tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154798692024-03-14T01:31:45.340-07:00Japanikateone girl's meanderings through Tokyo lifeKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-29084668794066029272011-04-25T19:19:00.001-07:002011-04-25T19:19:52.427-07:00My JapanHey folks,<br /><br />I'm over here in Japan, catching up with friends, eating yummy Japanese food, and listening to the birds sing outside my teeny Asagaya apartment. Things have definitely changed around here in Tokyo since March 11th but, in most ways, it's pretty subtle. The lights are dimmer and most elevators aren't being used in order to conserve electricity. There are signs at the grocery store asking people to only buy what they need and not to go hog wild taking all of the bottles of water (those are my words, not theirs ;P ) It's good to see that, for the most part, life is going along as usual.. parents are taking their children to school, elections are being held, engagements are being celebrated (mine!)... Before I my trip, many friends, family members, and coworkers were telling me that I shouldn't go for fear of radiation. I've been keeping myself informed of the radiation levels here in Tokyo and they are not high enough to cause alarm. There have been some pretty steady aftershocks (that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one), but, within a few days I was pretty used to them. If my old crumbly apartment can handle it.. so can I! I'm writing this in the hopes that people back home won't freak out and turn their backs on Japan in her time of biggest need. I think it's important not to ignore the dangers here but also to keep living life as usual. Keep buying imports from Japan, keep coming here on vacation and for business... Although things are getting back to normal pretty quickly in Tokyo, I know there is still so much work to be done up north. There are so many people displaced. They've lost everything. I hope that people outside of Japan won't forget about her once their is bigger news on the television. I guess this has put a lot into perspective for me. I can see humanity in action and I hope to keep doing whatever I can to help others. That's all I guess...<br /><br /><br />KateKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-74867907300634795982010-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:002010-08-18T09:13:31.592-07:00Tokyo Reunion Yurt Weekend<a href="http://goo.gl/photos/lNJb" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/TGwDH0POQ5E/AAAAAAAAEko/W6GMsxQJYao/s160-c/TokyoReunionYurtWeekend.jpg"></a><br /><br />Some friends with a Tokyo connection got together last weekend for a little reunion a la yurt. Best fun I've had in a while! Great to see old friends, make a few new friends, go back to nature, and find out what a yurt looks like on the inside. Can't wait to do it again next year!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-70346987842862154702010-06-28T14:08:00.000-07:002010-06-28T14:44:51.284-07:00konyaku 【婚約】<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbsjs9NoKopIc9NDS4dgMTV5oMCrrJnVs3bjdbIdVs5OI2r8FD03Sf_c9Gz0G0lR3nkw0gyx14cR1ciovqYQnXv6wZBOHhjqFgDZauSiru4Z7b0O-yce6kmr9oPlLjlvAg7Aw/s1600/P1030214.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbsjs9NoKopIc9NDS4dgMTV5oMCrrJnVs3bjdbIdVs5OI2r8FD03Sf_c9Gz0G0lR3nkw0gyx14cR1ciovqYQnXv6wZBOHhjqFgDZauSiru4Z7b0O-yce6kmr9oPlLjlvAg7Aw/s320/P1030214.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487943501463636930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDl3vKUdxofmq3pCWRIMUwky4pSv_bobCqk76_ws75mcy2bm8wVK39_VSbQZIm_q-IEwJjH7DlO1Qw83aYeSEzcunF9qipPmH7a3vD3BnmQLMc7kD3uHzJWAHXaWJQbkkHRL1/s1600/SA380734.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDl3vKUdxofmq3pCWRIMUwky4pSv_bobCqk76_ws75mcy2bm8wVK39_VSbQZIm_q-IEwJjH7DlO1Qw83aYeSEzcunF9qipPmH7a3vD3BnmQLMc7kD3uHzJWAHXaWJQbkkHRL1/s320/SA380734.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487943491183958722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENpHCYzEclyvOgfeNtNJkcvwZCKNz5Ak8mL6QCLVqK_wfx2erQ8iSM6uGTechudDyhQkTrtUfKSqouQdMnTY10gK41rqtFaZaX2s6swWuRiRUeZWUj6IbCxovN5SMy0Aq3u7L/s1600/P1030206.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENpHCYzEclyvOgfeNtNJkcvwZCKNz5Ak8mL6QCLVqK_wfx2erQ8iSM6uGTechudDyhQkTrtUfKSqouQdMnTY10gK41rqtFaZaX2s6swWuRiRUeZWUj6IbCxovN5SMy0Aq3u7L/s320/P1030206.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487943492103560178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdnL6kQY12kFUi7y-jy2MDUPKXtx8bQ4A-D0KFTNQpe2eWJ-UeIgtprAndM36u50LwdnJa0tGKQTDr1jyJy3gIzgDBKumCh_uV3wF8RKBquwVX38KnWvq5URnptjorOJPH4MK/s1600/P1030205.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdnL6kQY12kFUi7y-jy2MDUPKXtx8bQ4A-D0KFTNQpe2eWJ-UeIgtprAndM36u50LwdnJa0tGKQTDr1jyJy3gIzgDBKumCh_uV3wF8RKBquwVX38KnWvq5URnptjorOJPH4MK/s320/P1030205.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487943470204926466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNklD-RaQPM9VvoKUuHyznM0SdWYyBrvvIMVsUeudQm37k4a0c8P_gqFWvHmBkUJavAzpCEe4cI9JgEvdsq99qFq2tWToQ6AoG26uNTbcy7aM9GamzuMHpi3dJteWixlYdTKA/s1600/P1030219.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNklD-RaQPM9VvoKUuHyznM0SdWYyBrvvIMVsUeudQm37k4a0c8P_gqFWvHmBkUJavAzpCEe4cI9JgEvdsq99qFq2tWToQ6AoG26uNTbcy7aM9GamzuMHpi3dJteWixlYdTKA/s320/P1030219.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487943462892859058" /></a><br />Who knew that 4 years after starting this modest little blog that I'd be sitting here writing about my engagement to my favorite Nihonjin? I came to Japan in 2005 thinking that 1 year was an awful long time to live so far from home. I was afraid to walk too far from my Chiba apartment lest I get lost and not be able to find my way home. I thought that Japan was a nice place to visit but that I'd probably never be able to make it my home. The really crazy thing is that I thought, when I met "Tsuji" that we'd never be able to over come the language and cultural barriers we have and, therefore, I wasn't prepared to take him seriously when we first started dating.<br /><br />It's crazy how life turns out sometimes eh?<br /><br />I'm not going to go into too much personal detail here but I thought my "Japanikate" experience would not begin to be complete without mentioning this milestone in my life. I had my "sayonara" event @ GARAGE in Shimokitazawa on May 21, 2010. Later that night, my man and I took a taxi home, or so I thought. I knew what was up when the taxi pulled up in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku! We laughed nervously without saying a word as we walked through the strangely quiet carpeted hallways. I thought we would be going up to the bar to have a drink and admire the night view of Shinjuku before he popped the question. I was partly wrong. He pulled out a room key and opened a door on the 46th floor. I've never set foot in such an amazing room! I ran straight to the window and gasped at the breathtaking sight. Sparkling lights and buildings of every dimension filled my vision. Tsuji asked me to be his wife and I, obviously, said yes. We invited some friends up to have champagne with us (we greeted them at the door in bathrobes... but it was PG really!)<br /><br />I never realized how excited I would be on this day. I'm happy that my journeys in Japan are not over and that, in fact, a much bigger and better journey is about to begin.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-4596481060051756522010-05-09T18:36:00.000-07:002010-05-13T20:13:19.784-07:00Spring Fever<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/FukuiAndKanazawaGoldenWeek2010?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/S-uBp3YXKNE/AAAAAAAAEPs/bD3RGYQvIII/s160-c/FukuiAndKanazawaGoldenWeek2010.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/FukuiAndKanazawaGoldenWeek2010?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Fukui and Kanazawa, Golden Week 2010</a></td></tr></table><br />It's been one great happening after the next this Spring. Instead of writing a long entry for each happening, I'm just going to smoosh it all together into one... because I am "namakemono" (lazy). At long last, <a href="http://www.latenightwallflower.com/site/2010/03/18/the-loyal-we-release-debut-album/">the Loyal We</a> celebrated the release of our album <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DAKCTRD-25">"Homes."</a> We played our hearts out after a 6 month hiatus. 3 shows, 2 of them as part of Momoko Ando's beautiful film <a href="http://love-kakera.jp/index.html">"Kakera"</a> which I'm proud we could be a part of (our song "Box is a Rocket" is in the movie) We had our cd release party on May 2nd at <a href="http://www.moonromantic.com/">Tsukimiru Kimi Omou</a> in Aoyama. There is a lovely big moon that hangs over the stage, making it seem like endless nighttime indoors. Meanwhile, the sun was shining brightly outside. Our friend and producer of the album, Allon, opened the show with sitar and bright pop songs with satirical lyrics. Lindsay popped into Japan for a week and, in between rehearsals, sound checks, and shows, we revisited some of her favorite hot spots and introduced her to a new one (pun intended.. we went to <a href="http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/sleep/yukari-onsen-699452">Chofu's Yukari onsen</a>) After that exciting whirlwind, I headed down by night bus to Fukui with Makoto and Ian and visited the Tada family during Golden Week. Aki, my roommate from last year and very good friend, has invited us to his childhood home several times previously and we've always been unable to go. I'm happy we could finally meet his family and see where he came from. The Tada's gave us the royal treatment. The first night, we were treated to a barbecue feast, Japanese style. We drank premium sake, ate until we couldn't move, and then were dragged out of our chairs into the streets to set off fireworks with Aki's nephew and nieces. The children particularly liked Makoto and kept calling him "Hitsuji-san" (sheep man), a play on words.. his last name is "Tsuji." I never knew he was so good with kids! We all became kids again as we ran through the dark streets playing man hunt. During the daylight hours, we visited some of Fukui's famous sights... Eiheiji Temple(where we found a neat little antique shop and I bought a wooden box over a century old), the cliffs of Tojimbo (where we climbed up and down rocks like little ants, ate squid ice cream, and saw the famous phone booth where would-be suicides can call for help), Echizen, and Fukui-jo, Fukui's castle. We got there a bit late but we could enjoy the surrounding scenery and a nice view of town. Aki's family treated us to another wonderful dinner at a local izakaiya on the second night. Again, I found myself in a food coma, and the boys got quite drunk on several rounds of sake. In the morning, Aki's mother, Keiko-san, outdid herself with an incredible breakfast of sashimi, miso, fresh veggies and pickles, rotten beans "natto" (which I actually enjoyed very much) and rice. We were invited to come back any time, "even without Aki." hah! We said goodbye to Aki and his family and headed off to Kanazawa for a few hours before returning to Tokyo. In Kanazawa, we saw the geisha district (but no geisha sadly) and I admired the architecture of the old tea-houses. We sipped tea and ate sweets at one tea house while looking out into the garden. I got a few ideas for my "future house"... I hope to make it a reality some day when I'm rich and famous. Kanazawa reminded me a bit of Kyoto on a smaller scale. The day seemed charmed as everything we set out to do was managed with perfect timing yet no planning. Finally, we took the train home.. we were very lucky that Makoto had the foresight to book our return tickets ahead of time.. most passengers had to stand for the long ride home. <br /><br />This year, May seems more fragrant then I remember. The scent of lilacs often finds its way into my apartment at night and I feel "natsukashi" (nostalgic) for Japan even while I'm still here. It makes me sad to think another "sayonara" is just around the corner.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-43355574691951190262010-03-25T20:47:00.001-07:002010-03-25T21:00:15.159-07:00Nokogiriyama wa noborimashita (I climbed Sawtooth Mt.)<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/NokogiriyamaChiba?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/S6wpMvoyncE/AAAAAAAAD8Q/BG9L79tHD0U/s160-c/NokogiriyamaChiba.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/NokogiriyamaChiba?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Nokogiriyama, Chiba</a></td></tr></table><br />March 22, 2010. Three banana hikers and their trusty guide dog set out to climb Nokogiriyama (Sawtooth Mountain). They packed the essentials... beer... chips... chocolate...bananas...and dog treats. It was a steep climb, lots of steps, but they made it to the top despite several beer breaks, the making of a dance video, a chocolate thieving 2 year old, and a noisy bell-wearing ojisan who yelled at them for unleashing the mighty Mamaru (he's a Chihuahua). The view: gorgeous. The hike: a two year old can do it..but gluteal muscles will get a work out. Overall: a great day!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-91729359658876680782010-03-25T19:51:00.000-07:002010-03-25T20:16:25.156-07:00Mamimi Atami<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/IzuMamimiRecordingSession?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/S6wiXQfm4pE/AAAAAAAAD4Q/MjFpRI4QCak/s160-c/IzuMamimiRecordingSession.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/IzuMamimiRecordingSession?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Izu, Mamimi Recording session</a></td></tr></table><br />A few weeks ago I went down to Atami with Makoto's band, Mamimi Fouksong, and our friend Ian. While Mamimi and Ian were recording for their next album at Yuki's house, Yukie, Koji, and I strolled around the hilly streets of Atami. Atami is well known for it's mikans (tangerines) and onsen (hot springs) and lesser known for its stealthy cats. Where there is a cat, there you will most likely find a Kate. Yuki's childhood home was really great! Spacious and a little spooky, it was neat to spend the night within it's papery walls and tatami floors. I loved sipping my morning coffee in the tranquil Japanese garden. Sadly, this home will soon be demolished to make way for her family's new house which will accomodate her brother's family as well. Yuki was feeling a bit natsukashi (nostalgic) during her last stay in her childhood home. It was a quick visit but the band was able to finish recording and I got a little break from city life.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-26598904796650356422010-01-12T17:30:00.000-08:002010-01-12T19:06:35.468-08:00KichiAkemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year everyone! I haven't written since August??? Could this be right? Well, I suppose it's fitting since I was in the U.S. from October to early January. I'm very sad to say that my lovely grandmother, Emily Cecilia Sikora, passed away shortly after my arrival. I could say goodbye and kiss her cheek which meant a lot to me. Being home felt really good. I saw old friends and family, worked at my old job for a bit... I felt like I was in a time warp.<br /><br />Fast forward to January 2010...<br /><br />I'm back in Tokyo with Makkun. Now, we live in a tiny 2 room apartment which has a few issues but, overall, I'm happy in this place. The rooms are tatami, it's quiet, the old furniture fits here in a way it never did in our old apartment. I'm not so thrilled about the power going out when I want to keep the heat on and use the microwave at the same time, or that it takes about 15 steps to get hot water in the shower 1) switch on the gas 2) push another gas button thing 3) hold down the knob for about 20 seconds 4) turn the knob... while I'm standing naked, shivering, waiting for glorious hot water. It takes a little getting used to.<br /><br />The first week passed in a flash and so did most of my money that I brought with me. I have to readjust my idea about money. I've scoured craigslist.com and gaijinpot.com for jobs. I've considered professional babysitting, voice acting, even medical testing for athlete's foot (I don't have athlete's foot by the way) Something has to come through soon! <br /><br />A copy of the Loyal We album (my band) has finally come in the mail after lots of waiting (and waiting). I'm proud of us! I hope we get to do some touring now! The album will be in stores on January 20th. Now I'm waiting (and waiting and waiting) to hear when our release party will happen. Hopefully I can survive on the pauper diet until then. <br /><br />I went to a shrine with Makoto the other day to get my "omikugi," or "fortune," for the new year. With trepidation, I shook the box, pulled out the thin little stick, and handed it to the woman. In return, she handed me a thin piece of paper. I didn't look as Makoto read aloud, "Kichi, good fortune." It seems that 2010 is going to be my year! Of course, if it were a bad fortune, I wouldn't have believed it. <br /><br />Later that day, we went to Usaya in Shimokitazawa. I've mentioned Usaya in a previous post. It's a great little place in a crumbling little alley way. Monday was their 2nd anniversary party and our friend, Takachiho, was going to play. It cost 3,000 yen for "nomihodai" (all you can drink) and "tabehodai" (all you can eat). Mak and I don't have 2 yen to rub together but we wanted to see our friend Yoko and Washi before the head off to California. We sucked it up, spent the dough, and were rewarded with a wonderful night of hot wine, good friends, and I got to try my hand at making mochi! Mochi is a glutinous sticky rice that is traditionally made and eaten during the new year. Some folks were dressed as a cat, bird, ram, and rabbit in colorful patchwork costumes. They looked amazing!<br /><br />Now I sit, still in my pjs (being jobless has some benefits), and ready to get dressed, go out and do something, anything. I'll let you know how it goes.<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Usaya02?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/S00ymPwi0BE/AAAAAAAADto/MYudrpVd-Vg/s160-c/Usaya02.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Usaya02?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Usaya</a></td></tr></table>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-16534047473399049572009-10-20T20:34:00.000-07:002010-01-14T05:26:03.760-08:00Mom and Dad Take Japan!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcvEHeKkzTmHkVNulgWbqzJKzDdqf-RKTiuA7X6pE9YKQAV9-HopTZT9XlD4aq6WncF26d0jxhtACc8_PGWheN-AstdoSrNCUFZ6No4RlQfd_mvdcMR92R_OTA1dzcMzUt9cv/s1600-h/IMG_0023.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcvEHeKkzTmHkVNulgWbqzJKzDdqf-RKTiuA7X6pE9YKQAV9-HopTZT9XlD4aq6WncF26d0jxhtACc8_PGWheN-AstdoSrNCUFZ6No4RlQfd_mvdcMR92R_OTA1dzcMzUt9cv/s320/IMG_0023.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-zHpqT1xXlcA5HUsYgflISzfIeTG7hB-r8_FzfEJ4CouarZZ8Tkysa_Nsy0wwOYOBfREKOZhSh6X4w1IVpLQf1ICDGaqhwgFlE-vO2MTUq39F52SLCpq2w5wF-l1um061-oS/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-zHpqT1xXlcA5HUsYgflISzfIeTG7hB-r8_FzfEJ4CouarZZ8Tkysa_Nsy0wwOYOBfREKOZhSh6X4w1IVpLQf1ICDGaqhwgFlE-vO2MTUq39F52SLCpq2w5wF-l1um061-oS/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Gwrpum6UsCms6jnXfMsdlzsxH1rwH2EXVf3JJ-pAQfSxD2jg_VeNiPC_5Lu9dU3Y5J7sSsQSOwq_sIrYPQ2VQ4egP2_jN5gCgHzNRAF_iUD84T9OTNajUUR1Yz0eW23VOAYk/s1600-h/IMG_0028.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Gwrpum6UsCms6jnXfMsdlzsxH1rwH2EXVf3JJ-pAQfSxD2jg_VeNiPC_5Lu9dU3Y5J7sSsQSOwq_sIrYPQ2VQ4egP2_jN5gCgHzNRAF_iUD84T9OTNajUUR1Yz0eW23VOAYk/s320/IMG_0028.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2q-EaBuFe8shHDw8_ksr1jVViYfj7DkYHckc09lclexd1U30C7UZJSJ1anqTOw7mij0GGJ6AVoqeL2nTJ_t2oy0zXM-XbUPos2eDwZ2b9lDBnm-D-XmUEUbPBuICKiB7DG0D/s1600-h/IMG_0030.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2q-EaBuFe8shHDw8_ksr1jVViYfj7DkYHckc09lclexd1U30C7UZJSJ1anqTOw7mij0GGJ6AVoqeL2nTJ_t2oy0zXM-XbUPos2eDwZ2b9lDBnm-D-XmUEUbPBuICKiB7DG0D/s320/IMG_0030.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0"></a> Ueno Park <br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0"><br /></a></div><br />more photos here!!!<br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/MomAndDadInJapan?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_wybbhj6yXXk/St6CgAQodME/AAAAAAAADqM/nivxbFDCrTY/s160-c/MomAndDadInJapan.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/MomAndDadInJapan?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Mom and Dad in Japan</a></td></tr></table>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-31038884057189698882009-08-04T05:10:00.000-07:002009-08-04T05:12:59.437-07:00Her existence had been wrapped in puzzleIt's been a busy busy week since my Fuji Rock experience and I haven't had a second, until now, for reflection. 3 years ago I came to Japan with a silly little dream that I could play Fuji Rock, Japan's biggest music festival, someday if I wished hard enough. I'm sure there was a little more to it than just wishing but I do feel truly lucky to have been given the experience to play the Rookie-a-go-go stage. I'm still not sure how it went, seems like a dream. I remember taking deep breathes back stage and trying to remember the simple Japanese phrases that I was planning to say in between songs 2 and 3 and 5 and 6. All of that went out of my mind as I approached the stage. There was a chaotic little sound check where my guitar kept feeding back... I believe the feed back must have continued through out our set but that's what I get for playing a rock stage at a festival with my acoustic guitar. I couldn't believe how many faces there were in the audience! The Rookie stage wan't THAT big but I still didn't imagine that there would be such a good turn out for a little unknown like me. 30 minutes whipped by in seconds and all I remember are the smiling faces, cameras, my guitar feeding back, lots of reverb, and being incredibly excited. I was dissappointed that it was over so soon. I can't really assess how it went. I saw that there is something written about it on the Fuji Rock page in Japanese but, when translated into English, it looks something like this....<br /><br /><br />Woman Singer [songuraita] of Tokyo residence. With saying, it is the artist of the American. When her name is attached to the eye with line-up, data gathering was tried first. But, being the place where it tries searching, at all powerful ones are not found. In by your, her existence had been wrapped in puzzle. As for [raivu] nighttime 24: Start to fixed carving/moment of 00. Time is slow the people of the multitude has stopped the foot in spite. In center, obtained [akogi] the small-statured woman who one person. She is KATE SIKORA. In addition, [raivu] it is unfolded with 4 human formation of the base, the drum and the keyboard. As for performance, as the kind of music which power comes out softly is many, you think. Quite with like whether you inquire about voice of, it is feature directly to adapt to the ear. You probably can say that the exhaustion impression is strong. Furthermore, announcing also the number which has the speed impression. Stage is colored steadily in the colorful pop impression. And, the performance which does not have the times when never it decorates. It probably will keep bearing the feeling good quality which cannot say the music characteristic at all. With latest [raivu], as for her isn't probably 踏 to produce new step? It extends still and conceals margin. So without feeling, you do not enter. While accumulating various [raivu], one taste and cover taste are the expectation where charm becomes deep. It is good point in the future, how it keeps growing that. <br /><br />is that good? I can't tell...but I like that my "stature is small" and that my "existence is wrapped in puzzle."...how true! Walking around the next day at Fuji Rock, before checking out Dinosaur Junior, Animal Collective, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Weezer (among others), I sat down with Makoto and my extremely small, expensive, and yet delicious slice of pizza. As I complained about how extremely small and expensive the pizza was, two girls turned around and said ケイトシコラですか? きのはRookie stage みった!、、、、、 or something like that. (Are you Kate Sikora? We saw you on the Rookie stage yesterday) So there in the multitudes someone could spot small-statured me in the crowd (while I was complaining no less ) . It felt pretty good I have to say. I hope that there will be opportunities like this in the future and that people could enjoy the show. Thanks Fuji Rock! Next year... I hope the band and I will play SXSW! <a href="http://http://www.fujirockexpress.net/09/?p=6792"></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-63805044334639216992009-05-26T03:56:00.000-07:002009-05-27T04:05:06.422-07:00Zaa Zaa....ざあざあOne of the beautiful things about the Japanese language is how much you can get by on onomatopoeia. "Pera Pera" refers to how fluently one speaks. "Doki Doki" the beating of a nervous heart. "Gucha Gucha" is messy and "Fuwa Fuwa" could describe a fluffy pillow. "Don don," the sound of work and stress piling up. As I have proven not to be so "pera pera" when it comes to speaking Japanese, I am grateful for the mixture of sounding words and hand motions which enable me to "niko niko" with friends, be "poka poka" in the winter, and sit down and "mogu mogu" at restaurants from time to time whilst living in Japan. <br /><br />I had one of those rare heartwarming experiences recently which arise once in a while to remind me how much I should appreciate the life I am living. "Zaa Zaa" said the rain as I stood on a creaking stool ("mishi mishi") playing music for a gathering of friendly faces under the soon-to-be-torn-down shed-like tunnels of Shimokitazawa. The all-you-can-drink (nomihodai) and all-you-can-eat (tabehodai) acoustic music event was held at Usaya, a tiny bar/restaurant in this hip neighborhood of Tokyo which is on the cusp of being developed into giant ugly high-rise apartment buildings. The 2 staff members worked tirelessly with smiles on their faces, filling glass after glass with sangria, wine, beer, shochu... and placing dishes piled high with oishi (yummy) eggplant, somen noodles, grilled fish, plump shrimp and crisp vegetables.... which were ravished within seconds. The bar's ground floor was too tiny to accommodate everyone so people spilled out onto the street. Luckily there was a roof, albeit leaky roof, over the alley way. Soon the rain hammered down... "ZAA ZAA ZAA ZAA!!!" drowning out the sounds of the "pecha kucha" chattering. One adventurous spirit danced out from underneath our cozy shelter... she was soaked instantly. Andi (from Autumn Collective, and SF)started out the evening crooning what I think were romantic songs in German (my German is no where near as amazing as my Japanese)and we all "yeah yeahed" along with him. Tyler Ensrude took the "stage" (aka bottom of a ladder) next. I never would have pictured his rustic alt-country songs as "cute" but that's what the crowd was exclaiming. His voice is so gravelly sincere...I wish there was onomatopoeia to describe it. Takachiho livened things up with his ultra-funky dance moves and Tsuji's puppet-like jig was a hit. It never fails to make me crack up. Next it was my turn. I've played some pretty strange places in my time (a supermarket parking lot, a geology museum, in front of winos in Ireland...) Now I can say I played standing on a stool during a torrential downpour. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a different perspective (haha) After me, Takachiho (from the band SF)swaggered out some tunes in his throaty Jagger-esque fashion and then, to quiet things down, Mike and Andrew (from the band Karenin) brought some folks upstairs to Usaya's loft to ease our over-boozed minds with "pitter patters" on pillows with flickering lights. As I looked around me I felt so content to be where I was at that moment in time. These things can never be planned. I know there will be many big changes in my life soon and I already feel nostalgic for these moments in Japan. I am grateful to my friends Mike and Tyler for sharing some <a href="http://http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Usaya#">photos</a> taken at this event. ありがとう<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fk8sikora%2Falbumid%2F5340111193399944545%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-16375407388407004682009-04-22T18:20:00.000-07:002009-04-22T19:05:57.650-07:00Spring ChickenThis has been a momentous 5 months since my last post. I recorded a song for Avocado Records with my band in a top of the line recording studio (Studio Terra, EMI) in January, we opened for Why? at O-West in February, there have been shows, visits from friends, teaching preschool, a mixtape picnic in Yoyogi, a trip to a sake brewery, good times, and lots of thinking. (no that is not a typo, I did not intend to write "drinking" although there was much of that as well) I've been thinking about the next step. Coming to Japan was a big step and, for the past 3 years there have been lots of little and medium steps in many directions. Tokyo has been very good for me, to put a blanket over my whole amazing experience, but I sense that I need to start preparing for another big step...or a leap perhaps? As my mother says "You're no spring chicken" (thanks mom) so of course I feel pressure to move in the right direction. I've had a tough but rewarding year teaching preschool. It's a good job, despite being exhausting. I know that it consumes my creativity and energy, leaving me with not much to write songs with. It's time to move on from there. I'd been having stress dreams and feeling numb and unmotivated from time to time and then, I came upon this thing I wrote this time last year in an random notebook (with a chiuaua on the front that says "Sweet Dear Dogs: A dog is tame with a person well, and there can be things obeying instructions depending on training well." <br /><br /><em> "So I just got off the phone with *****. Big news... she's going to be married this friday! The 13th! Ok, so people get married ever day but this is BIG because she has fallen head over heels in a matter of a month and its kind of making my head spin... but then, I start thinking "why is my head spinning?" and all the things I've been told since my childhood came flooding into my mind. "Marriage is a sacred vow which should be given deep thought before rushing into it" that "You've got to truly know someone first" (ie. date for x amount of years, not live with them before marriage (ha!)) Then there was the conversation Linz and I had the other night while making lentil soup. Lindsay said, "Nothing really matters" I chimed in with "anyone can see...nothing really matters to meeee!" and, with that, she cut chunks of honey colored hair off the back of her head... which made me think about my preschool class and how I'm teaching them about planets and how they orbit the sun, and how, when stars get really old, they explode... and how the sun is a really old star...which made me think that our days could be numbered...which also made me think "Wow! how do planets know to orbit in a circular path and why are they spherical to begin with?" Nothing makes sense. Or. Nothing makes no sense. And. Double negatives cancel eachother out... I swear I was going somewhere with this. I remember, as a child, thinking, "When I grow up I'm going to have a house and all the cabinets will be filled with boxes of macaroni and cheese." And now, I'm an adult and, although my cabinets occasionally have a box of mac'n'cheese, not the ideal from my childhood, I'm living a new ideal life. I had a whim to move to Japan. I did. I've found so much happiness here (my man, my band, my friends) and it's all because I followed a whim. A whim could be as small as a chunk of hair or as big as a decision to get married but, the key is not to think too much about what will make you happy and that is what is going to make you happy."</em><br /><br />Reading this, I felt calm again. My dreams returned to their odd fantastical state and I re-realized that I'm a pretty lucky person. That this current stress will pass and that I'll find my home again. Japan will always be a home to me even after I leave here. Nothing is "for good" except death and even that is questionable.<br /><em></em>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-73277389716158244392008-12-20T09:46:00.001-08:002008-12-20T09:46:59.891-08:00RATS!Apparently our apartment now has them.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-9440233915612128452008-12-18T10:07:00.000-08:002008-12-18T16:45:02.956-08:00You say Oita, I say Oita.It was Friday and I woke up at 7am. For me, waking up on Friday at 7am is a rare treat. You see, Thursday was a 1/2 day of work and our school's Christmas party. There was paella, beer, pizza, tandoori chicken (which stained my fingers yellow for 3 days), sushi, and samosas... the international food gamut was run. After a rousing game of "Dirty Santa" where no one was really happy with the gifts they received...except Alex who got a pair of shiny gold high top slippers, and Adelfa who got a 1,000 yen gift certificate and a bottle of booze (I got a rum cake which I had no chance to eat), we all went home to begin our much earned winter holiday.<br /><br />I went home to pack for a 5 day adventure to Oita. Megumi planned the whole thing and, thus, Lindsay and I shut our overworked brains off for a few days of soothing hot spring baths and yummy food that is supposedly only found in Oita. We were to hear this repeatedly during our trip as Japanese people not from Tokyo LOVE to educate foreigners on how their home town specialties are far superior to the metropolis's "over-priced" and "not so fresh" cuisine. Oita's miso, shoyu (soy sauce), chicken, tofu were, in fact, perhaps the tastiest food I've had in a long time but, just for the record, I think you can find incredible food all over Japan. Megumi's mother picked us up from the airport and took us to our first Oita onsen. Our bare bodies froze in the cold mountain air as we prepared to sink into the steamy hot spring. It was worth the wait! The first night, we stayed in Oita City and played a show at At Hall. The night was a lot of fun and we ended it by going to a cozy little place called "Beautiful Purasu" (beautiful place) Everyone giggled over wine, "sato imo" (sugar potatoes), and yummy "nabe" (basically a big bowl where lots of veggies and tofu are thrown in to make a soup) Everything, except the laughter, came to a stop for a few minutes when a fuse blew. I'd love to go to that beautiful place again some day. For the next 2 nights, we stayed in a great guest house in Beppu (Beppu Guest House) where Megumi's friend, Tomoko, works and lives an artist lifestyle. We met some travelers from Spain, Mexico, Holland?, and Switzerland and an adorable Japanese family celebrating their anniversary of moving to Beppu. I was charmed by little Kiwa and her mother Kyoko as they played hide and seek around the sofa.<br /><br />We were very lucky to have Megumi's family as tour guides throughout the trip. Her parents drove us up and down mountains, gave us tours of old castles, a samurai village (Usuki), and stone Buddhas, took us to the top of a volcano, to mountain view restaurants where we could watch our lunch's final struggle as it wriggled on sticks smoking in the fire (I almost cried), to a hidden restaurant where we opened our bento boxes to find the most succulent treasures inside, and to a place where we could eat miso and shoyu ice cream (yum!). Her parents invited us into their home to eat fugu sashimi (or blow fish as we know it) and drink a potent flaming fugu sake. Megumi's dad charmingly and proudly announced that we'd be having "globe fish" for dinner. We all got slightly hammered as Kiku, San San, and Charmy, their 3 lovable cats, hovered around the table looking for handouts.<br /><br />I could finally see the place Megumi has lovingly talked about throughout our friendship. I can understand her nostalgia and love of her birth place and artistic growth. Visiting these places with her and her family made me miss my home and family. The timing was perfect as I had planned to head home to surprise my parents for Christmas a day after returning to Tokyo from Oita. So here I am in Jersey...eating especially good meatballs and spaghetti which can only be found in the boondocks of Boonton, NJ in the Sikora household, made by my dad.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-66344862890496763672008-12-01T05:21:00.000-08:002008-12-31T00:21:01.885-08:00My apartment.In my apartment I can sit on the floor and drink tea to the sound of old Japanese men singing Enka through the paper thin walls. My bathroom's name is Rush Limbaugh and sometimes I can hear rock and roll music during week nights when I sit on the toilet. There are cockroaches in summer and, to my dismay, they like the silver ware drawer. On Saturdays when I sleep until 10:00 my apartment shakes because of the construction of a 60 floor monstrosity in my block. The new apartment complex threatens the life of a tiny house standing strong in the shadows of the growing building. The owner wants to live in that house forever and will not be bought. The construction already claimed the lives of the coffee house I liked and a neighborhood record shop where I bought a cd of Brazilian lullabies, Tom Petty, and Papas Fritas for 700yen. The first time I felt the tremors, I thought it was an earthquake and so I went back to sleep. I have neighbors. I know this because I hear them washing and climbing with heavy feet up the stairs before my alarm goes off on week days. This is annoying but I'll never say anything about it. I hang my laundry on the balcony. It's sunny and I can see the rooftops of the other houses. I often think I'll sit up there some night with a bottle of wine. Some times I can see renegade cats with short tails creeping into our "garden." They don't want to be noticed but I like to see them drinking rain water that collects in the stone basin. I always wonder why their tails are so short? In my apartment there is a piano. The owner bought the piano a long time ago and, when she moved, she couldn't get it through the door. The piano stays. It was the main selling point when we decided to rent this place however, we never play it. The piano is out of tune. It makes a really nice desk. Some day I hope we get it tuned. The apartment is 1 minute from Asagaya station. I timed it once. I can hear the song that plays every time a train arrives at the station. That's about every 10 minutes. It's a nice song though, much better than Enka. I leave my apartment at 7:10 exactly and it gives me enough time to get to the station, climb the stairs, and some times buy a hot yuzu drink before I board the 7:13 train. Yuzu tastes like lemons but better. One day I left my house at 7:10 and, as I walked toward the station, I realized that I'd left my train card in my house. I hesitated for a moment before dashing back into the house...running up the stairs...only to find that the card had been in my pocket the whole time. I ran all the way to the station and caught the train...completely out of breath and with no yuzu drink. I'm living in my apartment with two Japanese men. One of them is my boyfriend. He and I have different tastes in decorating. He's a minimalist and likes name brands. I am cluttered and most of my things are bought second hand. I think the living room should be cozy and I want a comfy sofa and a rug. My boyfriend likes the straight-backed chairs we bought and doesn't want to buy a rug. Our other roommate would probably agree with me but he's never home. Like the typical salary man, he works too hard, smokes too much, never eats at home, and, sometimes I think he sleeps in manga cafes. I miss him. He's a good person to talk to. The landlord has no idea that I live here. She's probably a nice person because she likes pianos, however she, like many Japanese land lords, doesn't want to rent to foreigners. Maybe she doesn't know that I plant tulips and scrub tiles. Or that I wash dishes and I distain cockroaches. Maybe she wouldn't mind my living here if she knew.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-55347227550234594082008-10-20T03:56:00.000-07:002008-10-20T05:07:46.816-07:00Writer's Block (Blog?)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blogger.com/www.google.picasaweb.com"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.blogger.com/www.google.picasaweb.com" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The fact that my last blog is some kind of "prose" on the joys and sorrows of teaching preschool says a lot about the current state of things in my creative life and I'm not pleased. I think that my job 007ed its way into my creative life and there is a risk of it taking over. In fact, I think my job has become my creative life. I realized this when for the millionth time, I picked up my guitar and nothing happened...I plugged in my microkorg and zoned out with the thunderstorm/bombs falling sound...then I tried the ukulele with a tad more progress... I found myself beating the living room chairs with drumsticks and whistling through a recorder playing "Red River Valley" (a leftover tune from 3rd grade that is still apparently taking up precious space in the corners of my mind)... I'm in a creative rut. In fact I've used the word "creative" 5 times already within the first paragraph of this blog which is proof of my predicament. I'm finally going to put my priorities back in order... yes, the teaching thing pays the bills and it's a good job but I can't let it suck the artist out of me.<br /><br />Last month I and Lindsay (aka <a href="http://myspace.com/theloyalwe">The Loyal We</a>) had the incredible good fortune to go on a mini tour with One One and Can Can from Tokyo to Nagoya and Osaka. One One is made up of members of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/deerhoof">Deerhoof</a> (Greg and Satomi) and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tenniscoats">Tenniscoats</a> (Saya and Ueno). Not only were they exciting to watch on stage but they are all very down to earth good people. It was the first time I got to hang out with (and by "hang out" I mean go on a road trip with) people who actually make a living making music and touring. Being on tour with them and hearing their positive reactions to our music made this dream of mine seem attainable. The Loyal We finished recording our album months ago and the whole process of final mixes, mastering, art work, PV shooting etc etc is moving along at a snail's pace. Somewhere along the way I lost my focus. Playing that tour and finally meeting with our label after several reschedulings seems to be getting me back on track. Hopefully my abilities of making ponchos out of brown paper bags and deigning ways to distract 3 year olds from killing each other will translate into song writing once again.<br /><br />Ok now I've spent enough time on the computer and it's time to go change those guitar strings. Here are some photos from the tour :)<br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/OneOneTour#"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/k8sikora/SPxtbpM69JE/AAAAAAAACDU/5zg3BSzFxsM/s160-c/OneOneTour.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/OneOneTour#" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">One One Tour</a></td></tr></table>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-64412518014977980112008-09-03T03:15:00.000-07:002008-09-03T03:24:17.206-07:00Pre-schoolSpilled yogurt on pants, teacher wants me to be independent, vomit on another child's bib, an upset stomach, 5 times to the toilet only to wet himself as we're finally ready to go outside, he's forgotten his fork, he won't eat his lunch, she won't put on shoes, they won't listen, they don't want to go to the park, they cry and cry, she sleeps at dismissal every day, mothers want explanations, fathers want a checklist to measure success... they are 3 years old.<br /><br />This is my daily experience and it is no wonder I come home and take a 2 hour nap every day.<br /><br />Some how though... she smiles brilliantly and asks "Why?", he crouches and becomes a lion, he says "please", and "it's only ok for teachers to scream" (!), she rolls her eyes to the sky and laughs, he makes a tunnel through my legs, he makes me a sandy icecream cone, they say goodmorning Miss Kate, they say "Mommy will be happy," and give eachother smiles.<br /><br />This is also my daily experience and it helps me to come back to school each morning.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-45075021172494582042008-08-25T03:58:00.000-07:002008-08-25T04:24:33.212-07:00Time in a BottleThe number one question Japanese friends ask me is, "Why did you come to Japan?" and, for that, I have several generic answers. 1) I loved Japanese food 2) I wanted to know more about Japanese culture 3) I wanted to travel and I had the opportunity to go to Japan. All of these things are true but, the more I think about it, the less clear my true intentions become. The number one comment my friends in America make to me is "You're so brave to move to Japan." But really, I came to Japan to just run away from the alternative... settling down. Now, as I creep closer to 30, I find myself wistfully looking at my married friends, or soon to be married friends, and wondering how I got so far from that life. Sometimes Japan seems like Never Never land. You're a kid in a candy shop and then, suddenly, you look up at the calendar and 3 years have passed. It's not so rare to meet people like me. We come to Japan to experience something new, teach English, and then get sucked into the easy life. Hate your job? Quit! There's bound to be another English teaching job around the bend. Then there's the matter of transportation... nothing could be easier (I realized this when I went back home for a month this summer and rode the subways in New York) My passion, playing music and writing songs, has taken off here and now it's gotten so busy I have to turn down gigs. I wonder if it would be more brave to move back to the U.S. and start all over again? Is that just me running away from committments again? This has been the question on my mind recently but it couldn't have come at a worse time. I am in a good relationship with a great Japanese guy, I finally found a well-paying honest school to work for, and my band is going to release an album on a Japanese label in a few months. It sounds like life couldn't be better but still I get stuck in the doldrums when I feel time slipping away. I'm sure it's a mixture of homesickness, stress, and crappy weather but these thoughts don't ever seem to be too far from my thoughts. The thought of living a cookie cutter life scares the hell out of me but so does taking the unbeaten path. I suppose I should stop analyzing and measuring where I should be at this stage in my life but, as a woman, it's impossible not to notice all the weddings and baby showers or keep from wondering when is it my turn? or, more accurately, when will I be ready for that?Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-8329924717165226492008-05-21T02:44:00.000-07:002008-05-23T01:48:18.211-07:00a letter to a friendHi there kerr bear,<br />first of all I am genki (that means I'm fine) I'm living in a tiny space with Makoto and all my stuff is still in boxes and hidden away in places I can't find. We are hoping to move into a house that we found (it comes with a piano!) but the one big downfall is a little thing called "key money" that the Japanese dreamed up to make people go completely broke when moving into new digs. Key money is like a 1.5 month deposit that you never ever get back and it's usually accompanied by a 2 months deposit as well (which you do get back but still, your checking account is pretty slammed when you take out all that money at once)<br /><br />I'm working now as a preschool teacher at *********** (which is approximately a 15 minute bike ride from my old apartment, and a 1 hour commute from where I live now...) My kids are 4 and 5 and way too smart for their own good.. cheeky brats. 7 of the kids are Japanese and 1 girl is Australian.. my heart goes out to her because the other kids arent the nicest to her.. but she's a survivor<br /><br />Music is going really well. The band sounds better and better and Lindsay and I are recording our debut album at the moment. We have an indie label called Contrarede putting out our cd but we have yet to sign any contract and the album is almost finished.. we'll see how that goes! Makoto and his band want to come to the US in August but they really want to see the great midwest. I've been there, done that, and I really want to see my family and friends so get ready! I sent in an audition demo to play the Fuji Rock festival (on a tiny stage of course) so I'm waiting to hear if we got in. If we do, I'll be heading home after the festival. If not, I'll be heading home by mid July until mid August. It's not enough time but I'll take what I can get.<br /><br />I took a yoga class on Sunday and I'm still feeling it today (Wednesday) so I think I'm going to keep going. I need to get in shape if I want to be a rockstar right.<br />I miss you like crazy kiddo. I hope you find a good job and that you can be boss of the world. I'd work for you.<br />Love you love you love you<br />KateKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-86018763516077627732008-04-04T05:19:00.001-07:002008-04-04T05:45:01.096-07:00Oji-chanWell, it's taken me about 20 years but I've finally regained my belief in Santa Claus. Did you know he's a Japanese <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">octogenarian</span>? Sitting in the priority seating section of the train I was next to 3 little girls who were hiding smiles behind their fingers and peaking at me now and then. I was absorbed in Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Auster's</span> <em>The Red Notebook</em> (love it so far) and didn't notice the tiny wrinkly man approaching. To my left was a very slim fashionable mother of two young children who were clinging to her legs. Deep in the pages of my book I was totally zoned out after a full day of teaching. I heard a grunting noise and when I looked up I saw that the old man was motioning for the 3 girls to move over and make space. I thought, being that this was the priority seating part of the train, he was trying to tell us young whipper snappers that we should make space for him, a deserving priority passenger who should be sitting there (injured people, the elderly, pregnant women, and parent's with small children). Instead, when the girls moved over, he motioned to the mother with the two small <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">children</span> that they should sit. Of course there was only about enough space for the tiny boy alone. I jumped to my feet, realizing my rudeness, and offered my seat to his older sister. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ojisan</span> (old man) smiled at me and said "Thank you" in English. The little girls looked at him like they had been chastised for taking up space until he pulled some sticks of chewing gum out of his pocket and offered a piece to each child on the bench seat. The girls thanked him graciously, unwrapped their treat, and popped it into their mouths. When they reached their destination, they thanked him again and left the train. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Oji</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">chan</span> (grandfather) turned to me and motioned that I should sit down. "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Daijoubu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">desu</span>" (it's alright) I replied though, at this point, more seats had cleared and I ended up sitting across from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Oji</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">chan</span> and the little boy and girl. He started to engage them in conversation and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">children's</span> shy expressions soon turned into laughter and chatter. I couldn't help but smile. That experience was my piece of gum for the day.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-53985774209539793712008-03-25T01:37:00.000-07:002008-03-27T08:01:23.377-07:00Inspire and hold it...I’ve been spending some time in clinics these days. Not the mental ones, they don’t seem to have many of those in Japan or so I’ve heard, the medical ones. I think it’s the novelty of actually having health insurance again in my life. Even though I pay for it myself, it’s still a whole lot cheaper than in the states. Yeah, ok, the bedside manner here isn’t always the best.. I had one doctor actually ask me what I wanted him to do during my health check up... but I did have 2 wisdom teeth pulled (and got the drugs too man) for a measley 5,000yen (that’s about 50 USD). My dentist was completely shocked when I told him to pull out both of those suckers at the same time. It seems that, in Japan, they like to pull one out at a time so you can chew on the other side of your face (ha!) The sound of having them yanked was much worse than the pain. I’ll have to remember that when I go to get the last one pulled this summer.<br />Last week was the annual "Kate completely loses her voice for a few days and then gets a husky new one for a few more days" event. I knew I was done for when I was doing my trial lesson at a kindergarten where I was interviewing. Somewhere between music time and art project time my voice left me and didn’t return in time to get the phone call telling me I’d gotten the job (whoo hoo!) I was afraid to pick up the phone because all I could do was whisper. Finally I went to my doctor who gave me some more drugs.. 3 different kinds!<br />This morning I went to yet another clinic for the school’s mandatory physical. Miss Etsuko from the school came along with me to interpret and she was lucky to see not just one, but both of my cupcakes when the nurse nonchalantly lifted my shirt to check my breathing. How’s that for bonding with coworkers! Later I got to flash my boobs a few more times as they attached an EKG-thangy. Atleast there will be no question that I’m healthy.. in fact.. the doctor said I have the blood vessels of a 24 year old! Wowzers! it’s miniskirts and pumps for me this Spring! Finally it was time to do an x-ray to check anything else they may have missed during the other exams. The doctor told me to "inspire and hold it for a few moments" while he pushed the button to take the x-ray. "Ok, now INSPIRE!" The sweet man, of course, meant to say "inhale" but I didn’t have the heart to tell him and anyway, it was pretty inspiring just to hear him say it.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-47459393556403789422008-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:002008-03-24T03:23:31.419-07:00Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changes...The end of February and most of March have been a blur. I'm sitting in my room in Sangenjaya with boxes and dust bunnies piled up around me... wondering how this will all fit into Makoto's tiny apartment (minus the dust bunnies I hope). Seems like I'm always trying to pack "the stuff" in my life to fit into yet another smaller space. I wasn't born with nomadic skills.. only a nomadic spirit. I find that the less material stuff I have, the freer I feel but somehow I can't manage to unload it all. I've started with little pieces.. giving away the very cute striped dress to Ya-chan and the excellent books I've already read to Linzer.<br /><br />Two days ago I said goodbye to Tanya and I'm feeling pretty bummed about it. She's my friend I can bitch to without regret because she knows she can bitch to me too. I am happy that she's going to be experiencing many new adventures in New York and I know I'll see her there before I know it.. but I'm still sad just the same. My Japan is ever-changing with every friend who comes and goes.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I finished working at a language school. There were good times and bad times but, overall, I was happy there. I loved my students and the friends I made. I decided I wouldn't settle for anything other than amazing this time around. This morning I signed a contract with Komazawa Park International School and I'll be teaching 4-5 year old children. These kids are from various countries and I'm psyched to be teaching something other than English. Psyched as I am, I'm still a little nervous about the newness of everything. New apartment, new job, new new new. It's funny how all of these changes are happening with the onset of spring. I can't wait for Sakura season!<br /><br />Lindsay and I went into the studio to record our album. I'm really proud of what we've done so far and I can't wait to hear the finished product. We are being supported by the Contrarede record label and the manager is the nicest person. He invited us over for dinner cooked by his lovely wife yesterday. Unfortunately I have laryngitis and all I could do was bark and whisper. I sound like a 60 year old chain smoker. For some reason most people seem to think that is sexy.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-64718155334581151712008-02-05T18:12:00.000-08:002008-02-05T18:16:47.797-08:00InvitationI'm an invitation to drama<br />a silent sealed envelope<br />irresistible for tearing<br />unstuck glue and shredded address<br />I wish to be returned or given<br />carefully steamed and secret<br />unharmed with enclosures intact<br />but changing so many hands<br />grabbed and passed around<br />the address is illegible<br />I'd like to sit between pages<br />an open book<br />gentle hands<br />or even flameKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-18448549069098767592008-01-12T02:16:00.000-08:002008-01-29T08:18:30.960-08:00My Target Deer<div style="text-align: center;"><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/YearOfTheRat2008"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/k8sikora/R59QVEvMawE/AAAAAAAABxs/i7EJl1FEkxs/s160-c/YearOfTheRat2008.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/YearOfTheRat2008" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Year of the Rat 2008</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>Can it be that the last blog I wrote was in November? I used to take time to write <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">a lot</span> more. I'm more of an ink on paper kind of girl though.. I know, excuses excuses. At times I feel sick of trying to put everything in a tangible form, be it photos or blogs. I know that I will be forever grateful to be able to look back and see where I've been and remember how clueless about the future I was (and forever will be). I never thought I'd be in Japan so long and now I'm contemplating extending my stay even more. My life isn't glamorous and I don't think it ever will be. I know some folks back home may think the contrary simply because I'm living in a place as exotic as Tokyo. Tokyo has lost it's shiny new sheen for me though and it's been replaced with something a little deeper. Maybe this is why the blogs are slowing down. I no longer find the quirky wonders awaiting on every undiscovered corner that once were so abundant but this place feels more and more like a home. This tears me apart because I have another home on the distant shores of New Jersey and I love my family and friends there so much. I love my friends here so much too which makes it hard to imagine leaving this place. I enter 2008 with lots of energy wanting to be directed into something. On January 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Makoto</span> and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary of our first date by going to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Asakusa</span>. A sea of shiny haired heads lead us up to the shrine where I tossed my 5 yen coin and made my wish for the new year. We pulled our fortunes out of tiny drawers... Good Fortune. The strangely <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">apropos paper said, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Red clouds move and cover your way, and sign of being fortunate is always on your way. An arrow you shoot always gets a target, everything you do will get quite well. Your target deer runs far away thousands miles ahead, so you should watch the direction of your arrow. Nobody knows that a deer will run away so far. You should not have an excessive desire."</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span>I've been saying for years that I want to "make it" with my music without having any idea what that means. When will I know I've "made it?" Is there anything, besides lack of money, stopping me from doing all that I want to with my music? My hope for this new year is that I learn what it is that I want from life, truly, and that I direct my gaze toward that arrow I'm flinging out there into the world. I'd also like to recapture the little wonders in my day to day life and express them with music, art, laughter... I hope that my family and friends who may or may not read this will also start this new year with hope and a desire to live life incredibly. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><br /></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-50544529702817064512007-11-20T04:42:00.000-08:002007-11-20T05:03:48.798-08:00Throwing beans at the sky on a sunny day...There were butterflies in my stomach... I've done this a hundred times at least but the butterflies start their fluttering when I start to doubt myself. "This place is too nice." "No one is coming to see me play tonight." "I'll disappoint the organizer and they'll never let me back." "I hope I don't mess up." Sometimes the language barrier is a safe place to hide. Just smile and say sorry. A lonely chair beckoned me... sound check... clear... my fingers stuttered. I was first in line. Crispy Creams waited in the back room... real musicians meditated. I spoke to the young girl who was really a real woman disguised as a willowy delicate flower. I had no idea what power drove her but I would witness it later when she took the stage... but first, it was my turn. The screen rolled up, I cleared my throat and began. Soon it was over. I remember I hit the notes, I fulfilled my part of the bargain... no musical mistakes but plenty of verbal ones. Sunday is not Doyobi... it's Nichiyobi. The weather is cold, not fine. But, all in all I returned to the sitting room shining. Next up, two water nymphs skipped out to greet the mass of people who collected at the chairs and tables. They giggled, strummed, pouted, and, at times, almost burst into tears. They pranced away and then the young woman took the stage. "I can't believe she's so composed!" "How does she know all this about life?" "Where does that deep woman voice come from?" "I'm happy I went on first." My butterflies came back fluttering their nonsense but for a different reason. This was music from the core... uninhibited.. sharply accurate... but warm enough to make you resonate with it. I'm not sure where I fit or how old my soul is but I know that I am an eternal student. As I thanked the people who DID come to see me and the man who made it all possible I smiled at him and said in Japanese something like,"Thank you for the food." Another verbal mistake (I had meant to say Otsukare sama deshita... (well done) but possibly this was more truthful after all.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15479869.post-58202788482795904962007-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:002007-11-20T07:44:37.806-08:00A North American in Northern Japan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Hokkaido"></a><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Hokkaido"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/k8sikora/RzPbME-aJNE/AAAAAAAABho/282ixWRlFIQ/s160-c/Hokkaido.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k8sikora/Hokkaido" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Hokkaido</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-style: italic;">camera phone pictures of Hokkaido</span><br /><br /> <br />Dear Diary,<br /><br />What's new? How are you? How is the family? Anything special happen recently? Well, I had a pretty busy month in October and there seems to be no sign of stopping. I had a brief respite a few weeks ago this past Halloween. My beau and I took off nice and early on a jet plane to remote, quiet, natural Hokkaido... all the things that Tokyo is not. We needed a vacation from the crowded trains and air pollution. Upon seating myself in 22J* I realized "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">doh</span>!" that I left my camera** back at home. I was resigned to the fact that I'd have to use my camera phone to visually record the wonders of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hakodate</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Esashi</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Onuma</span>, and all the winding roads and fish markets in between. Despite that minor set back (turns out my phone's camera isn't too bad), Hokkaido turned out to be the perfect escape. This was mostly due to the fact that no thinking was required at all throughout the entire trip. That was mostly due to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Makoto's</span> powers of planning... powers that I was, sadly, born without. The flight, 3 hotels, rental car, and most of our meals were included in our Hokkaido vacation "pack" and it all came to about $350 per person. This is a deal that you definitely have to be Japanese to know about. An airport staff member drove us to pick up our car. Once in the car, a voice said "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Konnichiwa</span>" and promptly told us today's date and time. The attractive digital hostess on the GPS screen greeted us and asked us where we wanted to go. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Makoto</span> pushed a few buttons and our map to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Esashi</span> was charted out for us including the estimated time we'd arrive. Bless Japan and its ever astounding technology!<br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">not really my seat number ** not really my camera, it's on loan from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Nic</span><br /><br /></span>The drive was beautiful from the start. Hokkaido was dressed in full autumn colors...all visible from the road. We wound through mountains and down into valleys. It was as if I'd never seen trees changing colors before although I grew up in Northeastern North America where we're no stranger to reds, oranges, browns, and golds. There just aren't enough trees or fresh air in Tokyo to satisfy my autumnal needs. We stopped in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Esashi</span>, ate some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">soba</span>, and then found a little island called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Kamome</span> Island (Seagull Island). Looking down into the light blue green water, we saw dozens of sea urchin ("uni")... Hokkaido is known for its fresh uni... I'm not a fan though it wasn't terrible. The water was so clear and pools of ocean water gathered in the rocks. I saw brilliant blue and orange starfish, hermit crabs, and barnacles. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Makoto</span> and I took off exploring in different directions but met up again at the top of a cliff. There was a wide open field and a lighthouse. After frolicking in the autumn mist, we climbed down about 200 stairs, passed a quaint cottage, an old stooped grandma burning leaves, and a lonely looking dog. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Makoto</span> bought some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ika</span> (squid) and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">hokke</span> (white fish) and we both bought some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">hotate</span> (scallops) to eat on the go.<br /><br />Hotel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Toyako</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Manseikaku</span>, our destination for day 1, was surrounded by gorgeous trees in full color and sat next to the pristine lake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Toyako</span>. The skinny bellhop was eager to carry our bulky bags to our room. As we stood in our tatami hotel room, the bellhop went through a litany of directions and invitations (I smiled, nodded, and grunted occasionally to show I understood though my thoughts were wandering) bowed respectfully several times and continued bowing while backing out of the door. Again, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Makoto</span> and I parted ways as we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">mosied</span> down to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">onsen</span> baths (mineral hot spring baths). Sinking into the water was incredible! It was night time and this outside bath was adjacent to a pond. I peered into the dark shadows deepened by the lamps dotting the shore. The more I stared, the more I imagined shapes moving in the dark behind the trees. It was eerie but my little nightmares were put to rest when two ruddy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">obachans</span> (grandmas) entered the bath and began their noisy but welcome chatter. A moment of "true Japan". That night we opened our hotel window to the crisp night air...we could hear the repetitious tinkling music of the lake ferry boat's music. It was reminiscent of the ice cream trucks of my youth. Anyway, we waited and waited and were finally awarded with a spectacular fireworks show over the lake. We could see everything from our hotel window. This first hotel was my favorite of the whole trip. The second day, we took advantage of the baths one more time before leaving for our next adventure. This particular bath was right on Lake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Toyako</span>. I sat in the outside bath looking out over a pond and gazing down at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">koi</span> (carp) swimming slowly and languorously several feet below my fingers.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Good morning</span>! Today is Thursday November 1st. Where would you like to go?" </span>Our friendly bodacious digital navigator greeted us as we fastened our seat belts. Next stop was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Usuzan</span> (Mt. Usu). It was cold a rainy but we rode slowly over the tops of trees on a cable car to the top of the beast anyway. We were the only people up there in the middle of hell. It was a kind of hell that you'd like to visit though. The steam rose up and mingled with the fog bearing down on the mountain. It seemed timeless and ancient but this mountain is just a wee baby in terms of large rock formations. Only about 80 years ago a volcano burst up from underground and created the huge mound we stood on. Scary to think about. I imagined having the earth explode beneath my feet. I don't know that I'll ever trust the ground again since I've moved to Japan.<br />After conquering <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Usuzan</span> we made our way back down the mountain and into the Toyota Carola, popped some Joanna <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Newsom</span> (one of 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">cds</span> I had with me.. the others being American Highlights bluegrass and a mix by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Megumi</span>) into the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">cd</span> player. The road took us to a secretive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">onsen</span> off the beaten track and finally to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Onuma</span> Quasi National Park. There, we walked in the crisp air admiring the colorful trees and the strangely peaked mountain that is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Onuma</span>. Here, my memory gets a little hazy and my fingers a little lazy... more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">onsens</span>, delicious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">kani</span> (crab), some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">izakaiyas</span> aka "dive bars" (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Makoto</span> should seriously write a book about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">izakaiyas</span> of Japan.. he's visited more of them than anyone I know), nice hotels, and walking around aimlessly.. We traveled to the top of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Hakodate</span> Mountain, froze off our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">tookases</span>, and took in the famous night lights of the city. Riding down the mountain in the car took some time (it's a very popular destination) so we passed the time listening to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">NHK</span> radio broadcast featuring a very dated English lesson. New English phrases included "Hey Annette, let's go to the sock hop" and "Sorry Mark, dancing bores me. Studying is my only joy in life."<br />Our last day marked our last sip of Hokkaido milk (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Makoto's</span> "favorite part" of the whole trip he says), our last walk around <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Hakodate</span>, a visit to the Ainu museum, and a dip in a local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">sento</span> (public bath house). The local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">obachan's</span> showed me how to cool the scalding bath water while they silently <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">tisked</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">tisked</span> at my lack of soap. They saw through my charade of pretending my shaving gel was actually soap... no lather.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831377080748739619noreply@blogger.com0