fall coats, swaying and bowing to the entrance of winter. The flowers shrink and the hearty pansies take over the entranceways of most homes and businesses. The snow falls sporadically in our area of Japan which is good to keep my paws clean and mama loves that she doesn’t have to chip ice off the car everyday like she did back home. Also, I have a ton of awesome autumn and winter sweaters that she bought for me so I can finally get fashionable again when we go out to view all of natures colorful children….sorry, didn’t want to ruin the mood there but it seemed like the topic of conversation was shifting away from me….

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“Riding the Rails” — another word from our sponsor…

I love riding the train. It is the only time in my life where I feel that time both stops and moves at warp speed.  It is the moments of reflection on the train that have made up the changes in my personality on this journey in Japan.  Watching the landscape fly by, seeing the countryside and city life, the faces on the train absorbed in the planning of daily chores and schedules–this is my chance to be quiet and reflect, to watch without having to contribute. I have written a hundred pages of short stories about those faces on the train and the stories I perceive hidden behind those eyes. To enjoy the silence or become enraged with the rudeness of the young students on their way to school, that was my daily routine for four years. Nothing was better in my day then having the good fortune to enjoy the stillness of a train of people not talking but just being. It was at those moments, as the world roars by outside the window, while simultaneously stopping inside, that we all bowed our heads in communion of society and I finally felt that we were all one.  All of us were living our separate struggles or menial tasks trying to find the answers; however, we were all the same and we were all heading in the same direction. Then the doors of reality would snap open again and with reluctance, I’d step out of my solitude and join in the race again…..