Time Spent

Saturday, March 17, 2012

• Bicycle to Kokura Station: 15 minutes
• Kokura Station to Saiki Station: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Walk to Ferry Building: 20 minutes
• Ferry from Saiki to Sukuomo, Kochi Prefecture: 3 hours
• Public Bus to Saiki Train Station, walk to hotel: 30 minutes

A ferry with slots, instant ramen, and a view of this? There are worse ways to travel...

Sunday, March 18, 2012

• Shuttle from hotel to race site: 25 minutes
• Shuttle bus from race site to Sukumo Ferry building: 30 minutes
• Ferry back to Saiki: 3 hours
• Walk to Saiki Station (+waiting time): 30 minutes
• Saiki Station to Kokura Station: 2 hours 45 minutes
• Bicycle to apartment: 15 minutes

Total travel time: 14 hours

29 seconds... let's blame the uneven course, heavy rain,
and finish line on a hill, not my lack of training.

Sunday, March 18, 2012


第４回宿毛花へんろマラソン
4th Annual Sukuomo Hana Henro Marathon

Total Time: 3 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds

Worth it?

 

The Sukumo Marathon has its own mascot? Of course. This is Japan, after all.

Every minute.

The Refill - Issue 8

So I submitted one of my blog entries as an article for Fukuoka JET's e-magazine, The Refill. Check it out!

Open publication - Free publishing - More entertainment

Kicks in Korea

There is something distinctly different about the fashion found in South Korea versus that found in Japan. Some of the most noticeable is a more North Face or other typically "outdoors" jackets, less layers of makeup on girls, and more baseball hats on guys.

Another: the sneakers.

In Japan, guys don't really care too much about shoes. This is a culture where wearing a suit is key for work as well as social functions. Yet, men will wear sneakers, crocs, and other non-dress shoes while in a suit and tie. (This happens more often than not when you need dress shoes for outside, but you need to change into indoor shoes for school or some other institutions.) So in informal settings, shoes don't matter--any sneakers will do.

Women in Japan wear heels (let's say, as a made up statistic, 90% of the time). That's it. As a man, it makes me spoiled--in the US, heels are reserved for special occasions, so seeing women wearing heels all the time is a huge plus. As a woman, though, it must be terrible on your feet day in and day out, even in casual settings.

This is where Korea is different for both sexes. Men and women both dress to impress, but also for comfort. There's a weird take on American fashion that goes on with all the puffy jackets and rain gear. But with shoes, they get it right. Everyone wears sneakers. All the popular brands are represented--Nike, Adidas, Converse, Vans, as well as much more expensive names. Sizes, shapes, styles, and even colors are so much more diverse than the usual black and brown in Japan.

I'm not even into shoes. But after a few wins on roulette at Seven Luck Casino...

Only 2 are mine, I swear.

In 2 days, the 3 of us bought 7 new pairs of shoes... just doing it like the locals.

My Favorite Part of Sapporo

The second week of February, Sapporo, Hokkaido, hosts an international snow sculpture competition as a part of their Snow Festival. In addition to sculptures, there are performers, food stalls, and parties. In other words, there's something for everyone. This festival is one of the reasons why I came to Japan in the first place over a year ago.

But I have a confession: the festival wasn't my favorite part of Sapporo.

Aizu Tsuruga Castle

Don't get me wrong--they were just as awesome and breathtaking as I had hoped.

Me

The true stars of the festival were the sponsored sculptures. Unlike the ones that were competing which were of a much more reasonable size, the sponsored sculptures were absolutely stunning. It's not just due to their attention to detail either. The sheer magnitude and size of them is not something that can easily be captured on picture--some even towered over nearby buildings!

The Taj Mahal out of snow

But again I must emphasize, they weren't my favorite part.

Sorry, no picture of the slopes (too cold, try around 5°F/0°C), so only the aftermath...

It also wasn't traveling to nearby Niseko, arguably the snowboarding capital of Japan. I'm not a snowboarder by any means, but even I as a beginner could appreciate the heaps of powder on Hirafu. And the open-air onsen right after finishing? You know how much I'm a sucker for onsens (why I love onsens), but even this much deserved and best onsen of my life wasn't my favorite part of this trip.

Of course... bragging about ramen on Twitter is just as important as eating it. #OnlyInJapan

It wasn't even the ramen (my love of ramen). Sapporo is famous for it's Butter Corn Ramen. Rightfully so--it is fantastic. We even had it twice while there. Once at Tokeidai, a Hokkaido-only chain that started in the heart of Sapporo (next to 札幌時計台, Sapporo's Clock Tower, which is rated one of the top 3 most disappointing attractions in all of Japan). The second time was at ラーメン横丁, or Ramen Alley, a narrow street lined with small shops all specializing in their own version of Sapporo's finest (as featured on No Reservations, as well as many other travel shows).

Yet, this was still not my favorite part of Sapporo.

Damn, that's (a) sexy (beer)...

My absolute favorite part of Sapporo was Sapporo. The beer, that is. And to be clear, this isn't your normal Sapporo.

Let me explain.

Japan is into making various products limited edition, whether for a limited time or within a specific area. Limited edition America Burgers at McDonalds, seasonal Kit Kats, and guide books telling you were to find the local 名物 (specialties) are just a few of many examples of this "limited edition" craze that Japanese consumers go crazy for.

Sapporo has their own version of this.

Sapporo Beer Museum. 500 yen. 3 Beers. 10 minutes until closing. No problem.

You may know Sapporo Draft as one of the big 3 beers from Japan (Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo). What you probably have never heard of is its sexy and mysterious sister, Sapporo Classic. The Sapporo brewery produces this golden elixir in addition to their normal domestic and international brew. Except this version, you can only find in Sapporo.

飲み食べ放題 madness at the Sapporo Beer Garden

The thing is, though, the beer itself is not what I loved the most about Sapporo. It's not about taste. (Though at the beer museum, there is a ジンギスカン or loosely translated Ghengis Khan Barbecue, which is an all-you-can-eat lamb-fest that paired with the beer, is simply bliss.)

No, my favorite part of Sapporo is an idea: loyalty. It's about how loyal Sapporo-ites are to their namesake. They only serve Sapporo at most establishments. Even in such a short time, we grew to expect it everywhere we went. It got to the point where we were confused and even a bit irked when we went to a club and they only served Asahi Draft. (Though should've known with a name like 'Booty'...)

To be a Sapporo-drinker isn't an exclusive club either... We were taken by a friend of a friend to a 390 yen bar with karaoke. That's not 390 yen a beer--I mean 390 yen for 30 minutes of 飲み放題 or all-you-can-drink. It's an every-man beer.

I swear this post is not sponsored by Sapporo.

(Though @Sapporo, if you need a spokesperson, my contacts are to the right...)

It could end there, but this loyalty goes both ways--in return, Sapporo takes care of its customers and its city by providing them with a beer exclusively for them. It's not just any old beer either. I'd argue that this is better than their more popular, Sapporo Draft. Although they could easily distribute, sell, and market this beer throughout Japan and the rest of the world, they've chosen to keep it only for their most loyal customers: those in Sapporo.

Found in any convenience store for the same price as a normal beer--assuming you find yourself in Sapporo

So cheers to you Sapporo. Not only do you have an exceptional Snow Festival, located next to some phenomenal slopes and onsens, and serve as a foodie's paradise, you have unlimited, exclusive access to an amazing brew.

And though I may be jealous, I wouldn't have it any other way.

JLPT N3

日本語能力試験ゲットした！やったぞ！

I passed N3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency test!

How did I do it?

Well, the first time I took it in July 2011, I studied really hard. I didn't just use a textbook either. I read One Piece daily with a dictionary to look up every word I didn't recognize until I completed and now current with the series (60-something in total). I watched Japanese TV whether stupid game shows or the news. And of course, I studied from my N3 grammar book. Like a good student, I went to class every Tuesday for tutoring. I'd practice what I learned (my sober-Japanese) at taiko practices Monday and Wednesday (and practiced my buzzed-Japanese at izakayas afterwards).

I even took the time every weekend to study at my local Joyfull (like a Japanese Denny's). I would get brunch and drink bar (meaning all-you-can-drink soda and coffee...) while I took practice tests and graded them myself, all the while noting any questions that were particularly difficult so I could restudy them later.

And come July, I failed.

Not by a lot (10% or so), but failing's failing. I remember stepping out after taking that test and thinking to myself, "Well, damn. I tried. It wasn't good enough. I'll study more for the test in December and nail it." And a month later, I signed up for the December 2011 test.

Except this time around, I couldn't bring myself to study. Partly due to denial/anger about failing the first time, partly due to being busy, I just didn't study. I know I probably could have made time, but unlike first year when I didn't have a schedule or group of friends, the start of second year was much more hectic. With the near-weekly traveling, taiko practices and performances, marathon training almost daily, and other hobbies taking up my life, studying Japanese fell on the back burner.

My Japanese was good enough for everyday life. It's neither fluent nor academic, but that's just it--it's good enough. There wasn't the same urgent need to study and learn Japanese like when I first arrived.

And before I knew it, it was already December. The amount of studying I did since July was minimal at best (nonexistent is probably a better word... I didn't take a single practice test once). I still took the test. I had paid for it already and so there was nothing to lose.

But this time was different. After finishing this round, I couldn't help but think, "Man, I totally knew those answers... if I only remembered that '情報' wasn't　'じょうほ' and　'過去' wasn't　'かこう'... I mean, there was kanji that I actually knew. If only I had studied even only a little..."

So I knew if I failed this time, it wouldn't be by much. If I failed, I'd only have myself to blame.

But even if I did, I was pleasantly surprised at how much my Japanese had improved passively in 6 months. I knew more kanji, the readings were comprehensible (or at least, I could make educated guesses). And the listening portion was, do I dare say it, it was easy?

Was it enough to pass, though? Had I improved a full 2 levels from last year, December 2010, when I took and passed N5?

The moral of the story: getting lucky > studying ?

And after receiving my certification in the mail yesterday, I can safely answer, "Yes, and yes." Which leaves me thinking...

N2 this July?