Parents are usually right

I had an opportunity to participate in an exchange visit between Taiwanese junior high school students and first year students at a local Towada junior high school today.

It was a lot of fun taking pictures, observing how the (Japanese) students interacted with their guests and vice-versa, and helping to encourage conversation by speaking (in English) to both the Japanese and Taiwanese students.

Listening to the Taiwanese students and teachers' Chinese, I felt a little frustrated (with myself), however. Coming from a Chinese background, the words and sounds of the language were oh so familiar, but having given up learning Chinese after only one year of Chinese school (which I failed), they were also pretty much indecipherable.

About the only thing I could understand (apart from the really basics of the basic, like "thank you") was the part of their school song where they sang "Wo ai [school name]," meaning "I love [school name]."

After the school song they also performed a classic/popular Taiwanese song (most sang but some students played instruments--trombone, saxophone, violin and flute). I have no idea what the name of the song is, but I definitely knew it--and knew it well enough to be able to hum along pretty much from the get go.

Living in Japan (so close to China/Taiwan), I've definitely thought before that it would've been a huge asset if I could speak Chinese, but today I really felt a strong sense of regret that I never learned Chinese. Not just because it would be useful and/or make finding a job easier, but because I felt like I'd cut myself off from a big part of my heritage by not being able to understand/speak Chinese.

Listening to the song (the name of which I can't remember) I felt a strong sense of nostalgia. Thinking back to my childhood, I can remember watching Chinese dramas and movies (particularly action ones) with my mother and family. A lot of Chinese DVDs have English subtitles nowadays, but if I wanted to share them with, say, Japanese friends, I'd have to try to get along with reading Japanese subtitles (and my Japanese reading isn't nearly proficient enough for that). If I understood Chinese it would be no problem, but...

Way back in grade one when I told my parents I wanted to quit Chinese school (again, after failing  first grade--so you can guess how indifferent of a student I was), my parents told me "OK, but you'll regret it in the future."

They were right.

2012 Oirase Roman Park Festival

奥入瀬ろまんパーク　フェスティバル
Oirase Roman Park Festival
Date: Sat. Jul. 7-Sun. Jul 8, 2012
Time: 10:00-17:00
Location: Oirase Roman Park （道の駅奥入瀬) 奥入瀬ろまんパーク
(Venue's Google Map　会場の地図)
Admission: Free
Giveaways：
Sekihan (white glutinous rice with red adzuki beans) 赤飯
Sat. Jul. 7 11:30 Hitoyasumi-kan 一休館前
*First 150 people 先着１５０名様* Okara (Soy) Donuts おからドーナツ
Sun. Jul. 8 11:30 Hitoyasumi-kan 一休館前
*First 50 people 先着５０名様*
Nomu (Drinking) Yogurt のむヨーグルト
Sat. Jul. 7 & Sun. Jul. 8 12:00 Miraku Koubou 味楽工房
*First 100 people 先着１００名様* 
Events Schedule:
Sat. Jul. 7
Towada Chuo Hoikuen (Central Daycare) Kids' Dance 
とわだ中央保育園キッズダンス
10:30-12:00 Ｍｉｒａｉｋａｎ　味蕾館前
Chainsaw Art チェンソーアート
11:00-12:00 & 14:00-15:00 Special Corner 特設コーナー

Harley Davidson Shijou-kai (Test-Drive Event) 
ハーレーダビッドソン試乗会
＊Admission Fee Charged 有料＊ 13:00-14:00 Waterworks Park Fountain 親水公園噴水前
Yosakoi よさこい 
14:00-15:00 Ｍｉｒａｉｋａｎ　味蕾館前
Sun. Jul. 8Kennan Dentou Geinou (Southern Aomori Traditional Performing Arts) Festival 
県南伝統芸能フェスティバル
10:00-13:00 Outdoor Stage* 野外ステージ
(*Or Towadako Kominkan in the event of rain 雨の場合十和田湖公民館)
Chainsaw Art チェンソーアート
11:00-12:00 & 14:00-15:00 Special Corner 特設コーナー

Harley Davidson Shijou-kai (Test-Drive Event) 
ハーレーダビッドソン試乗会
＊Admission Fee Charged 有料＊ 13:00-14:00 Waterworks Park Fountain 親水公園噴水前
Ucchan Mika-chan Live 
うっちゃん　ミカちゃん　ライブ
14:00-16:00 Ｍｉｒａｉｋａｎ　味蕾館前

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Korean Cuisine Myeong-dong 韓国料理明洞(ミョントン)

A new Korean restaurant just opened in Towada this past week (Thu. Apr. 26, 2012).

Korean Cuisine Myeong-dong 韓国料理明洞(ミョンドン)
Hours営業時間: 11:00-22:00 (LO 21:30) daily
(Closed 2nd & 4th Tue. of the month　定休日：毎月第２・４火曜日)
Phone電話: 0176-23-2752
Mobile携帯: 080-1680-3043
Address住所: 3-4 Honami-cho (十和田市穂並町３－４ )
Parking駐車場: available　有
*No English menu, but it's a picture menu so ordering is easy*


You can eat in the restaurant or get take out.

If you order the kimchi--Chinese cabbage (白菜hakusai) or Japanese radish (大根daikon)--it comes in a plastic container so you can take home the leftovers. And unless you really really love kimchi or you go there with a lot of people, chances are you will be taking it home! (Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the kimchi. ^^;; ) It's a pretty good deal for 500yen.

Everything else I tried was also delicious!

Tteobokki トッポッキ (500yen)

Jijim チヂミ (500yen)

Naengmyeonネンミョン (700yen)

[A minor digression: I learned today that Korean cuisine was apparently the inspiration for one of Morioka's famous noodles: 冷麺 reimen (a cold noodle dish) came from naengmyeon. Another famous Morioka noodle, じゃじゃ麺 jajamen (noodles with a special miso & meat sauce) was apparently inspired by a Chinese noodle dish zha jiang mian. At Myeong-dong, you can order jajangmyeon which is a Koreanized version of zha jiang mian.]