I just learned that a drama based on the popular manga-form essay "日本人の知らない日本語" (Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo, i.e. "The Japanese Japanese People Don't Know") written by 海野凪子 (Umino, Nagiko) and illustrated by 蛇蔵 (Hebizou) will be airing on YTV/NTV (or RAB in Aomori) on Thursday nights from 23:58-24:38 starting July 15th (this week!). You can check out the official Japanese website at http://www.ytv.co.jp/nihongo.
!! I'm excited!! I really enjoyed the books so I have high hopes for the drama as well. The time slot is rather unfortunate (why so late?!) but I rarely go to bed earlier than 12:30am anyway, so I'll just have to make sure that I do all my bedtime preparations before the show starts so I can go to sleep pretty much right after it finishes.
This is shaping up to be a good summer, television wise, with Hotaru no Hikari 2 on Wednesday nights (22:00-23:00) and now Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo on Thursday nights. ^_^
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Lake Towada Kosui Matsuri & Aomori Nebuta
There's a festival at Lake Towada this coming Saturday and Sunday (17-18th). Weather permitting, there will be fireworks from 8-9pm on both nights and during the day there will also be various events/performances (Yosakoi, taiko, etc.)
Last year the fireworks were canceled due to rain and strong winds, but I went two years ago and had a good time. This year I'm planning on going to watch the fireworks on Saturday night with a friend (yay! a chance to wear my yukata!) and then I'll be heading down Sunday morning with the taiko group I practice with. I won't be performing, but I'll be going to help move the taikos, and to (hopefully) be generally useful. =P So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate...
For more detailed information, check out the website (Japanese only) at http://www.kosuimaturi.com/
Speaking of festivals, Aomori Nebuta is also coming up in less than a month! The Festival runs from the 2nd-7th of August every year. Here's a rough schedule for this year's events:
Aug. 1st:
18:00~21:00 Festival "Eve" Celebrations
19:00~20:40 Fireworks at Asamushi Onsen
Aug. 2nd-3rd:
19:10-21:00 Children's Nebuta (15 floats); Large Nebuta (15 floats)
Aug. 4th-6th:
19:10-21:00 Large Nebuta (~20 floats)
Aug. 7th:
13:00-15:00 Large Nebuta (~20 floats)
19:15~21:00 Fireworks & Setting Nebuta to Sea
This is all from the Japanese website: http://www.nebuta.jp/schedule/
As big as this festival is in Aomori, in almost three years of living in the prefecture, I still haven't managed to see the festival yet. And it looks like this year I won't be able to make it out either, due to the timing of the arrival of the new Towada ALTs plus the junior high school Canada trip (海外発見).
Ah well. I just need to make sure I make it out at least once before I leave Aomori for good! =P
Last year the fireworks were canceled due to rain and strong winds, but I went two years ago and had a good time. This year I'm planning on going to watch the fireworks on Saturday night with a friend (yay! a chance to wear my yukata!) and then I'll be heading down Sunday morning with the taiko group I practice with. I won't be performing, but I'll be going to help move the taikos, and to (hopefully) be generally useful. =P So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate...
For more detailed information, check out the website (Japanese only) at http://www.kosuimaturi.com/
Speaking of festivals, Aomori Nebuta is also coming up in less than a month! The Festival runs from the 2nd-7th of August every year. Here's a rough schedule for this year's events:
Aug. 1st:
18:00~21:00 Festival "Eve" Celebrations
19:00~20:40 Fireworks at Asamushi Onsen
Aug. 2nd-3rd:
19:10-21:00 Children's Nebuta (15 floats); Large Nebuta (15 floats)
Aug. 4th-6th:
19:10-21:00 Large Nebuta (~20 floats)
Aug. 7th:
13:00-15:00 Large Nebuta (~20 floats)
19:15~21:00 Fireworks & Setting Nebuta to Sea
This is all from the Japanese website: http://www.nebuta.jp/schedule/
As big as this festival is in Aomori, in almost three years of living in the prefecture, I still haven't managed to see the festival yet. And it looks like this year I won't be able to make it out either, due to the timing of the arrival of the new Towada ALTs plus the junior high school Canada trip (海外発見).
Ah well. I just need to make sure I make it out at least once before I leave Aomori for good! =P
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Community spirit
One of the things that really impresses me is the community spirit/pride I see in some of the more...rural...areas of Towada.
For example, today I went to the 8th Annual Kennan Kyoudogeinou Festival (第８回県南郷土芸能フェスティバル)--part of the Oirase Roman Park Festival (奥入瀬ろまんパークフェスティバル). (According to my Kenkyusha Dictionary, "Kyoudougeninou" can be translated as "local performing arts"--although I think that's a little awkward, I don't have a better translation, so...)
It featured local traditional dances from Towada-shi, Rokunohe-machi, and Shingo-mura. Representing Towada were Kamikirida Elementary School with the Kirida Koma Odori (駒踊り horse dance) and Sawada Elementary School and the Sawada Keimai Club with the Sawada Keimai (鶏舞 chicken dance).
Even though I've seen both dances and all three of the groups' performances several times in the past, I still found it impressive. What I find most impressive is the amount of effort everyone involved--the schools, children, parents, local people--puts into preserving the local traditions/culture.
The elementary schools set aside time for the students to learn and practice the dances. Students give up their recess and lunch breaks to practice for performances. Parents and members of the community come in to teach the students and/or to play the flutes/drums as accompaniment. I especially respect the members of the Sawada Keimai Club (mostly junior high and high school students) because it's something they do outside of school, in their free time. (And although they weren't performing this time, there are also adult groups that perform both the Kirida Koma Odori and Sawada Keimai.)
I imagine they probably all feel a strong sense of community and pride in their local traditions/history/culture. It must be nice. If I was a person looking to start a family in Towada, I think I would want to live in the Kirita or Sawada area (or Takisawa or Horanai--they also have local traditional dances) rather than closer to the city centre.
Going to watch my students' performances also reminds me how lucky I was to get placed as the Kirita ALT because I doubt I would ever have found out about events like the Kyoudogeinou/Oirase Roman Park Festival otherwise.
For example, today I went to the 8th Annual Kennan Kyoudogeinou Festival (第８回県南郷土芸能フェスティバル)--part of the Oirase Roman Park Festival (奥入瀬ろまんパークフェスティバル). (According to my Kenkyusha Dictionary, "Kyoudougeninou" can be translated as "local performing arts"--although I think that's a little awkward, I don't have a better translation, so...)
It featured local traditional dances from Towada-shi, Rokunohe-machi, and Shingo-mura. Representing Towada were Kamikirida Elementary School with the Kirida Koma Odori (駒踊り horse dance) and Sawada Elementary School and the Sawada Keimai Club with the Sawada Keimai (鶏舞 chicken dance).
Even though I've seen both dances and all three of the groups' performances several times in the past, I still found it impressive. What I find most impressive is the amount of effort everyone involved--the schools, children, parents, local people--puts into preserving the local traditions/culture.
The elementary schools set aside time for the students to learn and practice the dances. Students give up their recess and lunch breaks to practice for performances. Parents and members of the community come in to teach the students and/or to play the flutes/drums as accompaniment. I especially respect the members of the Sawada Keimai Club (mostly junior high and high school students) because it's something they do outside of school, in their free time. (And although they weren't performing this time, there are also adult groups that perform both the Kirida Koma Odori and Sawada Keimai.)
I imagine they probably all feel a strong sense of community and pride in their local traditions/history/culture. It must be nice. If I was a person looking to start a family in Towada, I think I would want to live in the Kirita or Sawada area (or Takisawa or Horanai--they also have local traditional dances) rather than closer to the city centre.
Going to watch my students' performances also reminds me how lucky I was to get placed as the Kirita ALT because I doubt I would ever have found out about events like the Kyoudogeinou/Oirase Roman Park Festival otherwise.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Under the Paris sky
My Japanese dance teacher introduced me to an awesome French restaurant in Hachinohe called Sous le ciel de Paris (巴里の空の下で Pari no sora no shita de). Her nephew works as a chef (de partie?) there which is how she knew about it.
She took me, another dance student, and the mother of one of her elementary school-aged students to the restaurant last Thursday. Her niece, who lives in Hachinohe, met us there, making it a party of five. It's in a rather out of the way location so I suspect it's the type of place people only find out about by word of mouth or by reading local restaurant guides/reviews, etc.
It's got a sort of refined atmosphere--the type that makes you automatically lower your voice but isn't so intimidating that it makes you petrified of accidentally clanging your knife against your plate or something.
Since my teacher had made the reservations and chosen the course in advance, I'm not 100% sure, but I think we had the "Diner A".This included an amuse bouche, entrée du jour, potage de jour, plat principal le choix, dessert le choix and café ou thé (and of course "le pain"). I was probably the only one reading the French instead of the Japanese. =P It made me feel kind of nostalgic, actually. (Strangely enough, one of the things that I occasionally miss is being able to read food labels written in both English and French.)
I chose the magret de canard rôti au foie gras (roast duck Magret with foie gras) for le plat principal and the dessert varié (assorted dessert plate). I felt a little bit guilty about the foie gras, but it was really tasty!! ^o^;;
Everything was delicious, in fact! And the presentation was attractive as well. Even though the portion size for each individual dish was relatively small, I was quite full by the end of the meal.
It's a really nice restaurant and I would definitely like to go back. Compared to "normal" restaurants it's a little on the pricey side, but for French cuisine I think it's quite reasonable. I would especially recommend the restaurant for special celebrations--birthdays, anniversaries, etc. ^_~
She took me, another dance student, and the mother of one of her elementary school-aged students to the restaurant last Thursday. Her niece, who lives in Hachinohe, met us there, making it a party of five. It's in a rather out of the way location so I suspect it's the type of place people only find out about by word of mouth or by reading local restaurant guides/reviews, etc.
It's got a sort of refined atmosphere--the type that makes you automatically lower your voice but isn't so intimidating that it makes you petrified of accidentally clanging your knife against your plate or something.
Since my teacher had made the reservations and chosen the course in advance, I'm not 100% sure, but I think we had the "Diner A".This included an amuse bouche, entrée du jour, potage de jour, plat principal le choix, dessert le choix and café ou thé (and of course "le pain"). I was probably the only one reading the French instead of the Japanese. =P It made me feel kind of nostalgic, actually. (Strangely enough, one of the things that I occasionally miss is being able to read food labels written in both English and French.)
amuse bouche (食前の一皿)
entrée du jour - hors d'oeuvre varie（前菜の盛り合わせ）
potage du jour (本日のスープ)
I chose the magret de canard rôti au foie gras (roast duck Magret with foie gras) for le plat principal and the dessert varié (assorted dessert plate). I felt a little bit guilty about the foie gras, but it was really tasty!! ^o^;;
plat principal - magret de canard rôti au foie gras (フランス鴨胸肉ローストフォアグラ添え)
dessert varié （盛り合わせデザート）
apparently, pepper ice cream?! (こしょうアイスだそうです？！)
Everything was delicious, in fact! And the presentation was attractive as well. Even though the portion size for each individual dish was relatively small, I was quite full by the end of the meal.
It's a really nice restaurant and I would definitely like to go back. Compared to "normal" restaurants it's a little on the pricey side, but for French cuisine I think it's quite reasonable. I would especially recommend the restaurant for special celebrations--birthdays, anniversaries, etc. ^_~
巴里の空の下で
Sous le ciel de Paris
Open: Mon-Sat.
Closed: Sun. & 3rd Mon. of the month
Lunch Hours: 11:30-15:00 (Last order 14:00)
Dinner Hours: 18:00-22:00 (Last order 20:30)
Address: 1-14 Babacho, Hachinohe, Aomori 031-0074
(〒031-0074 青森県八戸市馬場町1-14 )
Telephone: 0178-71-3818
Parking: 2 spaces in front of the restaurant; 2 spaces in the parking lot by road entrance (spaces No. 25 & No. 26)
〒0371-1-0074 青森県八戸市馬場町1-14
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