CA International Food Day

The past two months I have been busy as one of the co-chairs for our school's International Food Day (formally called the Food & Fun Fair).

This event is CA's largest fundraiser, with over 1,200 people attending from our community and all around Kansai.  This year we have 11 different country booths and one International booth, featuring food from all around the world. (My favorite part!) The day will be full of entertainment from our own school groups, as well as a talent show of students, and circus-themed children activities.  And the bonus this year?  We are adding beer and wine to our menu.

Alot of planning and effort goes into this day. It is amazing to watch all the different cultures and nationalities within our school come together to put on such an awesome event. And as busy as I have been with everything, it is cool to watch it all come together. It makes me want to burst out in singing "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical for some reason. (Yes, that is STILL Sami's favorite movie)

So if you are around the Kobe area on April 10 (hint hint We love visitors!) stop on by!

ABCs of Living in Japan

I came across this in today's The Japan Times, a Japanese Newspaper all in English. Here is a little lesson in Japanese culture and language in ABC form. Enjoy!

A is for Amaterasu, the sun goddess and Japan's best-known deity. A is also for amanogawa (the Milky Way), Aomori Prefecture and All Nippon Airways.

B is for Buddhism, bo-san (Buddhist priest) and bon dancing — now take a bow. B is also for batsu (literally "X"), the Japanese gesture of crossing your arms in front of you — an alarming way — to indicate something "can't be done."

C is for cheezu! (Cheese!) said when taking a photo. And C is for concriito, a virile form of concrete that grows everywhere in Japan.

D is for dame (no way!), daijobu (OK) and Disney.

E is for Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh?! — an expression of disbelief, such as at the eki (train station), when you realize you've gotten on the wrong train.

F is for futon, fufu (married couple), and furin (to cheat on your spouse).

G is for gaijin (foreigner), and proud of it! G is also for the gakusei (students) you may teach at the gakko (school). And when your students do well, be sure to say "Goo!" (Good!)

H is for hai! (Yes!), the answer to all questions in Japanese, whether you understand them or not.

I is for itadakimasu! said out of respect before eating a meal. Iiiiidesu ne? (Isn't that nice?)

J is for "Japan as No. 1," the country your family thought you went to.

K is for kawaii (cute!), kewpie dolls, konbini (convenience store) and Kitty-chan . . . the real Japan you've come to.

L is for lice (foreign rice) as distinguished from kome, Japanese rice, the staple food in Japan.

M is for the mama-san who serves you miso soup in the minshuku. "Mooooiii desu" (Enough already!) M is for maru, appended to all boat names.

N is for natsukashii, something you fondly remember from long ago. N is for natto (fermented beans). No, not natto!

O is for ohayo! (Good morning!), onsen (hot springs) and "Oh no, I'm still wearing the toilet slippers!"

P is for pachinko chocolate and Pocky, those cylindrical frosted snacks. P is for "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea."

Q is for Q&A, especially the questions that may never be answered about Japan, no matter how much Googling one does on their computers.

R is for Rosu (Los Angeles), Roson (Lawson's), Rasu Begas (Las Vegas), and "I rabu you." (I love you.)

S is for shochu (Japanese distilled spirits), sake and the Gods who beckon you to toast them at 7 a.m. Shinto ceremonies. So desu yo! (It's true!)

T is for taihen (difficult) and tatemae (a form of flattery) that the token gaijin may at times endure. T is for "taoru," (towel), especially those you receive from local businesses with advertising on them. And T is also for takoyaki (octopus balls). Tee-hee.

U is for U-tan (U-turn — people moving back to their hometowns), something you may do yourself some day. But don't be like Urashimataro, who returned home only to find himself hundreds of years old.

V is for the bwee-sign, that gesture given when Japanese pose for photos. You may have thought the V was for victory, but it is really the visual sign for peace.

W is for wan-chan (dogs) who get carried around in their owners' bicycle baskets. Wan-wan! (Arf-arf!). W is also for wairo, the wonderful world of bribery.

X is for Tokyo's X-rated Kabukicho, XX-rated movies, and XXX-rated cabaret clubs.

Y is for yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo), Yoko Ono and making lots of yen!

Z is for zen, which not surprisingly, rhymes with yen.

Passion Christmas

Christmas in Japan is much different than Christmas in the states. With less than 1 percent of the population being Christian there are no mangers, wise men, or baby Jesus wrapped in cloth. Not even a hint that to some it may exist. You see lots of bows, ribbons and tiny trees. You will hear Christmas music in stores, but most people have no clue what is being sung. And while I see very little Christmas in stores compared to what I am used to, according to expats that have been in Japan even a few years ago, there is double what used to be.

At our local grocery store there are signs everywhere for "Passion Christmas". Those two words just don't mix in my mind. After some googling, I have learned that Christmas here is about Christmas Cakes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and sex.

The Japanese are great lovers of festivals and celebrations, so it only makes sense that they would like Christmas. Christmas Eve is celebrated by eating a 'Christmas Cake', which the father of the family purchases on his way home from work. Stores all over carry versions of this Christmas cake and then reduce the price drastically on Christmas Day. This has resulted in an expression in which young girls are referred to as a 'Christmas cakes': marriageable until their 25th birthday and requiring heavy discounts to get married after their 25th birthdays.

A KFC Christmas Chicken Dinner has become quite popular. Some Japanese will make reservations for their "Christmas Chicken" ahead of time and then line up outside their local store to pick up their orders. Thanks to KFCs brilliant marketing effort, the Japanese believe that Westerners celebrate Christmas with a chicken dinner instead of ham, turkey or roasts.

Christmas in Japan is more like what us Westerners would call Valentine's Day. Presents will be flowers, stuffed animals and jewelry. Presents are reserved for those who we may have romantic feelings for or close friends. It is a time for boys and girls to reveal their affection for one another. Married couples (and I am sure many unmarried ones too) will book rooms at "love hotels", a very popular type of hotel in Japan where people go for just a few hours to have sex.

Passion Christmas... it had to have been thought up by a man.

Bangkok Day 1 - Spring Break 2009

Our first day was spent touring The Grand Palace, Wat Pa, the local shopping area, taking a boat up the river and eating some awesome food at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was really a cultural experience to see some of the history of Thailand and also to see how people live today.

The Grand Palace







Wat Po (The Reclining Buddha)





View from a River Boat



Local Shopping



Hard Rock Cafe (AKA- REAL Western Food)





You can see many more photos from our first day here. Next up? Dream World –– Thailand's version of "Disney World".

Arrived Safe and Sound

I am here! I am where soon will be called "home". Wow. I still can’t believe I will be living here. I think once we actually start looking at houses maybe it will seem more real. Until then it's just Matt and I on a trip enjoying the sites.

The plane ride was good. I flew from Raleigh to Detroit and then straight into Osaka, Japan. The flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Because of the distance Cat always flies us business class. I had my own LCD TV set, radio and even video game system. The food was actually decent and I loved the free drinks.

It was already dark when I got in here (it seems to get dark early) so I couldn't see much except for the outline of the mountains. Stepping off the plane my first thoughts were dang it is hot. It is incredibly humid here. Much more than NC.

We spent all Sunday exploring the area on our own before our guide meets us. We managed to find the school and even a few of the areas we will be looking at houses.

Ferris wheel in Harborland.
The front of the Canadian Academy, the school the kids will attend.

Street in Shoyia neighborhood.

View across the harbor.
Walking up the huge hill into Shoyia neighborhood.
Back yard of one of the houses we will be seeing on Wednesday.

It’s going to take some getting used to living in a city. The train system the first night looked so overwhelming, but after taking it everywhere yesterday it actually is pretty simple. (as long as you have a map)

I think I could just sit everyday and people watch. If someone can figure out the fashion statement here I would love to hear it. Anything goes. And I mean ANYTHING. I probably saw 20+ people in Uggs. Some people had winter stocking caps on (even though its the same here in the winter as NC). The only non-heeled woman shoe I saw was crocs. And the shoes... Oh my. I love shoes. Leggings with shorts. Shorts and tights. Mini skirts and thigh high socks. Thigh high boots. The younger guys in skinny jeans. Straighted hair (on men!!). And the list just goes on.

Shopping... There are more stores than people. Kid you not. It is the strangest thing. Some expensive, some not. I already found Gap and we have quickly found a store called Uniqol that we love.


The first night we had pizza for supper. Not what you would think as pizza though. And mozzarella & tomato salad! It was to die for. Matt said that the food here is amazing. He was right. I had an actual Japanese lunch and last night we went to a "Japanese steakhouse". The menu’s aren’t in English, heck nothing is in English, but they have pics and between that and a word guide we were able to figure out what to get. I can say water, beer and wine in Japanese. You know, the important words. Eating will be an experience that is for sure.


The bugs are scary. There is a common centipede that is poisonous and I think all the bugs are on steroids. We found this dead bug and its about as long as my fist. No joke. Then we had one buzz past us and we thought it was a bird.


Our toilet seat is heated and it has a butt washer and dryer on it! It is the weirdest thing ever.


Today is our first official day of our house hunting trip. We are meeting our guide for orientation and then going to tour the school and then look at our first set of houses. Then tonight one of the expats are hosting us for supper.

My sleep schedule is so screwed up. I didn't sleep well the first night, despite only the 2 hours I slept on the plane. Last night I crashed at 8pm and now am wide awake at 2:30 am. I am sure once I get on a schedule it will be Friday and I will be going back.

After being here less than 36 hours I can honestly say this is where we are supposed to be. This is going to be an amazing adventure for our family. The experience the kids will have in the 3 years we are here will be life changing. I cannot wait for them to see everything themselves.

You can see more pics from our first day here. If you watch the slide show make sure you mark to see the titles and comments so you will know what you are seeing.