Volume 14, Number 7 |
We will show you how to make a big bubble with an original liquid soap. Then we will play water games. Join us and have a splashing fun together!
Date: Monday, July 10th
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Place: Matsunoki Park (in front of Ninomiya-Jidoukan)
What to bring: Spare clothing, tools for bubbles, water games, lunch and drinks
Member's Fee: 100 yen / 6 months (April to September)
We will not have a meeting on the 4th Monday of July because of summer vacation.
For further information and inquiry: Call Ms. Kobayashi at 53-7509, or Ms. Ueno at 36-1287
The Tsukuba Cultural Foundation organized the International cooking class to enhance the communication through food, culture and international exchange.
Date and time: August 27 (Sun.) 10:00 am to 14:00
Place: Onogawa Public Hall 477-1, Tateno, Tsukuba-city tel.0298-38-0501
Limit of Participants: 30 people
Registration fee: 500 yen
Registration:
Call the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation (tel. 0298-56-7007) from July 15 9:00 am (First come first served)
Here is a map of Onogawa Public Hall
http://www.tsukubacity.or.jp/english/inter/cook/index.html
International Exchange Room Coffee Hour July 26
As part of its activities, the Tsukuba Information Center sponsors a bilingual discussion group the fourth Wednesday of every month from 2 to 4 pm, with invited guests giving a presentation from their area of expertise or experience. This month, we are pleased to have Dr. Yilmaz Ozmen, from Turkey, a researcher specializing in tribology at the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory.
Travelers to Turkey have told us that they fell in love with Turkey on their first visit. They said it was like "magic" - that kind of magic that makes people fall in love with a place right away. "What is the source of this magic?" we wondered. Guidebooks say things like, "Turkey is the home of the tulip, which was then introduced into Europe, particularly Holland, via Vienna." Or, "Turkey and Japan are the only countries in the world with 'Children's Day' on their calendars." These, however, are not enough to convince me that Turkey has some sort of magic. So we decided to ask a Turk about it!
Dr. Ozmen's presentation about his country will be kind of a "sayonara" presentation, as he will be returning to his homeland in early August. We wish him well on his journey and look forward to hearing what he has to say. After listening to his presentation, perhaps we might feel that "magic" and also fall in love with Turkey.
The Coffee Hour is meant to be an informal exchange of information and opinions. English and Japanese are both used with efforts made to make sure those who can't understand one or the other are able to at least get the gist of the conversation. Likewise, you don't need to commit yourself to the entire two hours and can come and go freely. So drop by, whether for a short time or for the entire two hours, and enjoy some free refreshments along with a stimulating discussion. Please let us here your opinions as well.
The Tsukuba International Network (TIN) was organized last year to coordinate efforts to improve various aspects of life in Tsukuba for the international community. Headed up by Tokio Ohska of the High Energy Physics Laboratory, TIN consists of representatives from a variety of institutes and organizations (including representatives of local government) that deal with or serve the foreign community.
Among the successes TIN has had in its efforts to improve things is its lobbying of the Kantetsu Bus Company to give numbers to all bus lines and include "romaji" (English alphabet) names on bus stops. Although the bus company had been requested numerous times by a variety of individuals to take this simple step, it simply didn't want to bother, and so it took a group effort to convince them that this was not only just good for the community, but for their own business as well.
Likewise, TIN has been lobbying to get local banks to accept foreign credit cards for cash withdrawals at their ATM (cash) machines. Japanese VISA cards, for instance, are generally accepted at ATM machines in Europe or America, but the reverse has not been true. This has often been a big problem for short-term visitors to Japan. It is taking some time, but clear movement in this direction has taken place, and hopefully, within a short time, this problem too will be a thing of the past.
At the most recent meeting on June 27, a variety of topics were discussed, including reports on such topics as "Halal Food" for Muslims coming to Tsukuba, helping the local police to be more sensitive to language problems and encouraging them to learn some English, seeking to change local election laws so that long-term foreign residents can vote in local elections, and coordinating web sites concerning aspects of life in Tsukuba. The international school is also a perennial topic of discussion. In addition to supporting the already existing Tsukuba International School, various proposals to expand educational opportunities for not only children of foreign residents, but also Japanese who are returning after long stays overseas.
As TIN desires to address all areas of life in Tsukuba in which members of the international community are experiencing problems, suggestions and requests are always welcome. Send comments to Ohska san at ohska@post.kek.jp and/or to Shinichi Ohshima at ohshima@trao.aist.go.jp
If you are a native English speaker and would be interested in teaching a class or two at the "Nihon Bilingual" English school in Takezono, give the owner, Yaichi Kizawa a call at 51-3981 or email ysinter@aqua.ocn.ne.jp. His cell phone is 090-8689-5323.
For several years, the Tsukuba Christian Center has dedicated a whole wall to a book exchange, with hundreds of novels and other books left behind by former residents of Tsukuba. It is not a library, but simply a place where you can find English books to read and either keep or return (along with books you no longer want). It is a community service, and so feel free to drop by any time and browse. If you would like to volunteer to organize them a bit better, that would be appreciated as well. Afternoons are better as there are lots of children running around most mornings (except Mondays and Wednesdays). A library of family and children oriented videos is also available. Ask Tim, next door or call 55-1907.
An English language interdenominational worship service is held once a month normally on the fourth Sunday of every month at 2 pm. at the Tsukuba Gakuen Church near Daiei. The July service will be July 23. (There will be no service in August this year.) It is followed by an informal fellowship time at the Tsukuba Christian Center next door. The Japanese language congregation meets every Sunday morning at 10:30, and the service is translated into English over headphones. There is also a Bible Study in English every Tuesday evening at 8:00 in the Christian Center. For more information or help with transportation, call Tim Boyle at 55-1907.
The Tsukuba Catholic Church has an English mass at 8:00 am every Sunday and the Japanese masses on Saturday night (6 pm) and Sunday morning (10 am) are accompanied by an summary of the message in English. There is even a Spanish mass on the 3rd Sundays at 3 pm. On the last Sunday of the month, there is a coffee social after the English mass. The Easter masses are at the regular times. For information, call the church at 36-1723. The Tsuchiura Catholic Church offers an English mass on the last Sunday of each month at 3 pm (tel. 21-1501). There is also a Portuguese mass on the 3rd Saturday at 7 pm.
The Tsukuba Baptist Church offers an English language Bible study before the Japanese service every Sunday from 10 to 11 am. It is located in Inarimae just east of Nishi Odori on the street closest to the meteorological observation tower. Tel. 58-0655.
The Megumi Church in Tsuchiura (489-1 Kami Takatsu) also offers English translation of their 10:30 Japanese service over ear phones. An English Bible class is held every Sunday morning at 9:00. There is also an International Fellowship group that holds a monthly pot luck dinner usually on the third Saturday. For information on that, call Melissa Ishio at 38-1374. For more information, call the church at 22-2244 or e-mail LDN03144@niftyserve.or.jp (Also see their Tsuchiura Megumi Church Web Page at http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ro/tmc/index.html).
The Tokyo International Church, Tsukuba Branch in Amakubo 3-3-5 (across from Tsukuba Univ.) offers a 10:30-noon Chinese (Mandarin) service interpreted into both English and Japanese. There is also an English language Bible study every Sunday evening at 7 pm. For information, call Rev. Huang at 52-6820.
The International Christian Assembly meets every Sunday at their new building just off of Tsuchiura-Gakuen Sen east of Tsukuba (just behind the restaurant with the dragon on the roof) from 10 am for Bible Study and 10:30 for worship. For more information, call Richard Swan at 36-0993.
The Nozomi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tsuchiura (23-27 Komatsu 3-chome) also offers programs in English, including a worship service Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and a Bible class on Sunday mornings at 9:30. English Bible information courses are available any time. For more information, call Glen Hieb at 0298-21-3578.
The Tsuchiura Christian Church offers an English message translated into Japanese every Sunday morning at 10:30 am. For information, contact Paul Axton at 56-2167.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tsukuba ward is located at Higashi 2-21-22 by Higashi Middle School between Doho Park and Tsuchiura Noda Sen. Services are translated into English over headphones. The Sacrament Meeting begins at 10 am followed by Sunday School at 11:10 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:00. A Gospel Doctrine class in English is also offered. For more information, contact 52-6548.
The Jewish Community of Japan, invites anyone of the Jewish faith in the Tsukuba area to feel welcome at any of their programs in Tokyo. Sabbath services each Friday at 6:30 pm followed by Sabbath dinner; Kosher Kitchen, Saturday morning, 9:30 am. Contact 3-8-8 Hiroo, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150; tel. 03-3400-2559, fax. 03-3400-1827.
The season for cockroaches.
If there is anything I don't like about Japan, it's the "gokiburi" or cockroach in English. They must be the most repulsive creatures on earth. They find their way into your house and scare the heck out of you crawling along the floor or popping out of a drawer. There are some things you can do however to at least make their lives a little bit harder with the hope that they will leave you and find some other poor "gaijin" to torment instead. Roaches eat anything, but it helps to put away food in tight containers and to vacuum the floor and to keep things as clean as possible. They also need water; so never keep any water in your sink over night (that's when they are most active). Or better yet, wipe the sink with a dry towel before going to bed. Another thing that many are not aware of is that roaches love beer, and thus, leaving your empty can laying around is a sure way to get unwanted company. Roaches can live anywhere, but they like cardboard the best. So if your place is full of boxes, watch out !
There are many products that you can buy to help you in the battle with "evil". There are the little roach houses with glue inside which the roaches get stuck in, (I love this). There are also small boxes with poison inside for the roach to eat, go back to his hiding place, die and then get eaten by the other roaches, and then they die too. (I love this even more!) I myself put baking soda in small containers and put these in drawers and cupboards, and it seems to help. For some reason that only God knows, roaches don't like baking soda. If you spot one, you can spray them with a special spray or chase them with a slipper. Or you can do like my mother in law and smack 'em with you hand !
Anna Hamakoji
Some important pieces of advice for newbies at this time of year.
By Jon Heese
Agricultural Spraying Warning
As the rice fields mature during the summer, insects become a danger to the harvest, and so every year in late July, an insecticide spray is applied from helicopters over the rice fields. The agricultural chemical mixture to be used is approved by the Japanese government for safety and effectiveness. All reasonable care will be taken to insure that the spraying is done only over the fields, but certain wind conditions can cause some of the chemicals to drift over into nearby housing areas. If you live near a rice field, you should take the following basic precautions:
The spraying will be done only once per district according to the following schedule between the hours of 4:30 am and 9 am. Weather conditions may, of course, cause the schedule to be adjusted.
July 24th (Monday): Oho and Toyosato districts
July 25th (Tuesday): Tsukuba district
July 26th (Wednesday): Tsukuba and Yatabe districts
July 27th (Thursday): Yatabe and Sakura districts
More information can be obtained (in Japanese) from the Nogyo Division of City Hall (phone 36-1111, ext. 3223, 3224, 3225)
Summer is almost here. Here are a few of the choice T-shirt slogans from last year:
By Tim Boyle
For many years, the "Aru Aru" Recycle Shop just north of Matsumi Park and "Max" in Matsushiro next to the PC Depot on Tsuchiura-Gakuen Sen were about the only places one could find used appliances and furniture. While those remain as good options to check out when looking for relatively cheap used items, two other welcomed options have recently become available.
People in the Takezono area had long depended on the Kasumi Home Center as their source of small hardware goods (especially when going all the way to Joyful Honda for some little thing was a bit much). In May, however, the Home Center suddenly closed shop and the two buildings they had occupied were transformed into two recycle stores with the "off-the-wall" names of "Off House" and "Hard Off.
Off-hand, I would say both stores are worth checking out if you are in the market for used items. The prices are quite reasonable, with items that appear to be practically new being half-price or less than prices in regular stores. Not only do they sell items, but they also buy good used items. Thus, while you'll probably get a better price selling things to a buyer directly (such as through the TAIRA net), this may be a good option to try for items you don't have time to sell or didn't get a buyer for otherwise.
The "Hard Off" store, the smaller of the two buildings, focuses on electronic items, such as computers, VCRs and TVs. One section is basically "junk" items that they sell as-is, but if you need to replace a monitor or keyboard for an older computer, they may have just what you need for only a few hundred yen. The newer items are repackaged with a plastic covering after they are cleaned up and tested, and include a 3 month warrantee.
The manager of "Hard Off" said that they will even buy electronic equipment that isn't working right if it looks fixable. I wouldn't expect a whole lot, of course, but certainly more than the trash man, which would be zero.
The larger store, "Off House" handles just about everything else, including furniture, pots and pans, sporting goods, and children's clothes and toys. They can even deliver larger items for a fee, but as the cheapest is 5000Y (and all the way up to 20,000Y for very large items), if you don't have a big enough car, I'd recommend bribing a friend to transport it. And if you live more than 10 km from the store, prices go even higher.
One interesting option they have is that you can pay for any goods you buy in U.S. dollars if you want to. I doubt many people would want to, but if you have a few dollars you want to get rid of, that may be a good way to do it.
One other new recycle shop is located in the "Little Akihabara" district (the line of electrical appliance stores across from the International Congress Center). Ishimaru has set up a small, used appliance shop in the parking lot between Ishimaru and Sato Musen. You'll see all sorts of nice looking refrigerators and washing machines with ridiculously low prices, like "´300", "´500" etc. lining the parking lot. The catch, however, is that they all have something wrong with them and have to be fixed in order to work. If you know what you're doing and have the time, then, of course, that might be a great way to go. Assuming that is not the case, however, they do have a nice little shop at the back of the parking lot that does have items that work, and so if you need a used refrigerator, washing machine, TV or other such item, you can get them for a reasonable price. They even have a few brand new items that have been slightly damaged in transit that are significantly discounted, and so if you don't mind a scratch or dent, you might want to check those items out as well.
by Butch N. Talorete
Thousands of years ago, a deity descended from the heavens and asked two mountains for a place to spend the night. With its great summit and almost perfect cone, Mt. Fuji refused, believing with pride and arrogance, that it does not need the deity's blessings. Mt. Tsukuba, on the other hand, humbly welcomed the honored guest, even offering food and water. Today, Mt. Fuji is a cold, lonely, and barren mountain, while Mt. Tsukuba bursts with vegetation, filling with colors as the seasons change. So goes the legend of the two-peaked Mt. Tsukuba, the so-called "purple mountain" on the Kanto plain.
Ancient chronicles say that the sacred progenitors of the Japanese race are enshrined here, the male divinity, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, at 870 meters on one peak, called Mt. Nantai, and the female divinity, Izanami-no-Mikoto, at 876 meters on the other, called Mt. Nyotai. Legends say that the two deities wed, gave birth to other deities and to Japan herself.
But Mt. Tsukuba is famous not only for the legends that have appeared in poetry anthologies since 710 A.D. Today, the mountain and its centuries-old Shinto shrine are both a source of blessing for the Japanese people and a must-see attraction to both local and foreign tourists.
You can reach the mountain's two peaks in two ways, one, by cable car, and the other, by a two to three-hour trek on foot. For the faint of heart and spirit, the cable car is the easy way, taking just a few minutes to reach the view deck where restaurants and souvenir shops are aplenty. Nestled closely between the two peaks, the view deck provides easy access to Mts. Nantai and Nyotai, as well as a majestic view of the Kanto plain. However facile this way may be, it is like reaching a faint climax without adequate foreplay.
Mt. Tsukuba's romance only comes with trekking through its rough footpaths and steep cliffs. Along the way, especially in summer and spring, a variety of broad-leaved trees provide a cooling embrace to the adventurous spirit. You can find evergreen oaks in and around Tsukuba Shrine, and this vegetation changes to beech and maple trees at higher altitudes, while conifers begin to appear at 700 meters. It is the smell of the forest, like a woman's scent, that brings the mountain to life.
She sweetly whispers, too, through her array of wildlife, including kites, hawks, pheasants, owls, nightingales, even wild boars, badgers and racoons. With cicadas and more than 70 butterfly species, Mt. Tsukuba is likewise a nature preserve.
Unless you bring a stroller with a baby inside, the trek isn't demanding at all. There are refreshment stations serving snacks and drinks after every hundred meters. And the birds-eye views from these posts are a photographer's heaven, especially in autumn when the leaves change from yellow to gold to red to brown, filling the scene with a cornucopia of colors. It's like a walk through the park; actually, only better.
And then comes the peak, when you suddenly feel like Sir Edmund Hillary as he conquers Mt. Everest. Your mountain may just be a molehill, but it is still yours. It is not just conquering Mt. Tsukuba, but conquering your fears and feelings of physical inadequacy that count most. It is not just the mountain's height, but also the sweetness of the struggle. At the peak, you and the mountain are one.
Albeit there are small shrines at each of the summits, Mt. Tsukuba's center of activity revolves around Mt. Tsukuba Shrine, a Shinto temple found on the south face, beginning at 270 meters above sea level. Built many centuries ago from solid oak trees, the shrine is a Mecca for many Japanese seeking guidance from the spirits and their ancestors. Many also believe in the power of the two divinities enshrined here in warding off evil and fulfilling heartfelt needs.
The Ozakawari ("Exchange of the Gods' Seats") Festival during spring and autumn, as well as the New Year's Day, brings hundreds of tourists to the shrine. The Ozakawari is when the Parent Gods at the mountain's base exchange places with their children to ensure a bountiful harvest. The Mt. Tsukuba Plum Blossom Festival from February 20 to March 31, on the other hand, highlights the mountain's 3,000 red, white and green plum blossoms, a succinct symbol of the mountain's celebration of life and rebirth.
For life indeed is the symbol of Mt. Tsukuba, a complete contradiction to Mt. Fuji's cold, barren and Martian landscape. The mountain's warmth, the same one it expressed thousands of years ago to a deity, are surely alive and well today. The immortal deities may still be there, too, to guide you safely to the summit.
And if you reach it, who knows, they might walk with you all the way. *
A Fictional Series?
By Joseph George Robbie
Introduction:
What follows is the initial offering of a semi-fictional series based on facts of personal experience and first person accounts, logical projections, and semi-vivid imagination. Meant to be entertaining, enlightning, endearing and engaging, as well as encyclopedic, energetic, enigmatic, and enchiladic, this series will explore both the boons and busts of the English teaching profession in Ibaraki-ken. We will follow the lives of selected representatives as they make their ways through the often tangled web woven by circumstances both of their own making and beyond their control. Now, let's meet the first central character:
Keri Canyon comes from Canada, Moose Jaw, to be exact. Being Canadian, she speaks American English. Having lost in love, depressed and adrift at age 23, she responded to an ad in the Moose Jaw Journal inviting applicants to consider the adventure and financial rewards of a prestigious teaching position with Nogo, one of the largest private English schools in Japan.
At the interview, the recruiter was impressed both by her recent masters degree in English as a Second Language and by her ample bosom. He promised her, at the completion of training, a salary equal to approximately $2500 U.S. a month, a generous contract completion bonus, a furnished apartment and use of a company car. In addition, the school would sponsor her working visa and aid with all manner of assistance in dealing with the inherent difficulties associated with a new life in a foreign country.
It sounded good. She signed a letter of intent and was instructed to report to the head office in Boston, U.S.A., for orientation, training and final interview. Upon successful completion of this four-day process, Keri would be offered employment with the well-established company. Round-trip airfare and three nights lodging were at the cost of the applicant. In sum, this excursion cost young Keri $2348.
"What the heck", she reasoned, "I'll make that back with my first month's salary. It's a wise investment in my future." Thus, she flew; she passed; she signed.
The two-year contract stipulated a 40-hour workweek, Tuesday through Saturday, 2:00pm -- 10:00pm. In addition to her maximum classroom teaching load of 25 hours weekly, she would be expected to participate in extracurricular activities, develop new materials, and comply with any and all professional demands of her immediate supervisor. She was to dress in a businesslike manner -- pants or slacks were expressly forbidden. Company paid ticket for Narita in hand, she made her way to Vancouver, boarded United flight 439, settled into her window seat, and contemplated the bright and exciting future waiting for her in the mysterious land of the rising sun.
Next month: meet Randy the randy rambler, arriving on a three-month tourist visa, with his backpack and $849, from a six-month stint in Thailand. Also meet Ned the nerd, intending only to visit a friend for a week and attend a university lecture on "the social interaction of pismires in the post-mating environment".
Chapter 2
"Yankee go home" was the chant from staff and patrons alike, as Randy Rogers was forcibly escorted off the festive barge permanently moored to the left bank of Klong Tui, a district frequented almost exclusively by local Thais seeking sensual pleasure or a hit of opium. His face bloodied, his shirt torn, he tried to focus, tried to remember.
The evening had started out fine. Getting off work at 9pm from B.E.S.T., Business English School Thailand, he'd hailed an open-air, three-wheel tuk-tuk and been driven to his regular hangout, the King's Palace in Patpong. Enjoying a Kloster beer with other working expats, he watched the strip show, ordered a back massage from the frisky middle-aged lady who regularly relieved his stress, and looked forward to the kick-boxing matches that were to start at 11:00.
One barroom buddy, Hans Hoeflich, an engineer from Berlin, recommended the cheese schnitzel with fried potatoes for Randy's hunger. "Better than Bavaria", he claimed. The meal arrived and was truly delicious. In gratitude, Randy ordered a tall beer and a shot of Jaegermeister snaps for the two of them. As the boxing commenced, Hans reciprocated the gesture. Not to appear cheap or ungrateful, Randy got the following round. And so it went. By 2:30, they were totally polluted and the best of friends.
"Let's get away from this tourist scene",to Hans suggested. "I'll take you to a place you'll never forget!" Randy was game. Thus they took a taxi to the barge. Upon exiting the cab, Randy's money clip missed his pocket and fell into the gutter. Uh, oh!
Aboard, they had a grand old time. Rude, crude, booed by the locals, they partook of a bit of all that was on offer there. Loud, obnoxious, oblivious of the glares from the others present, they drank, smoked, stroked and puked. Randy passed out.
Shaken roughly awake as dawn was breaking, Randy was asked to pay his tab and leave. Hans was nowhere to be seen. The tab for the two of them was roughly $320; not bad for the limitless debauchery they'd enjoyed. He found his trousers and reached into the pocket. Nothing. Frowns, scowls, harsh words exchanged. The bouncers there were about half his size. "I can take these guys out and make a run for it", he reasoned in his belligerent haze. After five months in country, he might have known that most Bangkok bouncers are martial arts experts. The inevitable scuffle ensued, and Randy was soundly thrashed.
The police arrived, the situation was explained, and Randy was given two choices by the authorities: leave the country voluntarily the next day; or, get charged, do time in a Thai prison and then be deported. He opted for the former, filled out the necessary paperwork, and was taken to shore.
During the two-hour walk back to his hotel apartment, Randy reflected on his recent past and near future. Several years ago, he had been forced to flee his hometown in Ohio; Gozaiymas was a small town with no secrets. Having impregnated the district attorney's 16-year old daughter, yet not ready to wed at age 24, he paid for and downloaded from the net a handsome and authentic-looking BA diploma in English Literature from Mid-Ohio College at Kent (MOCK). Degree and passport in hand, he flew to Acapulco, Mexico, and began what was to become his pattern in life. First, he found a local girlfriend with room for him at home. She then found him a teaching job at a local English school where his "Diploma" opened the door.
Following Mexico, where Rosa's brothers had threatened to cut off the "eggs" of this deadbeat parasite, he made his way through Hungary, Turkey, and Pakistan in similar fashion before arriving in Thailand. Where to next?
He'd learned that there were only two places to make good money as an English teacher abroad: Saudi Arabia and Japan. He considered both options. Saudi's strict Islamic laws called for no alcohol, no contact with women, and beheadings, stonings and amputations for violations. In addition, it was said to be hellishly hot. Japan was rumored to be very open to drinking, full of beautiful women, and eager to hire English teachers. It also boasted a mild climate of four reasonable seasons.
So, he packed his backpack, retrieved his hidden stash of $1200, and slipped out of the hotel's rear delivery entrance to make his way to the airport. Ticket in hand, he waited nervously for the departure of Thai Air flight #69 to Haneda.
Sometimes it's tough as a foreigner living in Japan. Sure, most of us want to experience the culture, learn the language, and fit in. Yet, it's a fact that we are gaijin and will ever so remain. There's a wall there that can never be completely breached. Occasions will surely arise when we don't want the pressure, the feeling of inadequacy or the isolation that comes with our efforts to immerse ourselves in the "real" Japan.
What to do on those occasions? We can cocoon at home or visit a local gaijin bar. These helpful havens all have the following in common: a place to meet an international mix of other gaijin and gaijin-friendly Japanese; no "seating" charge; English-speaking staff; reasonable prices; networking opportunities; and a food menu.
Tsukuba Science City has basically five gaijin bars. In the ongoing effort to bring the readers of AT the best of thoroughly researched reports, I took it upon myself to visit each, interview the owner/manager and sample the wares. Complete with personal bias, here are the results of my exhausting survey:
Frontier Bar and Grill - Located in Amakubo, near the corner of Higashi Odori and Kita Odori. This is in an active entertainment district with many restaurants, bars, snacks, etc. and not far from Tsukuba University. Open seven days a week from 8pm - 5am. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, etc. Their new specialty is perogies - imagine potato gyoza. All prices 600 yen, except for band nights, when it's 700 yen.
Frontier is my personal favorite for the following reasons: It's the largest (up to 200 people); offers live music with full-on rock, jazz, funk and amateur Japanese bands on most weekends; offers dancing; owner, Jon Hesse, is a friendly, usually reasonable sort of guy, who likes to get down and party even more than most of his patrons (he's got the right attitude); offers darts (Wednesday competition), foosball, chess, mah-joong (Monday competition), Trivial Pursuit and other games; the staff is great, the Hungarian bartenders are a "special" treat; Guiness on tap; outdoor seating. Wednesday is ladies night - 300 yen for the lasses. On a good night, this place really rocks!!!
ToeJam "Why did you decide to open a bar here?"
Jon "After years of wasting money in bars, I was continually disappointed with the lack of entertainment in Tsukuburg (sic). I like live music and I wanted a place that I, as ,a customer, would like to drink at. A place with no table charge and strong mixed drinks."
ToeJam "What are the plans for the future regarding your bar?"
Jon "We plan to get a pinball machine and an even better offering from the kitchen."
ToeJam "What was your worst experience?"
Jon "Getting beaten up by six Neanderthals. They had just beaten up one of my customers, and then they attacked me."
Hot Stuff - Located near the corner of Nishi Odori and Doho Park (by West House Restaurant). This area also offers a French restaurant, a Japanese live music house, a good bakery and excellent coffee shop. The bar is on the second floor, corner, with large windows and seating for about 45, with a total capacity of about 80 people. Hours of operation are every day, 8pm - "morning". Most drink prices are 500 yen. The food menu includes pizza and chicken. The owner Tetsu Murase reportedly has a heart of gold and is a super nice guy, with limited English abilities. The staff, mainly the lovely Nori-chan, is consistently friendly and the drinks are strong. The atmosphere is conducive to conversation. The Tsukuba Walking and Mountaineering Club meets here each Wednesday from 8:30 on and invites all to join them for a drink or three. Special events include omiai meetings, wedding parties and dance parties. Did I mention, the cocktails are well known to be particularly potent here?
ToeJam "Why did you decide to operate a gaijin bar?"
Tetsu "I wanted to make a place for foreigners to meet and exchange information."
ToeJam "Where are your gaijin customers mainly from?"
Tetsu "From the earth."
Gold Rush - Located almost directly below Hot Stuff on street level, this intimate, well-appointed pub can be recognized by the large wooden Indian (North American) guarding the entrance. Hours of operation seven days a week, from 7:30 - "late". Owner Yoko Sagawa speaks excellent English and is not at all averse to drinking and chatting with her customers. Staff members Leon and Naoki serve professionally made cocktails with a smile. Darts and a fine sound system add to the ambiance. Liars' dice contests are featured weekly. Menu items include pizza, pilaf, nachos, chesse platter, etc. Drink prices start from 500 yen. Special events hosted here are karaoke and parties of all kinds.
ToeJam "What are some of your biggest problems?"
Yoko "No big problems."
ToeJam "Please describe your best experience."
Yoko "Seeing my favorite customers meet and get married."
Red River - Staying in the same neighborhood, about a block towards Nishi Odori, we find this street-level pub, which is perhaps losing it's status as a gaijin bar as the foreigner contingent seems ever less present.
Sweet Home Chicago - Moving to the other end of town, on the corner of Tsuchiura Gakuen Sen and Route 408 (behind the 7-Eleven) is this blues bar and restaurant. Open seven days a week from 8pm - 2am, Sunday 6pm - midnight., manager David Lucas (from the Chicago area) provides a clean, new, and cozy room with inside seating for about 40, in addition to a brand new outdoor seating area. David loves the blues, and it shows, both in the wide selection of blues CD's and the decor. This is another venue for live performance, offering blues bands, a Beatles copy band (Old Zips), and acoustic entertainment. Not to be missed is Okayan on Wednesday nights - a fantastic ragtime, jazz, etc. guitarist. The food selection here surpasses most other gaijin bars. Friendly staff members Keichiro and Satomi make up for the occasional aloofness of the "Master".
ToeJam " Why did you decide to establish a gaijin bar here?"
David "After seven years in Tsukuba, I was desperate for something that looked and sounded like home."
ToeJam "What do you like best about this job?"
David "Gin and tonics, rum and cokes, and meeting music lovers."
ToeJam "What are your future plans?"
David "I'd like to get B.B. King or another living blues legend to play at the bar."
ToeJam "What's your worst experience?"
David "Paying the rent every month."
Ali's Kebab - Hard to find the first time, but worth it. Located on Science Odori in Tokodai, it's really more a restaurant than a pub, yet has a fully stocked bar. Open from 6pm - midnight except on Mondays. Newly opened and spotlessly clean, it's a great place to enjoy middle-Eastern food and a few beers. Owner Ali Tavakoli, from Iran, is a really nice guy and man about town, as well as an excellent cook. Together with his sidekick, Reza, they know how to make you feel welcome. Drink prices average 500 yen, but with a coupon from Alien Times you get a free draft beer! Ali's has room for about 35 customers. You can also purchase a delicious Ali's kabab from one of the famous yellow trucks around town for 500 yen. For a full review of Ali's, see Alien Times, vol. 14, April edition.
ToeJam "Why did you decide to open this restaurant?"
Ali "I wanted to offer foreign food which was not available previously in the Tsukuba area."
ToeJam "What are your plans for the future?"
Ali "I want to expand my business throughout Japan."
ToeJam "Please describe your best experience."
Ali "When customers tell me that their meal was delicious."
ToeJam "How about your worst experience?"
Ali "Getting started, when nobody knew what a "kabab" was!"
So, folks, there you have it. With this guide in hand, I guarantee you can spend a pleasant night on the town, right here in Tsukuba. Therefore, don't always hide within your four walls. Get out there and meet some of the interesting expats and locals who frequent these hangouts.Tell them ToeJam sent you...
by Butch N. Talorete
In Japan, especially if you're a foreign student, sensei is God. Without one, you wouldn't even be here. Displeasing one means sayonara after a year or even less. He charts your career, determines your fate in the university, and recommends your visa extension - even if your idea of coming to Japan is partying every night and getting drunk.
But who really is this holy entity called sensei? In a very hierarchical society such as Japan's, every grownup is probably either a sensei or must have been one. This very flexible word may mean either of the following: "teacher, master, or instructor; supposed teacher, master, or instructor; actual expert; supposed expert; self-professed expert; con-artist; person with experience; person with appearance; any type of doctor; person worthy of respect or who demands it; person with money; person who is better than me; person in uniform; person who can skip class; person who has appeared on TV; person who has lived in Istanbul; person who has been to Paris; person who has slept withÉ." The list never ends.
It seems that the only people who are of the same level are those belonging to the same academic class; and if you're looking for a non-sensei in Japan, that's simple - he's the lowly, pathetic ryugakusei (foreign student). His life dangles endlessly on a thin thread, with some kind of sensei at the other end. Let me illustrate.
Two friends and I once had dinner at a sushi shop, and the head sushi maker, if that's what you call him, is called sensei. What if he puts stale fish on our sushi? When we once went to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau to extend our visas, the lady who examined my papers asked the bald, old man beside her - whom she called sensei - if the documents are in order. What if he says they're not? Thank Sensei (or God) he said yes. And when I tried to book a flight home, there were no more seats available, until the clerk made a phone call to someone he called sensei, and I got a confirmed roundtrip seat via Pakistan Air, just like that!
No word elicits greater respect, and even fear, than the word sensei. Check the English language and there's probably no close equivalent. In the Western world, everyone strives to be on first-name basis with everyone else, to build lasting friendships or just to prove that we are all equal under heaven. That is unthinkable in Japan - either you're sensei or you're not.
And then there is the dai-sensei. To be listed in his class is a privilege in itself; and for Japanese students, it doesn't really matter whether he shows up or whether he teaches anything. "Because he is our sensei." And once a dai-sensei, you're always one. Take the case of ex-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, who was re-elected into office in his sickbed, with one foot in jail, because he probably made life better for the non-senseis. That was before he was tried and convicted in 1983 for accepting over $2 million in bribes from Lockheed Corp.
Soon after I arrived in Japan, my former sensei invited me to attend and take pictures for an international conference held at the AIST compound here in Tsukuba. Back at the University of the Philippines, our lab often entertained visiting Japanese scientists, and one of those whom I had met before and had accompanied to a shopping mall was there. A big, tall guy, and a typical dai-sensei, he is the head of some famous research institute in Kyoto and was probably in his mid-50's.
While I was just in jeans and in some cheap shirt, he was wearing an expensive Armani suit. But why is he grinning from ear to ear while looking at me from a distance? "Doshite? (Why?)" I asked myself. Was it the chicharon bituka (fried pig skin) that I "forced" him to eat while he was in the Philippines? Or the succulent memories of sizzling sisig (pork innards) that we had at a restaurant over a half-case of San Miguel beer?
And as soon as he got near, he blurted, 'Sensei, konnichiwa', and then walked on. "What? He called me sensei?" I excitedly told a friend who was also there, and who was equally dumbfounded. So I am also sensei, I am also God after all - okay, maybe with just a small "g" (hehehe) - and not just some misplaced gaijin photographer.
Mingling among my former Japanese lab mates later, I told one with pomp and pride, "Hey, Dr. Sato called me sensei!
"Oh, really?" he smiled, "That means he forgot your name.
Previous summer special issues of the Alien Times give plenty of suggestions for summer activities for those spending part or all of the summer in Tsukuba. In this issue, we will only briefly list some of the more prominent festivals and other basic information. If you need more detailed information, take a look at last year's edition. You can find copies at the library and the Information Center next to Nova Hall, a good place to ask for information anyway.
Gion Matsuris Galore
There are numerous "Gion Matsuri" scheduled for late July. "Gion Matsuri" are Shinto festivals usually taking place in the evening hours and centering around the portable shrines carried of rolled along the street. Information as to exact times and locations are not given in the Japanese listings, and so you may want to have a Japanese speaking friend call ahead for details. Foreigners who have not seen these celebrations find them an interesting bit of Japanese culture, and you have plenty to choose from. Other festivals are also included here.
Fireworks Festivals
Matsuri Tsukuba
The first weekend in September is the traditional date for the local Tsukuba Matsuri, and this year is no exception. Held Sept. 2nd and 3rd, a number of interesting booths are set up and various cultural events take place through the 2 days. If the other festivals mentioned here are not something you want to take the time and effort to go to, this is your back-up option. It's always located along the central bicycle path and adjacent parks, and so it's not hard to find.
Swimming
There are several regular pools in Tsukuba, but the really great spot is the Sanuma Sun Beach Swimming Center (0296-43-6661) in Shimotsuma, about 40 minutes northwest of Tsukuba. It has a large pool complex with giant slides, "rivers", waterfalls, wave machines and the works. Admission and rentals for tubes are quite reasonable, so families can have a "funtastic" time without spending lots of money. Admission is ´1000 for adults, ´400 for junior high and elementary school age children, and ´200 for small children. The season extends from July 20 through Aug. 31.
If you are up for a drive to the beach, up north along the coast, there are the Oarai and Ajigaura beaches east of Mito. These beaches are good for swimming, body surfing, and lots of fun. They do tend to be crowded, but the facilities are good. The Oarai Beach also has a large fresh water pool next to the beach. Admission to it is 620Y for adults and 310Y for kids.
In Oarai, there is the large Oarai Aquarium (029-267-5151), which has dolphins, seals, penguins, etc., along with local crustaceans and fish. There are entertaining dolphin and seal shows as well as sea life displays. Oarai is famous for seafood, and you can purchase some edible souvenirs to remind you, though perhaps just briefly, of your time at the beach.
Other beaches line the entire eastern side of Ibaraki, too numerous to list here. If you drive along the coast, you can, of course, stop anywhere you can pull your car over and walk along the beach looking for shells. More likely, however, you'll find a lot of chunks of styrofoam, pieces of wood, and a variety of other junk washed up by the tide. These sections of beach, are for obvious reasons far less crowded than the public beaches that have facilities and there is no charge. If you don't mind driving home without being able to take a shower, then you can take a dip most anywhere. It is much safer, of course, to use a public beach with life guards and changing facilities. Parking lots there, however, generally charge 700Y or so per car with a similar charge per adult for use of the facilities (less for children)