Kuma Goes on a Biking Adventure

Today I decided to go for a bike ride. I saw many exciting things along my journey. Let me show you what I saw...

Off on my adventure!

My first stop was the local winery, Echigo. I didn't go inside but I did sniff around the vineyard. I wandered through the grapevines until I stumbled across a gazebo in the center of the vineyard. The gazebo was beautiful and made me feel like I was in France. I also decided to eat some of the grapes. They were ok, not as good as fish...

After exploring the vineyard, I got back on my bide and continued traveling in the direction of the city. However, I didn't get very far because I spotted a beautiful lake. Look at it! You would've stopped to relax by this lake too, right?

I also stopped to smell the flowers on my way around the lake.

As I wandered around the lake, I came across something amazing. At first, I thought it was a large rock but I soon realized it was the remains of a dinosaur! I decided to go closer to investigate. The dinosaur was massive and I began to feel a little nervous just standing near it. I'm pretty sure dinosaurs are extinct by you never know what you'll find in Japan...

Speaking of interesting creatures, my next encounter was with a strange animal near the local store. It looked like a cat, but I can't be sure. The creature had huge eyes that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. It was locked up in an interesting plastic cage and didn't seem to want to leave. So many strange things here in Japan.

The last stop on my biking adventure was one of the local shrines. Japan's two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. This can be seen throughout the country in its numerous shrines and temples. I decided to go a nearby shrine in the mountains. Everything was beautiful and green and I was thoroughly enjoying myself when it started to rain. Rather than get sopping wet, I decided to return home. A most excellent adventure!

 

Our first week at IUJ

Our first week in Urasa was a bit of a whirlwind! We arrived late on Wednesday and spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in orientations, learning about the program and our class. Tristinn and I both teach a class called “OCSALS”, which stands for “Oral Communications Skills and Academic Listening Skills”. In our class, students have discussions, listen to lectures, take notes, have listening and speaking tests, and give oral presentations. For me, it is mostly review as I have taught this class the past two summers, but it is all new information for Tristinn, and IUJ is very different from Cascadia in many ways! We also took time to get settled in, meet new people (for me, seeing old friends and colleagues), doing some shopping for groceries and other necessities things, and of course, getting over jetlag! The first few days were very busy and a little overwhelming at times, with new faces, new names, and just so much to do in such a short period of time before the program began.

Thursday we had time to go out for dinner with a few of the other instructors, and we went to a local kaiten sushi place. At kaiten sushi, there is a long conveyor belt that goes around the whole restaurant and you can pick up colored plates from the belt. Or you can place a special order and it will arrive at your table on a “shinkansen” train! Luckily this place had an English menu (not all restaurants in Japan do!). We had a lot of fun picking and trying new dishes, including my new favorite dessert “crash biscuit cake”. It's supposed to be “crushed cookie cake”, but the translation wasn't quite right. I still understood it and thought it was pretty cute – and tasty!

Monday was the official beginning of the program, and it started with orientations for the students. Here the instructors had a chance to introduce ourselves, and then we had a real meet & greet in the afternoon where we had drinks and snacks and everyone went around introducing themselves and chatting. Everyone, students and instructors, wears name badges here so it helps to learn so many new names. The students themselves are mostly Japanese, and come from all over Japan. There are also a number of students from other Asian countries, like Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, China, Korea, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and others. Tuesday brought more orientations and meetings, and all of the students took the TOEFL or TOEIC test and essay tests so we had a better understanding of their level of English, both in listening and writing.

Tristinn with our coworker Michael who also teaches OCSALS at the welcome dinner for all the IEP instructors and staff.

                                  Sakana listens along to one of several orientations for Week 1.

Wednesday was our first official class! We did more getting-to-know you exercises in the first class, and already started preparing for our first big project, the students' first oral presentation that they would give on Monday and Tuesday of Week 2. Our classes go from 8:50 to 12:05 in the morning, and then we all go to the cafeteria, and the instructors sit with the students to eat lunch. This way, we get a chance to talk more, we can all meet new people, and we can encourage the “English only” environment which is a big part of the IEP here at IUJ. After lunch, Tristinn and I go over our lesson plans and materials for the next day while the students go to their Text Skill classes, where they work on reading, writing, and grammar.

Sakana watches to be sure that Kristina's students are doing the discussion correctly. 

The first week went by so quickly but already I know that I have a good class. I have 11 students, who are from Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Several of my students will go into graduate school after the IEP, either staying at IUJ or going to another university here in Japan. Others will go back to their jobs to use their newly improved English communication skills. One of my students will even to go to New York for his job. Another one of my students is former junior high school English teacher, and we have had some nice chats about teaching English! I really look forward to getting to know my students better!

Konnichiwa from Tokyo!

Konnichiwa from Tokyo!

As soon as Kristina and I crawled off the plane (after 8 hours!), we knew we had landed in a different part of the world. All around us were signs in a language we couldn't read, and we were surrounded with the sounds of a language we (mostly) couldn't understand. We were finally in Japan!

                                                                               On the ground in Narita Airport!

After taking care of customs and luggage, Kristina and I caught a train to take us to the city center of Tokyo. Tokyo is the largest metropolis area in the world so naturally it took us awhile to get there. Our first stop was our ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel. 

Ryokan

A ryokan has several important features including...

• Tatami - Tatami mats or floors are made from rice straw and can only be walked on with bare feet. That means you must take off your shoes before entering the room so you don't damage the floors.

• Fusuma - Fusuma are Japanese-style sliding doors. They are very light-weight and have translucent paper or plastics panels.

• Futon - Futons are Japanese-style beds. They consist of a soft padded mattress and a quilt. The Japanese futon lay directly on the ground instead of sitting on a bed frame. 

• Kaiseki Ryori - Most ryokan also serve a traditional Japanese breakfast or dinner. The meal may consist of local dishes and specialties.

• Yukata - Yukata is a type of Japanese clothing that looks similar to a robe with a sash. The Yukata is worn in the public bathing areas.

• Furo - A furo is a public bathing area. First, you wash and rinse off using a shower head or bucket. Then, you relax in a large bathtub.

Even Kuma enjoyed eating at the ryokan.

Our room at the ryokan. Notice that you sit on pillows on the
floor when you want to use the table.

Our futon beds laying on the tatami mats.

Traditional Japanese Tea.

The public bathing area at our ryokan. Remember to wash *before* bathing!

Breakfast!

Yukata

The Rest of Tokyo

After a good night's sleep at the ryokan, Kristina and I headed out to explore Tokyo before catching our afternoon train to IUJ. We visited a couple major train stations, including Asakusa and Ueno, and shopping areas, and visited Senso-Ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. After the full day in Tokyo, Kristina and I headed to the train station to catch our shinkansen, or bullet train. This was my (Tristinn's) first time to ride a shinkansen. It was an awesome experience! The train ride was very smooth and it was so convenient to travel so quickly. (Kristina: I have ridden the shinkansen several times, and I can tell you it is the smoothest, loveliest way to get around Japan. It IS pricey though, but well worth it when you want a good view of the countryside at high speeds.) 

Shinkansen

       Tristinn trying the local cuisine in Asakusa

Visiting Asakusa, one of the most famous temples in Tokyo. Tristinn got photobombed by a couple of friendly locals!

The huge Kaminarimon ("The Thunder and Lightning Gate") at the front of Sensoji Temple. The gate itself measures 37 feet (11.4 m) wide and 38 feet (11.7 m) tall. Inside you can see the very large red lantern. Leading up to the temple itself is Nakamise Dori (street) which is filled with all kinds of shops selling souvenirs, crafts, clothing, and snacks (we had green tea manju, which is a fried mochi cake - very tasty!)

Tristinn breathing in the incense, said to cure sickness

 
On the Kamanarimon, there are a pair of enormous straw sandals called waraji. They are said to symbolize the power of the Buddha. See the photo above for details. You can see from the umbrellas of the people below just how big these sandals are!

                                                                                                  Sake barrels!

Aloha! Our 22-hour Layover in Honolulu, Hawai'i

Hawaii

Our first stop to Japan was Honolulu, Hawaii. Kristina and I stayed at a wonderful Airbnb only 1 block away from the most famous beach on Honolulu, Waikiki! Staying that close to the water was fabulous, not to mention very convenient!

Kuma is loving Waikiki

When we arrived in Honolulu, Kristina and I were absolutely starving. Our wonderful hosts suggested that we eat at one of their favorite restaurants, a local cafe called Bogart's. Kristina and I were not disappointed. We had the most amazing sandwiches and didn't even have room to eat a local favorite dessert, Acai. After lunch, Kristina and I took Kuma and Sakana to the beach. As you can see, they thoroughly enjoyed their time at the beach. We even swam out to the breakers and braved the famous Waikiki waves. After swimming, we strolled up and down Kalakaua Avenue window shopping and checking out the stores and restaurants.



Bears on the beach!

The next morning, Kristina and I woke up with the sun and went out for smoothies to get ready for our LONG plane ride to Japan (8 hours!). Then it was good-bye to America and onto Tokyo. :)

Have you ever had a smoothie that was THAT PINK?!?

Introduction to our Blog

Hello! This blog was created to share our experiences teaching and traveling in Japan (and beyond!) this summer with our students. Both of us are English instructors at Cascadia College, which is located in Bothell, a suburb of Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. However, this summer we are teaching in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at the International University of Japan (IUJ), which is located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Tristinn will be at IUJ for 5 weeks, and Kristina will be there for 9 weeks.

About Kristina:

Kristina has been teaching English as a Second Language for five years, and has taught in California, Washington, and Japan. She was an international student in Istanbul, Turkey six years ago when she was studying her Master's degree. This is actually her third summer teaching at IUJ, and she loves it because not only does she have the chance to teach English, but she also gets to learn more about the Japanese language and culture, meets lots of interesting people from all over the world, eat delicious food, and see some amazing sights that she can't find at home in Seattle. She also enjoys sharing about her language and culture with the students.

About Tristinn:

Tristinn has been teaching English as a Second Language at Cascadia for one year. Previously, she taught at the University of Washington and in Monteverde, Costa Rica. She also had the opportunity to be a study-abroad student in Sagunto, Spain where she learned Spanish. This is her first summer teaching in Japan  and her first time to Asia. She is thrilled to be going to a new continent!

Traveling along with us are two small brown bears who represent Kody, the Cascadia College mascot, who will be sharing our experiences in Japan too!

Meet our two traveling companions: Sakana and Kuma. Sakana means fish in

Japanese and Kuma means bear. We'll let you guess which one is which.