My Japanese fridge

It's Sunday and I spent this weekend four hours in the dojo and feel great after 120 arrows! It's amazing how an intense training with my sensei (先生) in tokuyama dojo (徳山道場) can improve my technic and hitting rate dramatically.

Tokuyama Sensei and me!

満智s grandmama and mum stocked up my supply of vegetables (I tried to trade them with sweets and pizza) and to prove my grandma in Germany that I do eat "chanto" (ちゃんと-well) I post the content of my fridge (#^.^#).

Btw, please let me know if there is any special topic you wanna hear about from Japan! 

The recent content of my fridge - sweets came from my mum and vegetables from Machis mum and grandma. My favorit dish, Natto (納豆), is hiding behind the yoghurt.

The end of Sakura

It's almost over, and the first cherry trees got already completely rid of their amazing white/pink flowers, replacing them with fresh green leaves. The last weekend and Tuesday were Sakura days. I spent Sunday with Machis family and we went on a little hill close to Saidaiji were not many Sakura tourists gathered under the trees to take their lunch.

Lunch under the cherry trees.

Mellu (family Hidakas dog) went also with us, even though she is always pretty afraid to go outside. A real house dog that even has it's own toilet at home.

Little Hill north of Saidaiji, covered with cherry trees.

Tuesday the party went on, as Nishigaki sensei invited the whole Lab for a Sakura Party in the Handayama botanical Garden. We were not the only one with this idea: Many other study groups from the close Okayama University gathered in the garden and enjoyed the evening Sakura event.

Sakura - Handayama

BBW on top of Handayama

View from Handayama to Okayama

We were lucky with the weather and at 9 o'clock, after the University staff got drunk and sang songs we went home. Here are some more Sakura impressions. I'll probably stop posting now articles about Sakura, so please enjoy those last pictures of the most beautiful season in Japan!

Sakura in Okayama University

7.00 a.m. - Monday, in Okayama city

I like the single ones (^.^)

Sakura falls - the rain kills it!

Even cats and birds become friends during Sakura (#^.^#)

Japanese bicycle

Something I wanted to update for quite a while is a short entry about the bike I'm using. As I mentioned before, did Machis Dad lent his more than 20 years old racing bike to me. I just needed to fix the tires and it was rolling again. It could be that my awareness of racing bikes on the road got stronger; however, I noticed that compared to 3 years ago more racing (likish) bikes are going around. The different to the one I'm riding is the gears! I'm really proud to ride a bike with a "clutch" so simple and ingenious that everyone has to get jealous (^.-)!

The gear I was just talking about

 It's fun riding it, but because of the condition of some streets and walking ways I can not really go faster than with my old Mama-shari (Japanese bicycle). However, I can accelerate faster than before. The whole bike looks like that:

Machis Dads bike!

A common Japanese bike looks more like the ones grandmas or mums who only ride their bike for transportation purposes, such as this one:

Tomorrow evening will be a Hanami-Party with the Lab (研究室). I'm busy at the moment with my project and job hunting (for next year April). Beside this do I want to attend a Business Japanese Test in late June and desperately need to do something for that. So basically I'm working from 8-22 at the moment. My hope is that I will become less busy at around autumn. Let's see (^.^). But don't worry - my spirit is high and I'm happy to be here. I try to keep my weekends free to do small trips and keep you up about Japanese culture!

Sakura - Appendix

It's Saturday, and people who stream in to the Handayama botanical garden (半田山植物園) woke me up this morning, with their agile chatting. They stream into the garden because the cherry trees are almost in full blossom. I heard, that it is expected to be full this Sunday/Monday but this basically depends on the cherry tree. So is the "Okinawa"-Cherry already dropping it's flowers and some trees are just at 10% blossom.

Tomorrow will be Hanami (花見) for me with Machis family. For now, just a couple of pictures of cherry trees in Okayama.

White cherry - beginning of this week.

Campus, Okayama, Tuesday!

Wednesday - campus

Campus Okayama, Education building - Thursday

White cherry, Okayama campus - Friday night

Handayama - Saturday

Graveyard Handayama - Saturday

Entrance Houkaiin temple - Saturday

It's getting spring - a week before Sakura

Sakura 桜, that means "cherry blossom" in Japanese and is the definite start of spring in Japan. Everyone is waiting for it; the news are updating their prognosis about the first open cherry flowers; people clean and organise parties. My Professor as well, and though I'm able to look forward to a "Hanami" (花見) party next week, or maybe two, or three. "Hanami" means "to watch the flowers" and means more precisely that you sit with a bunch of people under a cherry tree, drink alcohol and have a BBQ. This may be just an other excuse for an Australian to have a BBQ or for a German the perfect opportunity für's "Angrillen", but for a Japanese is Sakura a serious business. Spring means that the life start again and so many important things in life are timed to this day. The first of April. Today (or better tomorrow, since it's Sunday) starts the first Semester of University, kids need to go to school again, and all graduated students will begin there Job tomorrow (like me). Students already start to look for a Job more than a year before the next first of April. This "Shuukatsu" (就活) is a tiresome process, with many to fill out paper work - so called entry sheet - and interviews all over Japan. But I may write some other time about this in detail, since I need to go through since process as well.

So spring also mean to move on and so did I move on in to my new apartment, which is also my old one. I'm back in Handayama　(半田山), the same building as 2.5 years ago but a different room. It's Johannes old room. When I gaze out of the window I can see the "Handayama Shokubutsu En" (半田山植物園), the botanical garden of Handayama and it's visitors - mostly old people - who're already checking if Sakura might has come a bit earlier than the weather guy has said. I already miss Saidaiji (西大寺) and Machis home. I should write a bit more about it's architecture, since it is modern, but build in a traditional way mostly out of massive wood, but also this a bit later. Machis Dad is writing a blog, for those of you who are able to read Japanese (http://isuyugawa.blogspot.jp/). But I'm more than happy that I can come when ever I want to visit them. Machis Dads was so kind to lend me his 20 years old racing bike which I just had to fix a little bit. I might need to change the tires some day but everything else is perfect and the feeling when riding it, is amazing. It's actually the first time that I'm riding a racing bike, but the 12 km track to University from Machis place was quite pleasant. Her Mum helped me to move my things, mostly furniture Machi had already organised for me before hand. On my way to my apartment I bought a little plant for my room. It's tiny yet but it may grow little by little such as I will set my root here and grow little by little. It's spring, so the best season for planting!

Delicious dinner in Machis place. In Japan food stars back at you :P.

Plum trees are blossoming before cherry trees. Place south of the University ground.

Alone in Dojo and can shoot 10 arrows in a row!

 

 

"my" room ins Machis places! I left it clean, promised!

Fuu-kun, the house cat, in Moes bed.

Back in Japan - cooking at home

It's been a while since my last post. I graduated in the mean time and moved to Japan. In my first week I stay with the family of Machi in Saidaiji close to Okayama.

After a first visit of the dojo and a drink with Yousuke, Fukuda, and Kato I got a cold and stayed since then basically all the time in Saidaiji.

Machis house is rather small for European standards but very home with a traditionally Japanese touch. I expected it to be warmer in Japan but instead it is pretty cold, about 9 degree. That doesn't sound cold but since the room temperature is almost similar to the temperature outside you feel very fast quite chilly. I really enjoy the family time in the evening, Even though I kind of have difficulties to speak all day long only Japanese - I really do need to improve this. Preparing the dinner is a great highlight in every days life. Machis sister Moe already thing hours before the evening about what she might eat. Mostly mums in Japan cook dinner but sometimes everyone needs to help. I really love Japanese food, even though you're getting fast hungry again - but at least not fat (^_−)−☆

I will probably feel quite a bit lonely when I moved on Saturday into my own apartment.

Dinner I - I completely forgot the name of the meal!

Dinner II

At night (20.30) in Tokuyama Dojo with Kato-san (left) and Yousuke (right).

Cooking with fish I have never seen in Germany!

Everyone is helping, even Mell, the dog!

Belated Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day passed by and I forgot to write a message. The reason is that I’m still waiting for a Valentine’s present from Machi that got somehow stuck in the post process between Japan and Germany.  Hopefully it is going to arrive tomorrow.

I wouldn’t mention that day probably here in the blog if I wouldn’t have listed to the radio at that day. They talked on MDR-Figaro about a new movie that is nominated for a golden bear in Berlin. This movie is about the last months of a boy who was executed by the Nazis in Paris at the 22^nd of October 1941. His name is Guy Moquet. I’ve never heard of him before, but what they told me in the radio rather moved my heart. The 17 year old boy, and everyone else who was going to get execute with him, was “allowed” to write a farewell letter to their parents and beloved ones. A final letter; your final words to the ones who will miss you - who you love so much. I still haven’t read the letter of the boy, which still exists. But, I was sitting in the kitchen of my father on the wooden table and tried to imagine what this boy must have felt while he was writing his last lines. I couldn’t, because I sit here sound and save, in a peaceful Germany. How could anyone be able to imagine this who was never in a situation like that. I tried anyway – tried to imagine what I would write in my last letter.

Since a while, I think, do I appreciate so called “simple” things in life and yet do many people miss them (out). A smile from someone you like, the presence of beloved friends and family, a cup of tea, and a piece of bread with butter. My friend Phoebe gave me this lovely book of “Tuesdays with Morrie”, which was really moving. But I got side-tracked.

I think, I would deeply thank both of my parents who sacrificed so much to raise me. I hope that I can give it one day back to you in one way or another.  Thank you to my beloved siblings who challenged me a lot and helped me to become what I am. I’m often worried about the two little ones and hope that they will find their way and gain the courage to break new grounds. My love, Machi, who is always there for me and with me in my heart.  Soon it will be two years and yet it feels like we know each other for much longer. I do love you so much!

My friends, who I can’t list hear all, because I fear that I may miss one. We had so many amazing moments together and in dark times I remember them quite often to cheer myself up. You guys are all very special to me and I hope that we will meet often, even though we all take different ways in life from now on and will live in different corners of this world.

My letter would also contain a huge thank you to anyone who helped me in my life: all those farmers who cropped the corn for the bread I ate; raised the cow, whose milked I drank, and everyone on this huge globe who supported me in one way or another. People think now days that they are independent, and yet they are not. Our all existence depends on each other, not only on the people in your state, or nation, or continent; no, everybody everywhere depends on each other.  

In that way: happy belated Valentine’s day my loves!

Your Ray