Phones and Moshi Moshi

By: Casey

Before we came to Japan, we decided that we both needed cell phones.  When we arrived, our first priority was to get them, so we could have the ability to call each other in times of emergency.  Little did we know that it was a dumb idea.  First of all, I work literally right across the street from where we live.  If there was an emergency, Ang could stick her head out of the window and shout for someone to get me.  Secondly, we are always together, so we don't need two phones.

Even though we only need one, we have two sweet phones.  And, FYI, phones in Japan are way cooler than phones in America.  They all come with infrared sensors to use.  What they do and how we use it is still a mystery to us, but one day...one day.  Also, we had a friend help us find some phones and we got a great deal; unlimited texting and calling for 9 dollars a phone per month.  It is through a company called Wilcom.  It's a pretty sweet hook up, so we don't complain too much about the fact that we have two phones.  

Well, the whole point of the story was to lead to a cool story we heard about using phones.  Something we have learned here is that people don't say "hello" when answering the phone, or even the Japanese equivalent of "konnichiha." Instead, when people answer the phone they say "moshi moshi."  Recently, we learned a cool story about why they answer that way.  I am not sure if this story actually has any validity to it, but it is freakin' sweet.

Traditionally, there are different kinds of spirits that inhabit Japan.  Two of the most cunning and deceitful spirits are the fox spirit and raccoon spirit.  They are incredibly clever and have the ability to transform into humans.  They take advantage of humans and rob them or get them to do their bidding.  Humans are pretty much powerless to the craftiness of the fox and raccoon spirits.  However, humans figured out that these spirits couldn't say the word "moshi".  Eventually, before you started a conversation, you would say "moshi moshi" and wait for the reply of the other person to make sure they were not such a spirit.  

In essence, whenever I answer the phone and hear someone say "moshi moshi," I know they are not a crafty spirit trying to deceive me. 

We Love Our Missionaries!

Wanna hear one of the most awesome things about living in Japan? We get to have a lot more contact with the missionaries! (Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the church we belong to.) Back home, I really didn't have much contact with them because of the many members who live there. But out here, members are few, which means we get to see them each week at church and feed them.

The missionaries in this area are so incredibly great. The elders picked us up from the airport with a teacher who works with Casey. And the sisters often interpret our church meetings for us, as we don't know much Japanese at all (and I mean not much at all.)

Oh, and did I mention that one of the sisters just happens to be my beautiful cousin, Alyssa? I couldn't believe the way it worked out, but Alyssa just happened to get transferred to Miyazaki a few weeks before we arrived. It was such a sweet mercy to be able to see someone we knew out here.

She recently got transferred to Fukuoka, which is a bummer for us! But I know she'll do great things out there, just as she did here.

And before the pictures (yes, you knew the pictures were coming, didn't you?) If you are not familiar with our church, which contains the fully-restored Gospel on the Earth, or would simply like to learn more about it, please visit www.lds.org.

And now for the pics!

The sisters have beautiful voices!

Terrifying picture of me, but meh. Alyssa looks great though!

Takachiho Gorge

A couple of weeks ago, we took a little trip to Takachiho Gorge with some friends here in Miyazaki. They are an awesome couple here with the Jet program (which teaches English to students in public schools in Japan) from Colorado. Patrick has lived here for a year already, but this is Hailey's first year. She got here just a couple of months before we did. I cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to meet her and learn that someone else was in our same "boat."

And now for Takachiho Gorge.

We were planning to do some canoeing in the gorge. However, when we arrived, we found ourselves in the stinky situation of getting there just a bit too late. So you know what that means: We'll just have to make our way back that way sometime within the next year.

Anyway, we ended up having a great time anyway. We took tons of pictures (poor Hailey and Patrick! Casey and I are a little bit attached to the camera...) We just couldn't help it though. Japan is so green and lush. Utah is going to look like a big dirt hill when we return after being used to all this bright vegetation (not that it didn't before. Although I am a fan of that dirt hill.)

When we were done walking along the trail for visitors, we visited Takachiho Shrine. We've been to just a few shrines at this point, but they seem to all be pretty much the same (and that makes sense.) There is a place where a person can wash his or her hands in a certain ritual to enter the grounds. There is the shrine where believers come to make an offering. I need to do some research on exactly what is done and why, but from what I have observed, it's a simple ritual of throwing money into the shrine, stepping away, and clapping. It's fascinating to see different cultures worship in different ways, according to their own beliefs. We are seriously enjoying the opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture in this way.

On our way back to Miyazaki, we stopped by a lantern festival. Well, that's not completely true, as we discovered later. In fact, the lantern festival was in the next town over. Yeah...things just weren't quite on our side that day...but no matter. We really enjoyed it. Got some fun pics (once again, sorry Patrick and Hailey!) and even got to watch a bit of a traditional Japanese dance that was being performed. The dance is another thing I need to study up on. We watched for about 10 minutes, and it was simply of a woman walking slowly and steadily around the stage and pausing at certain points, all to the beat of a drum behind her.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome day. (It's nice to know that you can have a great time, even when things don't quite work out the way you had expected!)

Sorry in advance for the incredible amount of pictureage (yes, pictureage) that comes along with this particular post.

My Blonde Moment at the Ginko

So the other day Bridger and I had to make a trip to the bank (aka Ginko).  Before we left, I got the documents and card we would need to complete our transaction with as little confusion as possible. (You know, since I have an incredibly limited grasp on the language and everything.) The last thing I did was use Google Translate to make sure I knew how to communicate what I needed with the bank teller.

We arrived at the bank, and I walked up to the teller. "Konnichiwa!" she said. "Konnichiwa," I replied. I then handed her my paper, figuring it would just be easier for her to read it than for me to slaughter the pronunciation while trying to say what was on the paper.

She stared at it and then proceeded to sound it out as best as she could. I was a bit confused, figuring that the sentence itself must not be grammatically or structurally correct. After a second, she seemed to get the gist of it, and I was able to complete my transaction.

And we left.

Not until much later that night, while I was talking to Casey about something completely different, did I have one of those "lightbulb!" moments (Yes, I am definitely quoting "Despicable Me" right now. What a classic. But back to the point...)

"Oh!" I said.

"What?"

"So I think I know why the teller at the bank had such a hard time reading my paper today."

"Why?"

"Er...well...I totally wrote it in the English alphabet instead of Hiragana or Katakana."

I was sitting there laughing uncontrollably. Half was out of the humor of the situation, while the other was with shear embarrassment.

"Are you being serious or kidding?" he asked.

"Totally serious. Oh man!"

"Well, yes, that was a bit of a blonde moment. Just a little though," he teased. Yes, he probably laughed harder than I did at this point.

So basically, we need to switch banks, so I don't have to walk in there again. I'm sure the bank teller got quite a good laugh about the little American girl who came in and expected her to read her own language using the English alphabet. 

I'll just chalk it up to another Gaijin mistake. 

Language Progress/Goals

Before coming to Japan, Casey and I decided that we wanted to learn as much Japanese in our short year here. The moment we arrived in the Tokyo airport and heard the language, we realized it was quite the undertaking! Our progress with the language thus far has been rather slow, which we can only partly blame on getting all settled in and Casey's busy schedule. We have hit the point where we can "survive" or "just get by" when we go to a store. We know the basics like "Where is this item?" "How much is this?" "Excuse me" and "Thank you!"

We soon realized we weren't putting in much effort to learn more of the language once we hit that point, however, because we were starting to feel comfortable (or at least slightly competent.) The other day, we were hanging out with our American friends. One of them mentioned the fact that we will likely hit this safety "checkpoint" in the language, and that we will likely not learn much more if we don't put in the effort, which was his experience for a while.

So we decided it was time to get serious with our language studies. After all, how many times will we get an opportunity like this?

As a way of keeping ourselves accountable, we decided to "log" our progress on the blog. (Hey, that rhymes...)

We'll check in each week. Here's hoping it will motivate us!

Week 1
*Hiragana (Alphabet 1): Done! We can both write and read Hiragana characters on signs and instructions. Don't know what the words mean, but it's a start!

*Katakana (Alphabet 2): Casey=done! Angela=lame! Casey can write and read the characters. Angela can read and write 15. Woohoo, I'm catching up!

*Kanji (Impossible character system I hope to slightly understand someday): We know the Kanji for "minute" "use" "water" "river" "milk" and "rice."

*Conversational Phrases We Can Use:
-Ohayō Gozaimasu, Konnichiwa, Konbanwa: Good morning, Hello/Good afternoon, Good night
-Angela desu: My name is Angela.
-Oyasumi Nasai: Good night (sweet dreams).
Hajimemashite (Hajimemashite, dōzo yoroshiku): Nice to meet you (You too.)
-Sayōnara: Goodbye.
-Kore wa ikura desu ka? How much is this?
-Toire wa doko desu ka? Where is the bathroom? (Always a good phrase to know!) 
-Sumimasen: Excuse me/Sorry
-Nanji desu ka? What time is it?
-Shusshin wa doko desu ka? Where are you from?
-...shusshin desu: I'm from...
-Arigatō gozaimasu: Thank you very much.
-O genki desu ka? How are you/ Are you well?
-Hai, o genki desu: Yes, I am good. 

Soooooo...as you can see, we've got a ways to go!  Now for this next week's goals.

Goals
*Both of us will be able to read and write in Katakana.
*Both of us will know 10 new phrases and be able to use them easily.
*Both of us will learn 10 new Kanji.

Here we go! 

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Bicyclist's Life for Me!

Okay, I wanted to title this post "A Biker's Life for Me," but as it turns out, I just could never convince anyone that I was a black leather and Harley kind of gal. So to avoid confusion, "A Bicyclist's Life for Me" will just have to do.

Since coming to Miyazaki, I have learned to rely heavily on a bicycle for my main mode of transportation. It's been a bit of an adjustment, but I'm seriously in love with it. Must have something to do with the fact that I can no longer teach Spinning classes at my local gym. And that just hurts. Oh how I miss those Spinning days! But enough of the lamenting for now.

Back to my mamachari. Yep, that's my bike's official name. If you're not sure what that is, you might be familiar with "Beach Cruiser." Or at the very least, a "granny bike." And let me just say, I seriously love it. It's exactly what I need since, well, I'm a mama! (And yes, that's where it gets its name).

It even comes complete with a basket on the front and a bell. Doesn't get much cooler than that.

And I'm happy to say I don't stick out as the lame person on a granny bike, as there are always several bikes on the road, and almost all of the mamachari variety.

But it wouldn't matter anyway, just look at how awesome we look cruisin' down the road...

Anyway, biking is a big mode of transportation around here, which is something I totally love. The only thing that is a tad bit difficult is finding a way to get many groceries home. (But we have awesome friends out here who let us borrow their car for our"big" shopping trips, which I explained in a previous post.) For the everyday trips, it's all up to the bike and my kinda-decent leg power. 

You'd be surprised with just how much a person can carry on one of these bikes. Huge bags of rice, milk, eggs, you name it. Pretty sure I'll be doing a bit more biking when we get back home to the states. It's a great way to stay in shape, slow down, and enjoy the scenery!

Thank you, mamachari! 

Edamame: My New Favorite Snack

So our diets have taken quite a turn since we've been here. And I mean a turn for the better. Quite frankly, a lot of it has to do with the fact that the only food we seem to recognize is a lot of the produce! (No labels required for that!) It probably helps that there's no Sonic around the corner either.

So we eat a lot of stir-fry, curry, omelets and other meals high in veggies. And we love our fruits for snacks. And anyone who knows me can testify that I'm usually a chocolate kind of gal (but don't worry, I get that too.)

And then there's the Edamame. It's seriously my new favorite snack. And I've been told it's super healthy, which is a total bonus!

Edamame is a premature soybean. Sounds gross, right? But it's delicious. I eat them pretty much every day. They just taste like a regular bean with a little added salt. And the best part? You get to pop them out of this shell as you eat them. Fun food is the best food!

I'm seriously hoping Edamame is in the states. I've never seen or heard of it, but I'll be on the lookout when we get back.

Hmmm, I think I'll go make myself some more of these little lovelies right now. 

Jyane!

Power Lines!

Did I mention that there are a gazillion power lines around here?

Welcome to the American Kindergarten!

First of all, I just have to say that Japanese children are incredibly adorable. And I have the pictures to prove it. (But I'll get to those in a minute.)

Casey is working at the American Kindergarten here in Miyazaki. He gets to teach and run around with these little cuties all day long. And they love him.  Whenever I have the chance to get over there, they always seem to be yelling "Mr. Bondo! Mr. Bondo!" (Japanese almost always ends in vowels, as far as I can understand.)

The main focus of the Kindergarten is to show love for the kids, let them have some fun play time before they enter the rigorous Japanese schools, and to immerse them in an English-speaking environment.

Bridger and I go over to the Kindergarten sometimes to take Casey lunch. We also made it over there a few times last week to take some pictures of the kids during lunch and for the monthly birthday party (for the kids whose birthdays fall within that particular month).

So cute. And look at that lunch! It has a face! The kids have some seriously creative lunches around here.

September birthday party!

Mr. John entertaining the kids.

Casey and Bridger entertaining the kids. :)

Told you they are adorable.