A day at Iwaseura Elementary School
The principal of Iwaseura elementary school, Sato kocho sensei, invited dad & mom for a visit to his school the week that they were on the island. Knowing this school, they have a way of making you feel extra special and did they lived up to expectation when they threw an extremely warm welcome at the gym with the entire school population! You bet dad & mom were really surprised at the reception :p
After a brief introduction and greetings in simple English, they were invited to join the kids in singing and dancing! It was the first time in their lives skipping and prancing around with some 60 kids and boy was it a hilarious sight seeing the 2 of them trying desperately to be understood, especially with the younger students :P
After the short but fun morning session at the gym, we had a class with the 6th graders where I taught the students how to order food and some food related vocabulary. We then set up stalls pretending to be food vendors while the students went around clutching paper money and doing 'shopping' in English.
Here is a sample of how the conversation went:
A: Hi, how may I help you?
B: One burger and one coke please.
A: One burger and one coke, here you are.
B: How much?
A: 350 yen please.
B: Here you are.
A: Thank you. Bye!
B: Bye!
The school was even so sweet as to order 2 extra set of school lunches for us and so we ate with the 6th graders after class ended. By then the kids had warmed up sufficiently to their special guests of that day. The lack of verbal communication was more than made up by their friendly gestures and smiles throughout. Dad and mom even enjoyed special massage service! :D
The blackboard had been decorated with welcome messages and cute drawings by the students themselves. I was as surprised and touched as both of them were by the splendid and heart-warming company.
Class photo with 6th graders taken after lunch.
And if you think this is end of the story, you're mistaken for the hospitality at this school continued on. From the oldest kids, we went on to lesson with the 1st graders and they were the cutest bunch ever, a grand total of FIVE boys in the class, yes five boys ONLY!
Dad playing the Japanese all-time-favourite 'Rock Paper Scissors Go!' with 7 year old kid.
7 year old shouting happily after winning dad at the game eventually :P
Just when we thought we were done for the day, we were once again invited to join in a club activity! How could we turn down the sweet invitation of a 10 year old looking up at you with bright happy eyes? So off we went to the activity room once more where we were greeted with enthusiastic kids awaiting to teach us how to play traditional Japanese toys such as the Ken-dama (see picture below) and Otedama, which is our equivalent of the 5-stones.
Mom surprised all by outplaying everyone at the Ken-dama while the kids had a good laugh at my poor showing :P
And such was a day at Iwaseura elementary school. A day in which the warmth and generosity of the Japanese people in these little island school will always bring back fond memories for all of us for many years to come.
The folks in Nagasaki
After 2 relaxing days at the onsen, we made our way back to Nagasaki from Oita by highway bus. The fact was Dad & Mom enjoyed themselves so much in Yufuin that they were actually a tad bit reluctant when it was time for them to leave. Promises were made to return to this place once more when they visit Japan in the future.
Soon after arriving in the city, the weather turned considerably chilly and poor Daddy caught a cold. It didn't help that for the next 2 days as we sightsee around the city, it rained for most part of the time, making it relatively inconvenient to move around. Suffice to say, they didn't enjoy Nagasaki half as much as they did at Yufuin. Nevertheless we did as much as we could, with our spirits and mood somewhat dampened too by the continuous rain.
Dad and mom were really happy at the sight of those fat koi in the pond, especially Daddy who couldn't stop posing as he fed the fishes :P
Can you tell that it was getting really cold despite it being early November then? Mom wasn't expecting this weather and didn't pack sufficient warm clothings. By the time we got to the island, even she had succumed to a bad bout of flu.
Yufuin Day Two
The next morning, we wasted no time in hitting the little town of Yufuin. It is located in a mountain basin spreading at the foot of the beautiful Mt. Yufu. It is sometimes also known as the 'town of morning mist' as it's often blanketed by thick layer of mist in the morning lending a mysterious and truly captivating sight.
The town boasts of many lovely inns, little quaint cafes and small but interesting musuems of varying interests. Its shops lined streets made for a delight to just wander and browse through aimlessly.
Daddy and Mommy going whacky in all the souvenirs and snack shops with free flow of foodstuff samples to try!
You can't really blame them can you? The shops were all so inviting and colorful that it was quite difficult to decide on what to see, buy or eat.
Lunch was at this pretty and inviting lakeside restaurant serving udon made from the natural spring water from the ground.
Strolling leisurely along, we came upon the other famous landmark in Yufuin,Lake Kinrin-ko (金鱗湖). Its name is as such as the surface of the lake seems to resemble fish scales when it reflects sunlight.
And Daddy just can't seemed to get enough of Kinrin-ko and its surroundings : )
As we walked on along the circumference of the lake, we came to a small park filled with trees whose leaves had turned an awesome shade of crimson red and spent quite a bit of time there snapping away. Dad & Mom were really thrilled at the sight of the beautiful red leaves that they posed for many shots under the trees ever so readily!
Our lovely hotel on the second night- Yawaraginoko Yadoya. I chanced upon this little gem of a place while searching online for accomodation actually. What impressed me is their comprehensive website and extremely user-friendly online reservation. Moreover it is also delightfully clean and service was really up to standard too. The best part is it does not burn a hole in your pocket either and you have the choice of paying for rooms only instead of the usual 2 meals that are almost always included in many Japanese ryokans. This is somewhere I will definitely come back to the next time i visit Yufuin again.
Yufuin Day One
I am such a lousy daughter.
Dad and mom visited Japan more than 4 months back and i only finally got down to blogging about their trip!
Better late than never right? Excuses, excuses, excuses...Well I'd better cos otherwise when i return from Kansai trip with Alvin next week, I will have even more photos and stories to share and an even harder time trying to catch up by then!
So here goes... :)
Dad and mom arrived in Fukuoka on a sunny morning on the 8th of Nov last year. The same day in the afternoon, we took a 3hr train ride to Yufuin (由布院)in Oita prefecture which is famed for its hot spring spas(onsens)and hot spring bathing.
The train as you can see is not any other ordinary train. Like the school train which Harry Potter and friends took to Hogwarts, this train is specially bound for Yufuin, making few stops in between,where the passengers are mostly locals making a quick weekend getaway to the hot spring heaven in Kyushuu.
The seats and design of the trains are really stylish and the cafe served really good bentos and snacks too. Destination trains like these in Japan will try to earn every dollar of their commuters as can be seen from the varieties of memorabilias that are sold on board the train. Little cute but pretty much useless stuffs like keychains bearing the train logos, mugs and handphone straps, you get the idea. Somehow though they are really sellable among the Japanese themselves while here we are contented to just taking a memorabilia shot with the captain's hat and sign bearing the date that we travelled on the train :)
Arrival at the first ryokan(旅館), a traditional Japanese-styled accomodation for the night.
And dinner was served. A typical stay at a hot spring ryokan will usually include dinner and breakfast the next morning together with unlimited entries to the hot spring baths.
And here are my yukata-clad models ready to head to the open air bath for their first taste of the Japanese hot spring experience!
Ready, Get Set, Go!
It's getting harder and harder to update and blog regularly these days as I am officially without internet access from home. Because I move around different schools throughout the week,there are days where i am busier and can't find the time at work to use the computer. But of course there are very free days too, like today so i make most use of my free time in the staff room to do whatever internet related business i have.
A couple of quick updates here, exciting 3 weeks ahead!
Roslynn is visiting Goto! We've been mailing and chatting about her trip for the past couple of weeks now and finally she will appear in Narao this Sunday by the 3pm ferry! What more she will be bringing Variel her dog along too. Am really looking forward to meeting both dog and owner :) It's been almost 7 months now since i last saw her at Changi airport. We are gonna cook up a feast for our much anticipated reunion, haha!
And the second piece of happy news is Alvin will be in Japan for the second time exactly one week from today!! This time round, i've done most of my preparation and planning for our trip much earlier so am really looking forward to traveling around Kansai area together. The shopping and food in Osaka and Kobe, the sights of Kyoto! As i wrote this, i am practically squirming in excitement and anticipation. Not forgetting the many good stuff that mommy has packed for me, yippee! :)
Lastly the final piece of exciting news, one which i just found out (we were chatting over msn :p) as i was writing this entry is that i will be meeting up with a good uni pal and her boyfriend as they happen to be travelling in Kyoto during the same week that me and Alvin will be there. Isn't that a fantastic coincidence???
A colorful Spring vacation coming up ahead!
Graduation ceremony
On Wednesday it was the graduation ceremony at Narao Junior High school. Though i had only physically attended one myself, from what i saw on the news and heard from people around, graduation ceremonies in Japan seem to be a rather solemn event, at least judging from the amount of tears that was shed in the school gym 2 days ago.
It seems like the Japanese tend to focus more on the aspect of parting in situations like these, what they called 'owakare or 別れ' meaning '分離' in Chinese. Perhaps the sense of parting is very real for some of them as Japan though not that huge is still relatively a big country. Compared to the 15 year old back home, these kids here learnt from an earlier age to go one's own ways from high school education onwards. And most of them will probably not meet again unless they return to their hometown and attend annual class gathering. Coming from a small country where we meet up with friends easily for meals and over the weekends even after graduating from university , this is really quite a stark contrast.
While i can understand the wailing 15 years old as they gave their thank you and parting speech cos afterall, this must be the most emotional moment of their lives to date, the scene of the sobbing parents and tearing teachers was really quite a sight to behold! I was touched when the whole school stood and sang the farewell song cos this is one of my best class and i know i will definitely miss lessons with them but i couldnt help but felt a little overwhelmed by the emotional overflow.
For a split second i felt like a hearless creature as i looked around in amazement the tear jerking scene without a handkerchief in hand!
After a morning chokeful of emotions in the gym, this is a picture of a happier scene at the school corridor where everyone lined up in 2 rows to welcome the third graders as they walked down the hallway of their alma mater for the one last time.
I know i am not teacher material cos i am not good at being impartial. Of course i don't show it outwardly but i do have my favourites in class and these are the girls and boys that i really enjoyed chatting with and who brightened up some of my days in school even if it was only a simple hello :) They are all really good kids. Am gonna miss their company so much.
The scene outside the school ground where parents and students milled around, grabbing one another for parting shots, pretty much the same as the ones we witnessed in our own graduations. It's a lovely little countryside community isn't it?
A tradtion in this school to send off their graduating students till the very moment they get on the school bus. Students peered out from the bus windows while the remaining school population and students waved goodbye from the school. Notice the tree in the picture? Soon in 2 weeks time, it will be filled with pretty pink cherry blossoms :)
6th year and counting
Did 6 years just passed by like this?
Well, it certainly doesn't feel this long.
Love really is an amazing thing.
Love came when you were least anticipating it and with the most unlikely person you can imagine.
We've known each other way back in secondary school. My name is always last in the girl's list and your's always the first. We've sat behind or next to each other on many occasions but yet i couldn't remember exchanging more than 10 sentences during the 2 years we were in the same class.
And then we went on to different colleges and led our own busy 17-18 years old lives. It wasn't until we met again over a mutual friend's farewell dinner that we really started talking. And did i realised that there are so many things to chat about, that it always feel so easy and comfortable to be with you and you had this ability to make me laugh so much.
Looking back, the past 6 years have passed by like a dream - we were younger and more youthful in our love. I remember the days we used to hang out at NUS during lunch or after school. The time spent studying at the library together and having dinner at my place in the evening. The countless dates, cycling trips in East Coast, birthday celebrations, Christmases, Chinese New Years, family gatherings we had together.
Progressively our relationship has developed beyond the puppy love and with that we've added layers of maturity, understanding and respect.The first job, first taste of the adult world, all these we went through all together. The current one year stint in Japan couldn't have been possible without your support either and for all these i am really happy and thankful to have you with me all this while, my trusted boyfriend and best friend :)
And as i looked back at our shared journey that started 6 years back, i am even more excited about the prospect of 'us' and what the future beholds.
Happy 6th year and counting! =)
Ichigo Daifuku (苺大福)
I learnt how to make ichigo daifuku over the weekend!
And i think that's good news for my mochi loving family, especially my dad :)
There is something about the sticky chewiness of the glutinous rice flour that has captured our hearts for as long as i can remember.
If you've been to Japan before, you would have realised the Japanese fondness for mochi (glutinous rice cake) of all varieties. Daifuku mochi, sakura mochi, yomogi mochi, warabi mochi, just to name a few, are all readily available in most convenience stores, supermarkets and high class departmental stores.
Mochi(餅)is a Japanese confection, found usually in the shape of a small, round rice cake which are stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly sweetened red bean paste or eaten with other condiments such as kinako, soy sauce dip and seaweed. Traditionally, mochi is made by pounding steamed glutinous rice( a sweeter stickier type of rice called mochigome, which is different from the steamed rice eaten daily) in a large wooden mortar, called the usu, with a wooden mallet called the kine. Mochi is an important food in Japanese culture and is eaten specifically during the new year period.
Daifukumochi, or Daifuku (大福) in short, is a familiar and very popular type of mochi that is eaten all year round and enjoyed by the Japanese since a long time back. Daifuku comes in many varieties, the most common is white or lightly colored mochi filled with anko (red bean paste) and dusted with katakuriko (potato flour) to prevent it from sticking.
Ichigo daifuku (苺大福) or strawberry filled rice cake is a variation of Daifuku. It was invented in the 1980s and has gained immense popularity ever since.There are many sources who claimed to have come up with this way of eating daifuku though it's exact origin remains vague. It's name is as such because it contains a strawberry wrapped with a sweet filling, inside a small round mochi. Although creams are sometimes used instead, red bean paste remains the most popular filling of choice. For many Japanese palates, the sweetness of the red bean paste is believed to enhance the flavor of the strawberry bringing out the tartness of the fruit.
Ichigo daifuku's huge following also means that instead of store bought version (a small daifuku cost an average of ￥150), many had since started making their own from home. While making mochi daifuku from scratch used to involve a pestle and lots of arm work, these days you can find many fun and delicious recipes which uses only the microwave and not much strength required. On this occasion though, Tominaga sensei, the cute lady in the picture, has passed onto me the secret of making this simple yet irresistable traditional Japanese confection using the more conventional method.
And these are our finished products! They looked so pretty and fluffy don't they? The best part is they tasted really like the ones you buy from the stores! What makes making daifuku extremely fun is that there is no limit to what you can come up with for the filling. Imagine banana with chocolate cream,kiwi with peanut butter? I have so many exciting fillings i am dying to try out i think i should be making my second batch really soon. And I've already promised mommy that i will make a big and soft ichigo daifuku with custard cream for her when i get back cos she still can't forget the wonderful ichigo daifuku (雪苺娘 or Yuki Ichigo) i bought for her at Tenjin station in Fukuoka when she visited last year :)
The Kabuki Experience
During the same weekend that I went to the Lantern festival in the city, I went over to neighboring prefecture, Fukuoka and caught my first ever Kabuki show at the Hakataza with Tamami and Toda sensei at the Hakataza.
I was particularly looking forward to the show for the fact that I paid good money for the tickets (we got the most expensive tickets as we were late in deciding the date) and that back in NUS, I took a module on Japanese traditional performing arts which did a comparative analysis among the 4 main genres namely Noh (traditional masked dance-drama), Bunraku (traditional puppet play), Kyogen(traditional short comedic drama) and Kabuki(traditional Japanese theater) so it would be interesting to watch a live performance for once.
Kabuki (歌舞伎) is known for its stylized acting and dance movements, elaborate make-up and costumes worn by its performers. One can also consider Kabuki to be the Japanese version of a musical as it entertains viewers both visually and musically. There are also those who draw some similarities between Kabuki and Chinese opera (京劇) where glamorously made-up actors too are decked out on in lavish costumes and speak in a sing-song manner.
Unfortunately, photos cannot be taken during the performance so here's a picture of the sign outside the theater featuring the evening program which consisted of 3 plays of rather different nature and storyline. Including a 30min dinner break and another 15min interval, the whole event lasted for a good 4.5 hours!
Though for most part of the show, the actors spoke in mostly olden form of Japanese, i was sufficiently entertained througout the night. Indeed, it is really not difficult to be impressed by the spectacular display, even for first timer as any Kabuki show is essentially a feast for the senses. The beautiful stage and props, lustrous kimonos, exagerrated acting, singing and music accompaniment made it hard for anyone to fall asleep during the play.
Images taken from elsewhere to give a decent impression of the Kabuki experience.
A few shots of the theater and it’s interior. Although the art form is around 400 years old, it remains relatively popular, especially among the older generation.
A major highlight of attending a Kabuki event,besides watching the play itself,is the dinner bit. As only 30mins are allocated before the show commences again, there is not sufficient time to go anywhere for a meal. The usual practice is thus for the audience to purchase dinner set or bento from vendors who set up temporary stalls inside the theater(see picture on right).When the light came on after an hour and half signalling that it's time for dinner, many will whipped out the bentos at their seat and tucked into the nicely packaged meals.
This was how mine looked like. It's lovely isn't it and cost only ￥1000! And don't be fooled by the dainty looking portion, it was quite a lot when i actually got down to eating it after i finally stopped snapping away with my camera :p The last remaining 5 minutes, i had to stuff them down hurriedly as the light dimmed for the second part of the show, what a waste!
Dad playing the Japanese all-time-favourite 'Rock Paper Scissors Go!' with 7 year old kid.
7 year old shouting happily after winning dad at the game eventually :P
