Tokyo, farewells, Hanami and culmination

Hello everyone!

It´s been some days... yes, I know... family over and exhausting days!

The two weeks my family was in town we have had intense and beautiful moments. During their last week in Tokyo, the weather was quite awful (a couple of days intensively raining that impeded us to go to Nikko :-((

I can say that they have seen more of "outside Tokyo" than myself again but I hope to come back soon to make it up. During the stay in Tokyo I was the leader ;-) and they saw many places of things quite traditionally "touristic" as well as "daily life" things... I was told they enjoyed a lot and looked so!

Although 2 weeks seemed long... they went really fast. Last Sunday I saw them off and now, 48 hours later, they are back to their routines...

Due to the bad weather, the Sakura season (Hanami ) in Tokyo has started a little bit later but we perceived a flavour of it during our visit to Ueno.

Now is the real countdown. March, although not working anymore, has been an exciting, busy and intense month. Full of celebrations and farewell. On Sunday, after I said goodbye to my family I participated in one event from "FEW" (Foreign Empowered Women in Japan), group of energetic and inspired woman in Japan. Really worth going!!
In the evening I had a meeting with my teacher (sensei) from the "volunteering" place in my neighbourhood (Shinjuku). She and her husband (who also at the time invited some foreigners to celebrate some Christmas party at their house), invited Hélêne and me to have a little cruise in the Tokyo river around the walkways full of cherry blossoms. During the journey we had the exhibition of a Maiko (the young girls aspiring to become Geishas) but not only it was that surprise but later on (I say that life for Japanese people is built around food!) we were taken to a beautiful traditional restaurant where we eat a wonderful dish consisting of some fish boiling in a pan while we were sitting on the floor adding some vegetables to the "nabe" (pan). Really interesting and delicious!

Monday morning... heading for the airport. I want to give a present to myself, after all I have earned it! ;-) Some relaxing days in Indonesia before coming back to Europe!

I am writing from the terrace, viewing the sea, the surfers and the swimming pool. It is sunny (good for my skin tone that has not seen the sun for the last 2 years!) and my plan is.... sunbathing, listening to music, swim and read some books from Japanese literature. In summary, relaxing, enjoying and getting ready for starting life again from a "fresh" point of view, back in Europe and that is why I call it "culmination"... not bad, isn´t it??

Before writing a long "farewell" post and add more pictures (some people prefer pictures to words.... ;-)), I would like to thank everyone that has been reading this blog during the last months.
Please, accept my apologies for not having a very "professional" blog or not updating it as much as I would have liked it. I have to give a big thank to some many expatriates and friends whose blogs have inspired me and taught so much about Japan, life, society or Asia in general.

I intend to continue posting things from time to time. Be certain that this is not the last one! (I have tons of memories and thoughts in my head and will need to vent them somehow!)

I go to the water now... greetings for everyone, be happy and Enjoy Your Life because you are the owner of it!!

Good bye and Welcome

This picture above was taken on Thursday, in a relaxed and happy atmosphere on "the day after" but also with some sadness involved because it was the last chance to see many people that were going to leave Japan a few hours later.

This week has been particularly intense with the farewell drink at work, Graduation ceremony, birthday party from Francesco, Robbie and Harumi... until very early in the morning... On Friday I met Taira-sensei and this time we had lunch and time to chat as friends because before our relationship was Teacher-pupil, really nice time and great teacher ^-^!

I also attended my Thursday evening Shiatsu lessons (and also I teach some Spanish to my class colleague Tatsuda-san). On Saturday, the weekly class at Temple University, before speaking through Skype with my family back in Spain, were ready to take the plane with destination, TOKYO!!

Yesterday, Sunday, sunny day and I have to say that now without the worries of homework, assignments or exams, I enjoy it so differently! ;-)
I met and help Nasayuki-san, a Japanese student from Tokyo University that is doing a research on Basque Language. While I was with him, I thought that somebody was pushing my chair, I turned and there was nobody, it was an "earthquake". Very noticeable one and long (I only had another experience that lasted a few seconds). Because we were sitting in a place looking out to the street, I could see the reactions of the rest of the people, just nothing at the beginning. When we all realized that it was quite a long one we only look up to the sky for a couple of seconds and continued with what we were doing. Luckily I was with Japanese, then, as they are more used than me I observed them and did the same... go on with life!! I thought of my family, they were at that moment at the airport in Spain but I would not inform them because from the distance sounds very scary and is not so much (I admit that I checked on Internet once at home and this time it was on the news in many places!)

I have collected in the last hours some Japanese songs that are added to the "Ipod" on this webpage. Hope you like it (you can scroll down and get the flavour of music currently on the radio).

I also would like to share with you one webpage where I regularly follow Japanese "dramas" or "dorama" (very useful to improve my Japanese skills and also certainly interesting for understanding the culture!). They have English subtitles so it is easy to follow. This page also has Korean and Taiwanese dramas and movies but I concentrated on the Japanese ones to focus better on the language.

Some of the ones that I followed:

- "Haken no Hinkaku" (about a temporary worker in a Japanese Company) - I liked it a lot!
- "Absolute Boyfriend (Zettai Kareshi)"
- "Real clothes" (is a 2009 dorama)"
- "Magerarenai Onna (the unbending woman)" - Still going on on TV

http://www.mysoju.com/

I have to go... to welcome mum, dad and sis!!.
Will be away for tourism, sightseing, enjoy life and enjoying Japan for a few days. Take care! Kiwotsukete!

More Japanese music

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbs6wg_pv-レミオロメン-花鳥風月_music


Quite a popular song at the moment in Japan, with a curious name, "Remioromen"

Graduation ・乾杯

Today has been an important day.
One year ago we all met in Paris to start our programme. One year later, we are graduating in Tokyo!
Very emotional event. I will miss each one of my colleagues. Many of them are going back to their homes in the next hours. I admire each one of them for different reasons. They have been part of the best year of my life.
おめでとう！

Pictures

Since I started working in a Japanese company (where I really had the chance to share a lot of time with Japanese people) there was not a single day that I did not go out for lunch, dinner, drink, Karaoke or partying. Here below, some examples from so many wonderful memories.

Sakura no Shiori - Video and song

As you know I am a fan of Japanese pop (Korean as well! :-) and yesterday, while watching telly, I saw this video. The song is very new and recently released, but besides the fact that reminded me of the female version of "Les Choristes" (if you remember the movie from 2004), I found the video I found beautiful (I am fond of kimonos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono and hakamas -may be because I will be wearing one of them in my graduation after tomorrow??-). Just find them gorgeous and think that Japanese girls look absolutely fantastic and gorgeous in their traditional costume. Tell me what you think! (Warning: the beginning is not so nice because it is the preparation of the group and song and the wings the girls are wearing is an extra for the video. The part that I like watching is from minute 2:00).

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbxtey_pv-akb48-桜の栞_music

About the performers... is the group ABK48 (never heard of them until yesterday), but have been investigating and have an interesting story: Group of female singers made of 48 members divided in 3 groups, having an own theater in Akihabara.... to learn more follow this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKB48)

03/03/2010 Hina Matsuri (Japanese Doll Festival)

Holiday! I am officially on holiday!!! :-)

Yesterday I did my last Japanese exam after the ones that I took also on Monday. Today, I could not believe it. Getting up and not having to go to Uni or work.... it is a bit strange feeling, because it also means that this special moment of my life is coming to a close... :-( but as I am not going to get sad or pessimistic about it, I will let you know that today I have met my colleague, Tsuda-san, who kindly invited me his weekly training of "sado" ceremony or "tea ceremony". For those that don´t know yet, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony is a long ceremony with a lot of rituals in it (like many things in Japanese culture, but unless you are not told sometimes is difficult to grasp). This practice has been done at lunch time at the work place (so, yes, I went back to the building where I have spent the last months!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony

I was also told that today, March 3, the "Hina Matsuri" is celebrated. It is also called "Girls day". Yuki-san was going today early because whe had a familiy event due to the special day. Actually I saw a stand full of dolls last week when we went for lunch to Okura hotel but had no idea that there was one specific day for this (also realized this morning on the page of Google that they had done something "different". For more explanations about this day, please, follow this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri

I have to say that I am impressed by the amount of festival, festivities and more "special" days that the Japanese culture has in their calendars. Almost every month there is one day that is holiday (thanks to my sister, who is preparing her "return" to Japan, I learnt that this month, due to the beginning of the spring, there is also one day off).

And of course, everybody is waiting for the "sakura". Sakura is the time of the "cherry blossom". Very important time for any Japanese but before the sakura, also the "ume" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mume (and today I learnt about the "momo" -peach- show their beauty in the parks and some streets.

This week, lots of celebrations and the weekend skiing with colleagues from work (Japanese) who are also organizing a Karaoke event for next week as a farewell event. During "bounenkai" (end of the year party) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%8Dnenkaiof I noticed that many people were extremely fond of Karaoke. Even the most shy colleagues did their show! This time will be even better because now we know each other and the atmosphere is just excellent! ^-^ By the way, I have learnt lately some "emoticons" to the Asian style and the one that precedes this sentence is what for "westerners" is :-)

Some other emoticons are here below (thanks to Kaori-san for her contribution!)
> (^-^)　(^-^)v（v sign)
> (^_-)(a wink)
> (>_<)(pain)
> (T-T)(sad)
> m(_ _)m(a bow? よろしくおねがいします）
> (^^)/~~~ (/_;) (bye)
> (@_@) (*_*)(surprised)

A few days ago (last week), I realized that according to the Japanese calendar was 22/2/22 or what is the same "palindromic". Ha, ha, I bet that most of you did not know this word in English! No mistery, probably you have guesses that means "that the number read the same both ways". Speaking about reading... there is a though that I have in my head for months and months and is about the differenes in the brain structure that Japanese have to have in comparison to "Westerners". What I mean is the following:

In their culture they open the books or magazines from "our" end, which means that they turn the pages from left to right. Then, they read either from right to left or from top to bottom and to make it more difficult, the "occidental" influence makes reading from left to right and the same for turning the pages... then, no wonder that they must have very skilled and fast brain somehow. Definetly some area more developed than me, for sure! ^_-

And before "calling it a day", I would like to thank to those that have contacted me because heard that there had been some earthquakes in the region. I am fine, thanks for the concern. I only aware about one of them and was far away from Tokyo.

I will come back soon!

Otsukaresamadesu!