Nutrition and Taiko

I thought that with the combination of lifestyle change (e.g. riding a bike or walking everywhere) and good, nutritious food, I would lose a little weight here. While I haven't really gained anything, I feel like a fat blob when I see all the tiny Japanese women. I'm sure genetics has something to do with how they can raid the Mr. Donuts all around the city and not have more than... 2% body fat? But it could also be the food pyramid or "top" they have here.
Ok, it probably has nothing to do with their food "top", I mean who actually pays attention to ours at home? I just needed an excuse to put it up here because I think it's so cool. I especially love the little guy running around the glass of water.

Changing the subject, I went to another nursery school the other day for work. Although the students and I NEVER have any idea what the other is saying, I always have fun. This time, the 5 year-olds put on a Taiko drum performance for me. The "drums" were actually garbage cans with paper taped to the top, but it didn't matter. Here are some of the pictures.

#2!!

I just felt my second earthquake in 2 days. This one was also minor, but I hope it's not a sign for things to come!
And I just found out today that the one a couple of nights ago was on the news- to confirm to myself that there wasn't some other explanation for the shaking.

*

As I was woken up last night, my train of thought was: Who is shaking my bed?! And HOW are they shaking my...It's an earthquake!! Everything I learned in those elementary school drills came rushing back to me. I started worrying about my kitchen table being sturdy enough if I crawled under it. Then I started worrying that if anything happened, how was I going to communicate with people? Well, this all only lasted a couple of seconds, but I don't know when I have felt so powerless. There isn't much you can do when the whole building and the earth around it is shaking. I had forgotten that I am living in one of the most tectonically active areas in the world. Growing up in Utah (and living on a fault), I never felt the ground shake, even though I know it happened a few times. Now, as little as it was, I can say that I have experienced an earthquake.

Liver.

Mom, you would be proud. I remember going to the doctor when I was about 12, and finding out that I was slightly anemic. I also remember learning that eating liver would be a good cure for the problem. I just didn't like the sound of it. Then, after studying Biology in college, and finding out what the liver actually DID, I decided I would never try it. Well, I don' t know if I have already raved about how good the school lunches are here, but they are amazing! I have only had maybe two, where I didn't shovel the whole tray into my mouth (those included natto and a whole fish with the head and eggs inside). So, yesterday, when the lunch was given to me with these small, nearly black cubes of meat on it, I thought I would at least try. I asked the 2nd grade students I was eating with what it was, and after a few minutes of trying to translate things from our own languages, I confirmed that it was, in fact, "libah", or liver. So I have now tried liver. And I now know that I should have stuck to my first thoughts, and never tried it. It was disgusting. Not just because I knew what the liver does (it produces BILE!!), but also because it just kind of crumbled in my mouth and tasted horrible.

Happy Valentines Day

Ok, so I have never liked this holiday in the States, but here in Japan, it is just strange. A few weeks ago, after noticing a lot of hearts and chocolates popping up in retail venues, Val and I talked to someone and found out about some of the interesting customs here. First of all, Valentines Day is associated with another holiday, a month later, called White Day- but more on that later. So, apparently, girls/women are supposed to give expensive chocolates ("honmei choco") to the boys/men they are interested in. This includes boys/men who have no idea that they are being sought after. Or, if the girl/woman has a significant other, they give honmei choco to them. But, it is ONLY the females who do it.
And then, there are the less-expensive chocolates ("giri choco"). Even though I don't have a love interest here, Val and I were given the suggestion (because all other women in all offices were doing it) to buy giri choco for each man in our office. But this is where White Day comes in. In one month, any boy/man who received chocolate, is expected to buy something TWICE as expensive and give it to the girl/woman he received it from. So, in one month, Val and I should be getting a desk full of cookies or something.
I don't know if I made it sound as strange as I think it is, but I was surprised to get an e-mail from Carol (my sister who is in S. Korea for church) describing the same traditions. Only, they have ANOTHER holiday one month after White Day. This one is called Black Day, and it is when all the singles get together to celebrate. That's my kind of holiday. I think we'll try to start the tradition here.

My new favorite thing

Some of the teachers from one of my elementary schools invited me to dinner with them last night. I took Val and Reiko with me and we had a good time getting to know the teachers I otherwise don't get much of a chance to talk to. We had a good dinner, but the really exciting part of the night was the arcade. We have all seen (or even played) Dance Dance Revolution, and I was always entertained by watching other people playing these games, but I was never interested myself in playing them. I can't believe I have never tried the Taiko Drum game before!! In this game there are two Taiko drums side by side and you try to beat the other person by perfectly matching the rythm presented to you by the machine. It can be a little difficult with all the other music in the arcade blaring around you, but there is a pattern that scrolls across the screen that you use more than the music. Earlier in the day, I had somehow hurt my wrist and by the end of the night my wrist was swollen from drumming and I could barely move my hand. But it was worth all the pain.