Let's talk about the past week and a half of living in Japan. Basically, I'm trying to squeeze in as much time as possible with my colleagues in these last few days. I'm spending my days in the Ibaraki office and not traveling too much. I can't remember anything remarkable about last week other than some sightseeing in my city and hanging out with friends.
Finally bought nail polish after almost two months of being here. My feet look like a girl's again. Bet your nail polish doesn't have a name.
Tried a new kind of ramen with a friend. Spicy sesame with some fresh garlic that we added in. Very nice.
Another trip to rolling sushi. Again, seven plates for me. Consistency.
Photo shoot with my coworker friend outside the office. So precious. Love the matching jackets.
Train station at night.
I took an after-work trip to Osaka one night to do some Christmas shopping. I haven't done much shopping during my time here so now I'm feeling the shopping pressure to pick up Christmas gifts. I've been making mental (and real- in my little red notebook) lists on ideas for gifts as I see things. But now I'm deciding what I want to get and going back to some shops to pick things up. This shopping center is near the main train station in Osaka. It's so gorgeous with the greenery and even nicer all lit up for the holidays.
I've had a really fun time shopping for my little cousins and family especially. There are just so many beautifully made things in Japan. Like, we have the same things at home but it seems like goods are made with more detail, care and beautiful design in Japan.
Another Engrish tee for your enjoyment.
Sometimes I'll find out after the fact that a colleague saw me shopping at the local mall or supermarket but didn't say hi because he or she was too shy to say anything. So one day during the morning coffee break I was downstairs talking with some coworkers. One of the guys has seen me (twice!) while out shopping so I asked him where he actually saw me so I could try and remember if I noticed any familiar faces. I was thinking maybe the produce section in the supermarket or maybe a clothing shop like GAP at the mall. He quickly answered, "the liquor shop". Of course, it would be the liquor shop. The liquor shop is actually a section of the supermarket that is a little bit off to the side. You have to check out from this area separately from the main supermarket and it sells things like wine, imported foods, beer and of course liquor. On the day that he spotted me, I was picking up a bottle of wine to give a colleague as a gift. But of course, I think it's so funny that he happened to spot me on this day at the particular moment that I was perusing the "liquor shop".
On Saturday night I went into Osaka with a friend to hang out and sightsee a bit. I took this photo in the Namba area from a really famous bridge just to show the sheer magnitude of people that are constantly moving through this area. The meaning of "crowded" has really taken on a new meaning since my stay in Japan.
On Sunday, a colleague and I went to our company softball team's last game of the year. It was a really fun game with a 7-0 win. After the game, we went out for Korean bbq at the same restaurant where I had my first lone dining experience. The chef remembered me and told my (Japanese) friends that he was really glad that I decided to come back after my first experience.
I could probably be happy eating Korean bbq everyday. Just saying.
Chef = photographer.
After lunch, we headed to the countryside to visit a small farmers market and do a little hiking. I use the word hiking hesitantly because as you can see, we weren't exactly dressed for any kind of intense physical exertion. Maybe "strolling" is a better choice. This is my office friend, Miho.
Shrine in the woods.
These two dog statues were guarding the shrine. One says "a" and the other "hum". They're called koma inu. Of course, I had to do the tourist poses with the pair of dogs. Actually Miho made me. But I didn't really protest.
Sunday evening, we met another coworker for dinner at an izakaya. I forgot to take photos of the food (fail) but I tried one notable new thing. Raw horse. Yep, you read that right. Horse sashimi. Please don't be too offended. They're farmed here for meat. And the meat was actually really delicious. So.
On Monday, our company had a kind of R&D conference at one of our head offices. There were a bunch of people from our locations all over Japan so it was really fun to catch up with some colleagues that I probably won't see again before I leave Japan. The conference included a full day of presentations and an evening reception. After the reception, I joined a group of guy coworkers at a Chinese restaurant for more food and some funny conversations. I think everyone in Japan has some level of English speaking ability but it seems like especially with the guys, they don't want to speak English in front of each other unless they're confident in their ability to speak well. So for me, that usually equals a lot of Japanese conversation going on around me with little punctuations of English questions and exchanges. I don't mind at all but I think the whole thing is pretty funny. Luckily, I work with so many nice people so I always end up having fun no matter the amount of talking that I can understand :) Also lucky for me, I work with nice guys that will pay for my dinner when I run out of cash (again). Not recounting this story since you're probably tired of hearing it. Unfortunate mistake or lucky coincidence?
On Tuesday, I had a meeting with some of the management team to discuss my Japan trip so far and our next steps for my project. I did a short presentation and basically just led a discussion on next steps to get the input of the team. It went really well and it was nice to feel like I'm on the same page with our management regarding my work in Japan. I know this is really vague and abstract but suffice it to say, work is also going well!
After the meeting, I headed back to Osaka to meet up at Miho's house for her birthday party. I found out a few weeks ago that her birthday was coming up and suggested to her that we celebrate and have some kind of get together. Well, apparently there is a kind of protocol in Japan for planning this type of thing. The birthday person can't actually be the one to plan the event. And since I'm not Japanese, can't speak Japanese, and generally don't know how to coordinate this kind of thing in Japan, Miho had to find someone else to make a plan. So I helped as much as I could but pretty much just ended up just showing up.
We had a takoyaki and nabe party at her house with a small group of office friends. The evening was SO fun and I really liked spending (away from work!) time with my colleagues. I think things are always just so much more relaxed and fun away from the office, no matter where you work.
Takoyaki grill. Where the magic happens.
Batter + ingredients. In this case, chunks of raw octopus, shredded cabbage, minced pickled ginger, and fried tempura flakes. We also made another version with sausage and corn. My colleagues called this one "weineryaki". Very nice.
Here's the weineryaki cooked up with cheese. Once the batter starts to cook, you flip each ball (nugget??) until each one is cooked through. It's a really fun group activity as everyone has their own opinion about takoyaki cooking technique. We also had nabe which is a heavy pot heated over a gas flame filled with a kind of stew of meat and vegetables.
I thought these looked pretty great compared to the takoyaki that I had from a street vendor in Osaka. When I asked what kind of sauce this was (so good!), I only got an answer of "takoyaki sauce". Helpful. Maybe I can pick some up at the grocery.
Best gift of the night. When I asked who this was, my colleagues' translators came up with "peeing boy". Specific, at least. Apparently he's a famous character in Belgium and known for his... accuracy. We filled him up with tea and let him do his thing.
He does the dishes, ladies. But unfortunately, no hablo (much) ingles.
Precious birthday cake. I supplied candles from the 100yen shop.
Precious birthday girl. Love this lady.
Takoyaki masters. Such a fun evening with really fun friends. And a very accurate peeing boy.
New words: I've learned how to say "you are" and "I am". But the only adjectives that I know are hot, cold, cute, good looking and dangerous. So, not super helpful. I'm also practicing "I like" and "do you like" statements. Ooh and I learned "I understand" this week. And "see you next time" or see you later. Katakana is coming easier but I'm still really slow at reading it and don't always know what the actual English word is. Also learned some color words- color is "iro" and most colors are a word with -iro as the suffix. Akairo ("ah-kah-ee-roh"), red; orangiro, orange; aoiro ("ah-oh-ee-roh"), blue; kiiro, yellow. These words came up as we were driving through the country and talking about the changing colors in the trees.
Exciting things: Found out my colleagues are planning a going away party with lots of people. Maybe I already mentioned this? These kinds of get togethers are always fun so I'm definitely looking forward to it. Although it will mark my last night in Japan :( I had the chance to skype with a few friends and my family this past week. This is always fun for me and the time goes by SO fast when I'm talking with friends.
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