Vegetable Patch

Before I was graciously shown the Aomori Contemporary Art Center...I had the pleasure of being taken to a gardening paradise hidden in the blue forests of Aomori. Melanie is cool enough to have her own vegetable patch...and there were plenty of earth grown treats to be had. I couldn`t believe at how ignorant I was about farming. I guess I just grew up knowing that the fruits and vegetables arrive at the produce section for me to eat and not to care or wonder how they got there. Regardless, I will forever relish my seven and a half minute connection with nature
.

Tamato....no, tomatoes!

Mr. Dragonfly...you best not b thinkin` bout takin` those tomatoes!

PICK DEM VEGGIES!!!

A basket of organic goodness.

FREE STUFF

Given their humble & respectful nature, Nihon-jin (the Japanese) are quick to deliver freebies when you purchase their goods.

For instance, opening a cell-phone account eqauls an assortment of odd gifts. Upon purchasing my AU phone I received a bag filled with a charger, official documents, manuals, but also green AU flip-flops and two ice packs. Please re-read the last three words. TWO ICE PACKS! Maybe they`re trying to tell us that their phones are just that
D A N G E R O U S... I hope so!

My new baby. Say konnichiwa to my Hitachi WOOO.

They sort of fit.

Then upon opening my internet account with Yahoo! BB, which was conveniently done at a local electronic store, I received ￥10,000 ($100) in free shopping money. "Thanks for subscribing with us, and by the way here`s a 100 bucks." I used their generous donation to the Cravak Fund for a landline phone and a headset to use Skype. The great thing is that they ended up costing more than ￥10,000, but they allowed it to count and did not ask for any additional money. I like it...just not that I have to wait a month for it to be installed.

Even the bank has joined the party and gives you a weird hand towel and pack of tissues when opening an account. Are the tissues for the tears because you just realized how little money you have? Maybe. Banking at Aomori Ginko is neat because they give you a bank book that is inserted into the ATM machine which gets stamped with your new balance after any deposits or withdrawals. Pretty cool!

Hold on there buddy....I saved the best for last. Here`s the story...continuing my World Grocery Store Bike Tour...I entered the Mega Benymart. Like any shopper I had expectations: edible solids and liquids for sale efficiently organized into corresponding shelves. But this store had more to offer. As soon as I entered, a man greeted me. Being bashful, I simply replied with "Konnichiwa" and scattered off afraid to display my lack of nihongo (Japanese). However, as the cashier was scanning my goods my eyes froze stiff. That very man who I had politely ignored had a surprise in his hand. A can of beer; a FREE CAN OF BEER! He gave this can of Asahi beer to EVERYONE! Even the old ladies who crawled into the store happily received their beer. In fact, I have never seen an old lady`s shopping cart that didn`t have some sort of alcohol. They love it, and I love them! Talk about leaving a store satisfied. The day America starts handing out "harmful liquid products" like they`re Teriyaki Chicken samples in the food court is the day I will salute the American Flag buck naked on the top of Mount Fuji!

Art Center

Mel, a cool adventurer from `down unda,`was gracious enough to show my predecessor Dom and I the Aomori Contemporary Art Center. I wouldn`t call it a museum, and it`s not exactly a park. It`s like a chill reflecting palace...

"Yes, that`s it."

"Good job Steve."

"Arigato" (Thank You)

"Do itashimashite" (You`re Welcome)

Take the road less boring.

Mel and Dom looking to relax on contemporarily and artistically laid out benches.

I`m serious about my art center!

Englishanese: Round 1

Konnichiwa! Please join me with my blog series, "Englishanese," where we will explore the consequences of American & Japanese culture and language merging together to create FUN! 娯 !

Where the hell was my free DVD when I was rockin` the cereal scene?

Folks, he has something for ya...

Where 50 cent got his start. Got rice?

I wonder what those boxes are made of.

Humble Abode

So I`ve settled into my new apartment. It feels like a small middle-income apartment meets a traditional Japanese house. My height appears to be a problem though as I`ve knocked my head on the doorways atleast 596 times. Luckily it`s furnished and my predessessor Dominic was nice enough to leave behind many useful items. The most beautiful thing about the place though is the rent: ￥9020. It works out to be $90.20 per month. Talk about savings! Special thanks to Aomori-Ken for taking care of business!

A blueprint of the place.

It appears much bigger in this form. Consider though that all of the doorways, except for the toilet room, are Japanese-style sliding doors, and most of the floors are tatami: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami

It`s not the most comfortable place in the world but it will due. Once I add my tacky touch to the decor, I will be set. One aspect that I abhor though is the plumbing. Japanese plumbing is like a one-handed man on the monkey bars. It makes no sense. For instance, if I desire hot water in the shower, I must turn on a machine in the outside room, then click the mechanism adjacent to the tub in just the right fashion to heat the burner. Then within five minutes I`ll have warm water. The only catch is, you must shower quickly before the water becomes boiling hot. It just seems as though the apartment is a snake habitat with pipes and tubes running amuck.
Plumbing: America - 1, Japan - 0

The kitchen. Folks, it`s not a room, it`s a corner.

Notice anything missing?

a.) Oven b.) Microwave c.) Dishwasher d.) All of the Above

If you answered d.), you`re correct! Ovens are available, but they will rob your wallet of its precious money. The oil stove though is nice and works better than the electric ones I`m used to in Florida. The refrigerator is smaller than an average American fridge and bigger than a college dorm fridge. However, I`m happy since it will help to curb my habit of buying more food than I care to eat.

The dining room, AKA the kitchen and living room.

Another shot of the living/dining/kitchen/funpartywow room.

Yes there is a TV. It only receives about 5 stations, all of which are in Japanese except for random airings of newscasts in English and episodes of Full House. I still can`t believe Joey bought DJ a stolen car for her birthday. What a fool!

Welcome to Japan: Part 4

On the third day I decided to ventured into the city in search of an alarm clock with Kain (sp?). Later in the evening a group of JETs assigned to Aomori-ken (prefecture/state/county) went to the 52nd floor of a sexy building to feast on all you can eat Italian (well sort of) food and yes of course all you can drink all for just ￥2500. When you add up all of the drinks, it`s quite a savings. Japan offers quite an extensive array of `feminine & fruity` alcoholic beverages...a drinker`s paradise. Fortunately I have enough maturity to hold back and to refrain from donating all those curious liquids into the toilet.

To top off the night, we went to Big Echo for my 2nd romp of karaoke. I`ve realized that my specialty is deep voices like w/ the dude in Barbie Girl, or just ad-libbing with the music. Luckily the karaoke places are loaded with American music in English. I honestly found everything I wanted.

Well Orientation was fun, but it`s 6:30am on Wednesday which means breakfast before taking a domestic flight to Aomori-shi (shi=city).

Welcome to Japan: Part 3

Random crappy photo of Tokyo at night. Enjoy?

Monday afternoon a group of us fellas from Florida decided to go pre-game at one of the hotel`s bars. We all shared a round of drinks and some weird vegetables that we accidentally ordered. The Japanese are EXPERTS at manners and service. Which made me feel guilty when I discovered that Japan is not a tipping culture. That`s right, there are no tips for the doorman, cab driver, waiter, bartender, and the list goes on forever. However, it`s hard to swallow, well not financially :)

Self-Photo: greatness!

When you compare the level of service you receive in Japan to America, the Japanese would have been doing us a favor if they went farther than Pearl Harbor. To all American workers that receive tips: 90% of you are ungrateful, rude, lazy, and undeserving of any tips when compared to the Japanese! This of course does not include my loving sister who is quite a wonderful server. No wonder foreign tourists in America don`t feel comfortable tipping. If you do venture to Japan, don`t even think of tipping as the mere idea would insult their pride and integrity.

Mr. Dansby adding to the entertaining conversation.

Ok I`m calm now. In the evening, 900 of us incoming JETs were treated to a welcome reception. This equates to FREE FOOD & BOOZE! Yes my friends, hoards of Asahi beer, saki, and whiskey were there for all, and oh yeah there is a feast too. I have no clue on what I ate, but I enjoyed it.

Asahi `Dry` Beer...a personal favorite.

Japanese culture is welcoming to casual partying. There are teachers in every school who have the duty (and honor) of being the school`s party planner. In fact, for most schools, the equivalent of $20-$30 is taken out for the `enkai` or office party.

My first encounter with Japanese style karaoke came later in the night at Big Echo. Pretty much ￥3600 ($36 US) got me 2 hours of singing, laughing, and unlimited drinking with recently acquired friends from Australia, California and Florida all within the confines of our comfortable booth like room. A few Asahi beers, several umeshus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeshu), and a hairy man standing on the couch waving his tamborine made for a wonderful evening. I walked in hating it, and walked out a SINGING SENSATION! Much love to karaoke!

Welcome to Japan: Part 2

"Walkin` Around Tokyo"

For our first night, we Floridians went out exploring the Shinjuku region of Tokyo. Our stomachs were in need of authentic Japanese cuisine, so what better than McDonalds! Hai!

I`m quite proud of my large Double Cheeseburger meal.

Forget what you`ve heard about McDonals overseas (http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/sales/menu/menu.html), It`s pretty much the same stuff including kids` meals. It`s easy to order since all numbers are written in arabic, just like in the US, and usually tax is included in the price. Prices do differ slightly with an average combo meal running around ￥700 / $7. They even have a ￥100 / $1 menu that includes a surprisingly delicious McPork sandwich, a piece of chicken, and a selection of warm pastries (http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/mcbakery/). Though their large soda size is equivalent to our medium, so for your thirsty buggers you better double-up. The drink menu is fairly the same as it features Coke but apparently Fanta grape soda is BIG in JAPAN as it`s sold everywhere! Don`t expect to find root beer or lemon-lime soda though.

Dave rockin the Fanta Grape!

Throwing out your trash in Japan is complicated. There are rarely garbage cans outside and inside they scrupously break down the waste. For example you must dump your cup`s remnants into a funnel, then place the plastic parts in a separate bin, then the other trash is placed typically into the blue bags as that is the burnable trash.

But you better eat your food inside, as it`s considered rude to eat while walking in the city streets. Drinking is fine though as you can`t even count all of the beverage and cigarette vending machines that adorn the city sidewalks.

A typical cigarette vending machine.

Following our `exotic` eating excursion, we ventured into some shops on the neighboring streets. Vendors are quick to elicit shoppers with their high-pitched thunderous roars. One electronic store boasted a whopping 8 floors. The Japanese love to accessorize. One floor was devoted solely to cell-phone accessories including hundreds of little key-chain like things to hang from your phone.

We would have stayed out longer if it wasn`t for the dreaded JET-lag. So after 9pm, off to bed we went.

Welcome to Japan: Part 1

JET Orientation
August 4th-6th
Keio Plaza Hotel
Shinjuku (Tokyo)

The JET Programme Tokyo Orientation means three days of fun. While there are over 15 pounds of materials to carry and a strict schedule of seminars and workshops, it`s setup similarly to the Student Government Association conventions I`m used to attending. Although here the roles are reversed as I`m the `student.

Many of Japan`s highest ranking education officials spoke to us. I LOVE at how casual and funny they were. Certainly, the Japanese have enough pride and respect to feel comfortable unlike the uptight nature of Americans. For example, the officials cracked jokes about drinking heavily, and getting physical with students.













Aomori-shi is home to a famous parade/festival called Aomori-Nebuta. At Keio plaza they prominently display a promotion for the festival and of course I made it more appealing by standing in front of it. What a silly gaijin (foreigner)!












View from my room on the 17th floor. I shared the room with Mark a fellow Floridian assigned to Hokkaido (the northern-most Japanese island).











My first ever `bidet` experience. As soon as I pushed the button I honestly felt violated. Probably because I pressed the button for ladies with lady-like parts and not the button to surge water towards your bottom.

En Route

Miami, FL
4:10am.
Within the darkened walls sleep tired hooligans returned from their drunken romp. Though, surrounding the tired bodies, two creatures stir. One a feline; a ninja kitty springing and hurling himself at the second; a scared shitless Stephen Cravak.

An army of nerves continue their march towards the walls of my veins. Thankfully the comforts of close friends and Cary`s fluffy pancakes were able to hold them off. And with a last minute fumble through clothes; I am packed.

4:20am.
My fingers prod a man fallen by the night air. Knowing his part in tonight’s plan Mike “B’lo” Abbott swiftly gravitates off of the couch towards the transport vehicle. 52 pounds in a blue duffle bag, 61 pounds in a giant black suitcase, 40 pounds in a carry-on, and loads of electronic goodies in a book-bag are hurried into unimaginable crevices. There’s just barely enough room for our driver’s lady, Dianne, to squeeze into the backseat.

And...

...we’re off…to see the witch. Her skin primed but lacking a coat of color, glasses borrowed from Scooby Doo’s Thelma and a need to find a man makes our travel agent an easy target for my witty scorn. It’s 4:56am and she’s expecting us. Mike and Dianne aid me in steadily moving the containers of a one year supply of life. Others have arrived before us and appear beaten from the months of rigorous preparation and anticipation.

I feel stupid. I’m wearing a jump suit like I’m a Soprano`s cast member while everyone else hides their bodies in trendy shorts and sandles. Oh well, little do they know that my layers will prove supreme on the flight ahead. After witnessing a poor airline employee struggle to acquire 27 boarding passes we slowly assemble at the gate.

I find strength and comfort aligning myself with a group of comedic gentlemen. We proceed to move around furniture to “kick back,” and shouts of “Marco” are immediately echoed with “Polo.” By 6:30am, we are munching our way through Pizza Hut breadsticks and personal pans. Yummy (minus the gaseus nature that would follow us onto the plane)!

It’s 7:30am and we board our Continental flight to Houston. I grumble at the realization that 19E means a seat in the middle. Though... I am delighted to sit between two lovely ladies. One in particular willingly joins me in analyzing another “compadre” who appears to be 51 cards short of a full deck.

After a brief stint in Houston’s restaurant filled airport we assemble on our final vessel to Japan, a Boeing 777-200. Fitted with three rows each with three seats, I once again find myself smack dab in the middle. Equipped with outlets for laptops, advanced remote control screens filled with free movies, music and games, this international 13 hour flight doesn’t appear to be all that bad. We left at 9:50am on Saturday August 2nd eastern time and are due to arrive at Narita Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo at approximately 1:29pm Japan time on Sunday, August 3rd.

After practicing my chop-stick skills on some rather tasty beef teriyaki I find myself watching the family fantasy film, “The Spiderwick Chronicles.” The consistent offering of non-alcoholic liquids is a nice comfort. Eight hours to go…thank goodness for the impromtu nap-time.

Wake-up! Fish sandwich (I was later informed it was chicken) and an ice cream cup. Surprisingly delicious…or maybe it’s the realization that we are a mere five hours away. Regardless, it won’t help the show “30 Rock” be any funnier. Talk about a lame fest.

My nerves begin to stir again. We are minutes away...which means PAPERWORK! I fumble through the immigration documents and merely copy from the ladies beside me. Our plan has landed and we assemble ourselves...however something is missing. Where the hell is my passport? I spend over five minutes frantically molesting every seat in my area desperately seeking that precious document. After nearly everyone has exited the plane my dumbass has found my passport in between two seats. It must have fallen out of my pants` pocket. Oh well, I`m ready to go!

Tokyo, Japan
1:30pm
Upon exiting the plane, I`m a bit shocked at what I find: a modern airport complete with English. Perhaps I was expecting bonsai trees and ninjas to carry my bags. Luckily there are 27 of us from Florida and we all stick together as we have our papers stamped, collect our bags, and go through customs. I`m honestly surprised at how smooth the process is. We follow our yellow-shirted JET guides to our trusty bus. We`re about a two hour drive from the Keio Plaza Hotel in the Shinjuku part of Tokyo. During our drive, everything looks like a normal bustling city. Though Japan is certainly more of a `vertical` society as all buildings are much taller and cramped with what little level ground the mountainous nature of Japan provides.

Now...one look to the left and all of us Floridians feel that perhaps we only flew an hour north as to our dismay we see Cinderalla`s castle and Space Mountain. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are in full view.

Well we arrived. The hotel is luxurious. With a free evening ahead it`s time to invade Tokyo!