More Winter

Well, not much has changed here since my last post. Well except one thing: snow! It went from the low 40's to the low 30's and the rain changed to snow. Not the fluffy white kind that saunters down from the sky at a leisurely pace, either. The kind where it seems like millions of tiny frost Cupids are slinging icy arrows from on high. Couple this with outrageous winds and you have a blizzard that will kick a California kid's ass, and that is exactly what has happened. I realized that I know next to nothing about living in a winter wonderland. I didn't have rubber boots to walk in or a brush to get the snow off of my car. I am also woefully short on winter clothes. Back home, a hoodie or windbreaker was usually enough to keep me comfortable. Not so in this neck of the woods. My saving grace is my love of covers and sweatpants, which means I've only turned my big heater on once this entire season.

Also, did I mention Japan doesn't believe in central heating or insulated walls? This is especially fascinating at school. I mean, the school's at least got thermostats and such, right? Nope. In actuality, every room in the school is heated individually by a stand-alone contraption which runs on kerosene. Yeah, there are technically tiny gas fires next to huge tanks of kerosene in every classroom in Japan! Not to mention the kerosene storage room where all 50-odd refill jugs are held. Where is this room? Right in the central entrance to the school.Talk about an explosion waiting to happen. The exhaust from the heaters is funneled out of the room through big tin exhaust pipes which lead to the roof. All of this was installed in the late Fall. How is this in any way superior to central heating? You got me.

Little known fact: there is a peace sign in every picture taken in Japan, and has been since 1961. My student is simply doing her duty and keeping the streak alive.

In any case, through a mixture of stubbornness and my big black pea-coat I have survived thus far. What really blows my mind is that the majority of my students still manage to wear thigh-high skirts to school every day. The smart ones wear sweats underneath, but most are unwilling to risk being unfashionable to achieve warmth. Actually, they all bring blankets to school, and wrap these around their legs bath towel style when walking around. Yeah, a Lilo and Stitch cotton blankie is way cooler than sweatpants. *Sigh...*

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Outside of school, during the week my nights usually just consist of braving the weather and going to the gym then watching The Wire on my computer afterwards. Best show of all time by the way (after Jersey Shore of course). I'm also trying to improve my modest cooking skills little-by-little. So far I've got chicken and rice and some kickass pasta under my belt. Last weekend I made Japanese-style Miso Ramen from scratch, and I'm pretty proud of that. I figure if I add one new recipe to my repertoire each week, I'll be a top chef in no time.

Another favorite pastime around here during the frigid winter months is visiting an Onsen. An Onsen is a traditional Japanese bath. For about five bucks you get access to hot tubs galore, saunas, a cold bath, an outdoor tub (usually), lots of naked 70 year old Japanese dudes and maybe some other extra special surprises. I haven't been to any of the awesome ones yet, but some have Green Tea baths, and one even has little fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet. Awesome I know. Soon, soon...

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Next up for me? This weekend I'll go with the rest of the English department for a night on the nearby coast, complete with a smorgasbord of seafood, including the world-famous (okay, maybe Japan-famous) Echizen crab. Should be fantastic. Then the weekend after that I leave for the real highlight of the season: the Sapporro snow festival! This is all the way up in Hokkaido prefecture, the Siberia of Japan. Expect a report from that one soon.

Guess that's it for now, I'll leave you with a picture I took from the top of nearby Nishiyama Park on a recent Sunday walk, along with a slideshow of my pictures from so far this winter. (click either to enlarge)

-Brett