Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Announcement Concerning Train Incident and Arrival
For those wondering, yes, we were affected by the self-immolation train incident. We are all safe but missed our flight. We will be touching down in Minneapolis 7/1 at 6:00 AM CST on DL 2440 from Seattle.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Day 6: The Beat Goes On
Hello again, folks!
As promised, a few interesting facts about Universal Studios Japan:
1.) The most popular attractions, including the new Harry Potter-themed Hogwarts area of the park, require timed reservation tickets. That's right -- you wait in line for a spot to wait in line.
2.) Three of the "themed areas" of USJ are based on U.S. cities: New York, San Francisco, and Hollywood.
3.) The Back To The Future ride, long since removed from Universal Studios Florida, is still up and running here.
4.) By far the coolest part of the USJ experience (in my humble opinion) is the "Cool Japan" area, which hosted Japan-centric attractions. While the Attack on Titan limited time walkthrough event was definitely below expectations, the Evangelion 4D theatre presentation was by far the highlight of the trip. The seats in the 4D theatre would jump, shake, drop, and blast air or water depending on what was happening on screen.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled delegation event summary!
Yesterday, we took a trip to the ancient capital city of Japan, Nara, to see the world-famous Toudaiji temple -- a World Heritage Site housing one of the largest "Daibutsu" (large buddha) statues in Japan. Nara is the site of the well-known grass burning ceremony originating out of a territory feud between Toudaiji and its neighboring temple, Kofukuji, that took place many centuries ago. The park containing Toudaiji is also known for an abundance of deer.
The deer in Nara are sacred according to legend due to a visit from Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto (one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine), and up until 1637, killing one of them was deemed a capital offense punishable by death. Nowadays, the deer are still a part of daily life in Nara, and it's not uncommon to see many groups of them interacting with the area's human visitors. Several stands scattered around Nara park sell special rice crackers called "shika senbei" that can be fed to the deer, and they know exactly when a visitor is about to buy them. The second a package of crackers changes hands, the deer will swarm around the (un)? lucky visitor, hoping for a chance at a treat. It can be a lot of fun to feed them, as long as you're careful. Interestingly enough, the deer have also been taught to bow their heads in exchange for food, which is ridiculously cute.
After stopping for lunch at another traditional Japanese restaurant and taking a break for a small amount of shopping around a small street in Nara, we returned to Izumi to try out a slightly more dynamic experience: learning about and playing traditional taiko drums at the Izumi Culture Center!
Given that my background with taiko is rather...limited, the experience was eye-opening for me. First, the students were shown a small video about how taiko drums are crafted. The base is made of polished wood, and the top of the drum is created using stretched cowskin. Traditional taiko are expensive, and our guide mentioned to me that one of the drums being played in the hall cost upwards of $30,000. Not bad for a traditional instrument. My host student from last year, Kaho Ueda, joined the group once again and participated in the music-making activities. She seemed to have a good time getting a chance to meet several more members of the delegation.
Finally, they put everyone in front of a drum and taught us a very simple song pattern. While the majority of the pattern was simple, there was one part towards the end that kept tripping everyone up (me included). After several rounds of practice, the professionals took over and we were given a full demonstration of the strength and grace of a powerful performance.
As promised, a few interesting facts about Universal Studios Japan:
1.) The most popular attractions, including the new Harry Potter-themed Hogwarts area of the park, require timed reservation tickets. That's right -- you wait in line for a spot to wait in line.
2.) Three of the "themed areas" of USJ are based on U.S. cities: New York, San Francisco, and Hollywood.
3.) The Back To The Future ride, long since removed from Universal Studios Florida, is still up and running here.
4.) By far the coolest part of the USJ experience (in my humble opinion) is the "Cool Japan" area, which hosted Japan-centric attractions. While the Attack on Titan limited time walkthrough event was definitely below expectations, the Evangelion 4D theatre presentation was by far the highlight of the trip. The seats in the 4D theatre would jump, shake, drop, and blast air or water depending on what was happening on screen.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled delegation event summary!
Yesterday, we took a trip to the ancient capital city of Japan, Nara, to see the world-famous Toudaiji temple -- a World Heritage Site housing one of the largest "Daibutsu" (large buddha) statues in Japan. Nara is the site of the well-known grass burning ceremony originating out of a territory feud between Toudaiji and its neighboring temple, Kofukuji, that took place many centuries ago. The park containing Toudaiji is also known for an abundance of deer.
The deer in Nara are sacred according to legend due to a visit from Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto (one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine), and up until 1637, killing one of them was deemed a capital offense punishable by death. Nowadays, the deer are still a part of daily life in Nara, and it's not uncommon to see many groups of them interacting with the area's human visitors. Several stands scattered around Nara park sell special rice crackers called "shika senbei" that can be fed to the deer, and they know exactly when a visitor is about to buy them. The second a package of crackers changes hands, the deer will swarm around the (un)? lucky visitor, hoping for a chance at a treat. It can be a lot of fun to feed them, as long as you're careful. Interestingly enough, the deer have also been taught to bow their heads in exchange for food, which is ridiculously cute.
After stopping for lunch at another traditional Japanese restaurant and taking a break for a small amount of shopping around a small street in Nara, we returned to Izumi to try out a slightly more dynamic experience: learning about and playing traditional taiko drums at the Izumi Culture Center!
Given that my background with taiko is rather...limited, the experience was eye-opening for me. First, the students were shown a small video about how taiko drums are crafted. The base is made of polished wood, and the top of the drum is created using stretched cowskin. Traditional taiko are expensive, and our guide mentioned to me that one of the drums being played in the hall cost upwards of $30,000. Not bad for a traditional instrument. My host student from last year, Kaho Ueda, joined the group once again and participated in the music-making activities. She seemed to have a good time getting a chance to meet several more members of the delegation.
Finally, they put everyone in front of a drum and taught us a very simple song pattern. While the majority of the pattern was simple, there was one part towards the end that kept tripping everyone up (me included). After several rounds of practice, the professionals took over and we were given a full demonstration of the strength and grace of a powerful performance.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Day 4 & 5: Midorigaoka and USJ
Sorry for not updating, all. It's been a very busy couple of days, and unfortunately I came down with a rather serious case of heat sickness. Tomorrow's entry will have some highlights from the last few days as well as a full write-up of the students' experiences learning their first ever Taiko drum routine...
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Day 3: Back To School
After a relaxing (?) weekend with our host families, we resumed delegation activities today with our first trip to an area high school. First on the agenda, however, was a brief introduction to the magical world of Japanese shopping malls courtesy of a couple hours of fun at LaLaPort Izumi, a large shopping center located a small distance away from our normal delegation meeting spot.
The mall was certainly a bit smaller than the Mall of America, but was relatively normal size by Japanese standards. From electronics to fashion and books to specialty goods, the mall was packed with interesting shops -- a perfect place for the delegates to pick up souvenirs for themselves and friends and family back home. There were also several restaurants serving Kansai area specialties like "okonomiyaki" and "takoyaki", and even an arcade and bowling center filled to the brim with large, expensive simulation games like Taiko Drum Master, Dance Dance Revolution, Luigi's Mansion, Time Crisis, and a horror game I've never seen before called "Dark Escape." The cabinet for "Dark Escape" was equipped with a heart rate monitor and tries to spook players with loud sounds, blasts of air, creepy visuals, and a shaking seat. While I usually love House of the Dead-style interactive rail shooting games, that one was a little too much even for me.
Also located near the LaLaPort area was a familiar surprise: a Costco! The first Costco I've ever seen in Japan.
Yep. You read correctly. A Japanese Costco.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside, but I was definitely curious about how the selection differs from the ones at home. Not that I could bring anything back, anyway. The only products they sell at this Costco are, I'm told, similar in size to the ones back home: BIG. When I return to America, I'll be telling my father-in-law that he will be needing to plan an international excursion shortly. He loves Costco.
Departing LaLaPort, we headed straight for Hakata High School, where we were greeted by the principal and his support staff. Nearly fluent in English, the principal gave a thorough overview of the school and its five areas of study, and then we exchanged greetings and were quickly shuttled off to an English conversation class.
There, the delegates were greeted with a surprise: one of the students attending the Bloomington delegation to Izumi last year, Megumi Fujikawa, came to the front of the class to give a speech in English on her experiences in Bloomington. Megu informed us that she will be coming to the farewell party on Sunday, providing another chance for the delegates to meet and talk with her about her time in Bloomington. We then played several icebreaker games with the students including a game called Fruits Basket, which is similar to musical chairs. Each game was filled with opportunities for the delegates to interact with their Japanese counterparts. Then, the students were sent off to arts and crafts while Heather, the other chaperone, and I met with the school principal to discuss matters relating to future delegations.
Finally, we said goodbye to the students of Hakata High School and headed home after a very long, but fulfilling, day.
The mall was certainly a bit smaller than the Mall of America, but was relatively normal size by Japanese standards. From electronics to fashion and books to specialty goods, the mall was packed with interesting shops -- a perfect place for the delegates to pick up souvenirs for themselves and friends and family back home. There were also several restaurants serving Kansai area specialties like "okonomiyaki" and "takoyaki", and even an arcade and bowling center filled to the brim with large, expensive simulation games like Taiko Drum Master, Dance Dance Revolution, Luigi's Mansion, Time Crisis, and a horror game I've never seen before called "Dark Escape." The cabinet for "Dark Escape" was equipped with a heart rate monitor and tries to spook players with loud sounds, blasts of air, creepy visuals, and a shaking seat. While I usually love House of the Dead-style interactive rail shooting games, that one was a little too much even for me.
Also located near the LaLaPort area was a familiar surprise: a Costco! The first Costco I've ever seen in Japan.
Yep. You read correctly. A Japanese Costco.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside, but I was definitely curious about how the selection differs from the ones at home. Not that I could bring anything back, anyway. The only products they sell at this Costco are, I'm told, similar in size to the ones back home: BIG. When I return to America, I'll be telling my father-in-law that he will be needing to plan an international excursion shortly. He loves Costco.
Departing LaLaPort, we headed straight for Hakata High School, where we were greeted by the principal and his support staff. Nearly fluent in English, the principal gave a thorough overview of the school and its five areas of study, and then we exchanged greetings and were quickly shuttled off to an English conversation class.
There, the delegates were greeted with a surprise: one of the students attending the Bloomington delegation to Izumi last year, Megumi Fujikawa, came to the front of the class to give a speech in English on her experiences in Bloomington. Megu informed us that she will be coming to the farewell party on Sunday, providing another chance for the delegates to meet and talk with her about her time in Bloomington. We then played several icebreaker games with the students including a game called Fruits Basket, which is similar to musical chairs. Each game was filled with opportunities for the delegates to interact with their Japanese counterparts. Then, the students were sent off to arts and crafts while Heather, the other chaperone, and I met with the school principal to discuss matters relating to future delegations.
Finally, we said goodbye to the students of Hakata High School and headed home after a very long, but fulfilling, day.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Day 2: Meeting the Mayor
Finally things are settling down here in Izumi, as the students have began getting accustomed to not only the 13-hour time difference, but also life with their Japanese host families. Today was an important day for the delegation as it marks the traditional meeting between the delegates and the mayor of Izumi City, Hiromichi Tsuji.
Before that, however, we would be diving into the past, learning about Izumi City's significant collection of art pieces at the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts. Included in the museum tour was a visit to a replica teahouse containing the family sigil of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of Japan's most powerful and significant historical figures), as well as a limited-time collection of ukiyo-e Kabuki art. Translated most closely as "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e art was popularized in the 17th to 19th centuries in Japan's Edo period, mainly by the flourishing merchant class. The artist of the prints on display was renowned for his depictions of Kabuki actors, but his unique style of drawing human faces with long chins and wide noses was not favored widely among male Kabuki actors playing feminine roles. It is said that this is the reason why the artist in question only painted actively for ten months, and also why his prints are exceptionally difficult to come by. Pictures of the artworks were, of course, forbidden.
After visiting the museum, we had a brief respite during which we were able to take a short walk to a nearby petting zoo containing a large number of rabbits and two sheep. Though we can certainly see rabbits and sheep at home in Bloomington, it seemed to me that some of the delegates were more excited to see the animals than they were when viewing historical artworks. =)
Up next on the agenda was Kita-Ikeda Junior High School, where we were promptly split up one-by-one and shuttled to classrooms to participate in a typical Japanese middle school lunch hour. Lunch is prepared and eaten in the classroom itself, and each student or group of students is assigned a task (whether that be serving food, distributing drinks, collecting garbage, etc) to help the process of serving food to 40-some hungry kids move as quickly and efficiently as possible. The meal's main course was "oden" - a Japanese stew containing chicken, vegetables, and fish-based ingredients, and it was served alongside a bowl of rice, a salad, and a serving of milk. The kids were not shy and quickly peppered us with questions in both English and Japanese, and wanted to know everything from what our town was like, to what sports we played and what we thought of their school.
After lunch, we accompanied our group of kids to one of their classes, which varied depending on the group of students to which we were assigned; some students had English, some had math. I wasn't quite so lucky. My students took me to an art class, where they were given the task of practicing the creation of picture scroll art using images from The Tale of Genji, a.k.a. "Genji Monogatari", a court culture novel written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. Having read the English version of the novel when studying Japanese literature several years ago in college, it was interesting to see how the novel is explained to students in Japan. That said, I've always been terrible at drawing, and today's art exercises were certainly no exception.
Finally, we were shuttled to a school assembly, where each student from the delegation was asked to stand up in front of the entire student body and give a short self-introductory speech. Many of the delegates were caught off-guard by the request, but everyone did an amazing job -- many of them even gave their introductions in Japanese, even those who haven't studied the language before! The kids are learning so much in such a short time!
The assembly concluded, we were finally spirited away to City Hall to our official meeting and gift exchange with Mayor Tsuji of Izumi City. The students were excited, if a little nervous, to finally meet him and discuss their experiences in Japan so far. Mayor Tsuji was very welcoming and wanted to know everything the delegates are enjoying about Japan. It's clear to me that maintaining good ties with Bloomington is very important to him, and it was a great honor for us to spend time with him.
Before that, however, we would be diving into the past, learning about Izumi City's significant collection of art pieces at the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts. Included in the museum tour was a visit to a replica teahouse containing the family sigil of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of Japan's most powerful and significant historical figures), as well as a limited-time collection of ukiyo-e Kabuki art. Translated most closely as "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e art was popularized in the 17th to 19th centuries in Japan's Edo period, mainly by the flourishing merchant class. The artist of the prints on display was renowned for his depictions of Kabuki actors, but his unique style of drawing human faces with long chins and wide noses was not favored widely among male Kabuki actors playing feminine roles. It is said that this is the reason why the artist in question only painted actively for ten months, and also why his prints are exceptionally difficult to come by. Pictures of the artworks were, of course, forbidden.
After visiting the museum, we had a brief respite during which we were able to take a short walk to a nearby petting zoo containing a large number of rabbits and two sheep. Though we can certainly see rabbits and sheep at home in Bloomington, it seemed to me that some of the delegates were more excited to see the animals than they were when viewing historical artworks. =)
Up next on the agenda was Kita-Ikeda Junior High School, where we were promptly split up one-by-one and shuttled to classrooms to participate in a typical Japanese middle school lunch hour. Lunch is prepared and eaten in the classroom itself, and each student or group of students is assigned a task (whether that be serving food, distributing drinks, collecting garbage, etc) to help the process of serving food to 40-some hungry kids move as quickly and efficiently as possible. The meal's main course was "oden" - a Japanese stew containing chicken, vegetables, and fish-based ingredients, and it was served alongside a bowl of rice, a salad, and a serving of milk. The kids were not shy and quickly peppered us with questions in both English and Japanese, and wanted to know everything from what our town was like, to what sports we played and what we thought of their school.
After lunch, we accompanied our group of kids to one of their classes, which varied depending on the group of students to which we were assigned; some students had English, some had math. I wasn't quite so lucky. My students took me to an art class, where they were given the task of practicing the creation of picture scroll art using images from The Tale of Genji, a.k.a. "Genji Monogatari", a court culture novel written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. Having read the English version of the novel when studying Japanese literature several years ago in college, it was interesting to see how the novel is explained to students in Japan. That said, I've always been terrible at drawing, and today's art exercises were certainly no exception.
Finally, we were shuttled to a school assembly, where each student from the delegation was asked to stand up in front of the entire student body and give a short self-introductory speech. Many of the delegates were caught off-guard by the request, but everyone did an amazing job -- many of them even gave their introductions in Japanese, even those who haven't studied the language before! The kids are learning so much in such a short time!
The assembly concluded, we were finally spirited away to City Hall to our official meeting and gift exchange with Mayor Tsuji of Izumi City. The students were excited, if a little nervous, to finally meet him and discuss their experiences in Japan so far. Mayor Tsuji was very welcoming and wanted to know everything the delegates are enjoying about Japan. It's clear to me that maintaining good ties with Bloomington is very important to him, and it was a great honor for us to spend time with him.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Day 1: Kyoto
Apologies for the lack of updates over the last two days, but it's been an absolute whirlwind of activity. I'm happy to report that everyone has arrived in Izumi safely.
After touching down in Narita on Wednesday afternoon, we successfully navigated the seas of humanity and transferred trains in both Tokyo and Shin Osaka, finally ending up in Izumi around 10PM JST. Though tired, everyone was handed off successfully to their host families and promptly went to sleep. Though jet lag is common when traveling to Japan thanks to the 13-hour time difference, for some reason most of the students didn't seem to be too bothered by it.
The first day of delegation activities consisted of two tours of different famous temples in the Kyoto area: Kinkakuji (also known as the Golden Pavilion) and Tenryuji. We were accompanied by two officials from the IIEA along with a volunteer interpreter and guide, Yayoi, who came to Bloomington for the Izumi mayoral delegation several years ago.
Kinkakuji was originally built as a villa for a powerful statesman before being purchased by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397. After Yoshimitsu's death, the site was converted into a Zen temple by his son. Though original construction remained intact up until 1950, the temple was burnt down by a novice monk and had to be rebuilt.
Surrounded by a large pond and several beautiful gardens, Kinkakuji couldn't serve as a better introduction to Japanese Zen temples. However, its fame also attracts visitors far and wide, so the site was exceptionally crowded during our visit.
While taking a group picture near the temple, we were approached by a group of students from Tokyo currently on a school trip. One of their assignments while visiting Kinkakuji consisted of asking foreign visitors a few questions about their experiences in Japan (allowing them to practice their English skills). Our delegation members happily obliged.
After Kinkakuji, we took a brief stop for lunch at Arashiyama, a famous restaurant near a major shopping area containing our next stop. There, many students were exposed to "nabe", a Japanese hot pot dish, for the first time. Each seat was decked out with a burner heating up a large portion of broth, tofu, enoki mushrooms, and cabbage. Next to each burner was a small portion of raw pork, pork meatballs, and a single large scallop, a heavy plastic container inside of which was two fish-based appetizer dishes and some tsukemono (pickled vegetables), and a small bowl of rice. The nabe is prepared by adding the raw ingredients to the boiling broth and waiting a few minutes for the proteins to cook. Though some of the students were a bit intimidated by the presence of raw ingredients, Yayoi did a wonderful job in explaining the preparation procedure for the dish and everyone left the restaurant with their bellies full of nabe goodness.
Finally, we headed for Tenryuji, a temple founded in 1339 to venerate Gautama Buddha. Construction was completed in 1345. Currently serving as a temple related to both the Ashikaga family (founders of the temple) as well as Emperor Go-Daigo, the site is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though we did not enter the temple itself, we did get to explore its many gardens and a particularly awe-inspiring bamboo forest road.
We also got a chance to meet up with Kaho Ueda, one of the Izumi delegates from the trip last year. As my wife and I served as Kaho's host family last year, it was great to see her again. =) I found out that several other Izumi delegates will be accompanying us on various legs of our journey throughout the Kansai area. The students will certainly have lots of opportunities to interact with their counterparts in Japan!
Wrapping up the tour of Kyoto, we let the students explore the shopping centers around Tenryuji, and then headed back to Izumi around 4PM. While the day was long, everyone seemed to have a great time.
Interesting Factoid of the Day:
During our Kyoto travels, we passed nearby the company headquarters for Nintendo. Though visiting that building is certainly on my personal bucket list, it wasn't in the cards for this particular trip. =)
Nintendo actually began its existence as a hanafuda (Japanese playing card) company in 1889 and remained so up until the 1950s when it began to branch out into other areas, eventually becoming the name that defined gaming in the late 1980s with the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, and then again in the mid 2000s with the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
After touching down in Narita on Wednesday afternoon, we successfully navigated the seas of humanity and transferred trains in both Tokyo and Shin Osaka, finally ending up in Izumi around 10PM JST. Though tired, everyone was handed off successfully to their host families and promptly went to sleep. Though jet lag is common when traveling to Japan thanks to the 13-hour time difference, for some reason most of the students didn't seem to be too bothered by it.
The first day of delegation activities consisted of two tours of different famous temples in the Kyoto area: Kinkakuji (also known as the Golden Pavilion) and Tenryuji. We were accompanied by two officials from the IIEA along with a volunteer interpreter and guide, Yayoi, who came to Bloomington for the Izumi mayoral delegation several years ago.
Kinkakuji was originally built as a villa for a powerful statesman before being purchased by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397. After Yoshimitsu's death, the site was converted into a Zen temple by his son. Though original construction remained intact up until 1950, the temple was burnt down by a novice monk and had to be rebuilt.
Surrounded by a large pond and several beautiful gardens, Kinkakuji couldn't serve as a better introduction to Japanese Zen temples. However, its fame also attracts visitors far and wide, so the site was exceptionally crowded during our visit.
While taking a group picture near the temple, we were approached by a group of students from Tokyo currently on a school trip. One of their assignments while visiting Kinkakuji consisted of asking foreign visitors a few questions about their experiences in Japan (allowing them to practice their English skills). Our delegation members happily obliged.
After Kinkakuji, we took a brief stop for lunch at Arashiyama, a famous restaurant near a major shopping area containing our next stop. There, many students were exposed to "nabe", a Japanese hot pot dish, for the first time. Each seat was decked out with a burner heating up a large portion of broth, tofu, enoki mushrooms, and cabbage. Next to each burner was a small portion of raw pork, pork meatballs, and a single large scallop, a heavy plastic container inside of which was two fish-based appetizer dishes and some tsukemono (pickled vegetables), and a small bowl of rice. The nabe is prepared by adding the raw ingredients to the boiling broth and waiting a few minutes for the proteins to cook. Though some of the students were a bit intimidated by the presence of raw ingredients, Yayoi did a wonderful job in explaining the preparation procedure for the dish and everyone left the restaurant with their bellies full of nabe goodness.
Finally, we headed for Tenryuji, a temple founded in 1339 to venerate Gautama Buddha. Construction was completed in 1345. Currently serving as a temple related to both the Ashikaga family (founders of the temple) as well as Emperor Go-Daigo, the site is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though we did not enter the temple itself, we did get to explore its many gardens and a particularly awe-inspiring bamboo forest road.
We also got a chance to meet up with Kaho Ueda, one of the Izumi delegates from the trip last year. As my wife and I served as Kaho's host family last year, it was great to see her again. =) I found out that several other Izumi delegates will be accompanying us on various legs of our journey throughout the Kansai area. The students will certainly have lots of opportunities to interact with their counterparts in Japan!
Wrapping up the tour of Kyoto, we let the students explore the shopping centers around Tenryuji, and then headed back to Izumi around 4PM. While the day was long, everyone seemed to have a great time.
Interesting Factoid of the Day:
During our Kyoto travels, we passed nearby the company headquarters for Nintendo. Though visiting that building is certainly on my personal bucket list, it wasn't in the cards for this particular trip. =)
Nintendo actually began its existence as a hanafuda (Japanese playing card) company in 1889 and remained so up until the 1950s when it began to branch out into other areas, eventually becoming the name that defined gaming in the late 1980s with the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, and then again in the mid 2000s with the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Introduction
はじめまして！
Greetings and salutations!
Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Michael Migliacio. A programmer / product manager by trade in both eCommerce and gaming industries, I currently serve as both the Bloomington Sister City Organization's resident techie as well as this delegation's resident blogger, photographer, and historian. Unless otherwise noted, the blog entries posted here that will be cataloging the adventures of the student delegates over the next two weeks will be written by me, so please feel free to toss all grammar / spelling / content complaints in this general direction. =)
Cultivating an interest in Japanese culture from a young age through video games, anime, and classic history, I studied the language for several years, acquired a certification, and now serve as resident Moon Rune Decryption Engineer (a.k.a. Japanese language interpreter) for professional gaming organization Team Evil Geniuses' Fighting Game Division. As one of the chaperones selected to lead the Izumi delegation next week, I couldn't be more thrilled. My wife and I hosted two amazing students from Izumi for last summer's delegation, and I'm exceptionally grateful for having the opportunity to return the favor as part of the team leading this summer's delegation to Japan.
With the schedule now finalized, the countdown has begun. We leave for Japan in four days.
Interesting factoid of the day:
While the attractions at Universal Studios Japan seems a little too close to home for a delegate day trip, the park also holds a surprising exclusive attraction that Japanese food gourmands cannot miss: the Osaka Takoyaki Museum.
Hidden away in a shadowy corner of the Osaka Universal Citywalk, this amazing attraction gathers several famous takoyaki vendors from all over Japan into a food-court style restaurant, allowing visitors the opportunity to sample various takes on the classic street food. For those unfamiliar with takoyaki, the dish -- one of Osaka's most famous -- takes fresh "tako" (octopus) and a flour-based batter, and transforms them into a set of soft-yet-firm savory dumplings via a griddle.
Piping hot, the magical creations are then topped with several sweet and savory ingredients, such as green onion, sweet sauce, katsuobushi, mayonnaise, and many others.
While octopus is often considered a fairly exotic ingredient for Western palates, takoyaki dumplings do not have a fishy flavor, and thus are often enjoyed by people who generally don't like seafood. If you get a chance, 食べてみてください. That means "please try it!"
There's also a large gift shop filled to the brim with takoyaki-themed souvenirs. Last time I was there, I even saw a takoyaki-flavored soda. Perhaps I'll be daring enough to taste it this time around! I have heard that a few of the delegates are interested in checking out the Osaka Takoyaki Museum, so be sure to watch this space for an entry on that experience as well as the rest of our time at Universal Studios Japan.
Greetings and salutations!
Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Michael Migliacio. A programmer / product manager by trade in both eCommerce and gaming industries, I currently serve as both the Bloomington Sister City Organization's resident techie as well as this delegation's resident blogger, photographer, and historian. Unless otherwise noted, the blog entries posted here that will be cataloging the adventures of the student delegates over the next two weeks will be written by me, so please feel free to toss all grammar / spelling / content complaints in this general direction. =)
Cultivating an interest in Japanese culture from a young age through video games, anime, and classic history, I studied the language for several years, acquired a certification, and now serve as resident Moon Rune Decryption Engineer (a.k.a. Japanese language interpreter) for professional gaming organization Team Evil Geniuses' Fighting Game Division. As one of the chaperones selected to lead the Izumi delegation next week, I couldn't be more thrilled. My wife and I hosted two amazing students from Izumi for last summer's delegation, and I'm exceptionally grateful for having the opportunity to return the favor as part of the team leading this summer's delegation to Japan.
With the schedule now finalized, the countdown has begun. We leave for Japan in four days.
Interesting factoid of the day:
While the attractions at Universal Studios Japan seems a little too close to home for a delegate day trip, the park also holds a surprising exclusive attraction that Japanese food gourmands cannot miss: the Osaka Takoyaki Museum.
Hidden away in a shadowy corner of the Osaka Universal Citywalk, this amazing attraction gathers several famous takoyaki vendors from all over Japan into a food-court style restaurant, allowing visitors the opportunity to sample various takes on the classic street food. For those unfamiliar with takoyaki, the dish -- one of Osaka's most famous -- takes fresh "tako" (octopus) and a flour-based batter, and transforms them into a set of soft-yet-firm savory dumplings via a griddle.
Piping hot, the magical creations are then topped with several sweet and savory ingredients, such as green onion, sweet sauce, katsuobushi, mayonnaise, and many others.
While octopus is often considered a fairly exotic ingredient for Western palates, takoyaki dumplings do not have a fishy flavor, and thus are often enjoyed by people who generally don't like seafood. If you get a chance, 食べてみてください. That means "please try it!"
There's also a large gift shop filled to the brim with takoyaki-themed souvenirs. Last time I was there, I even saw a takoyaki-flavored soda. Perhaps I'll be daring enough to taste it this time around! I have heard that a few of the delegates are interested in checking out the Osaka Takoyaki Museum, so be sure to watch this space for an entry on that experience as well as the rest of our time at Universal Studios Japan.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Countdown to Takeoff
With the final details of the travel schedule rolling in from Izumi, we've entered the final stages of preparation.
By this time next week, we'll be exploring Kyoto!
By this time next week, we'll be exploring Kyoto!
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