Children's Convention

     Earlier this week Hata-san, from the Paul Rusch Memorial Museum, and I took part in a local Children's Convention. At least that's what I assumed it was. It was all museums and exhibits in Yamanashi that welcome children. Realistically I think it was just an advertising opportunity for the museums and a way for parents to just let their kids run in a big space and have lots of activities to do. Each "vendor" had an activity to do; a worksheet, a craft, a game, you name it. The PRMM, as we lovingly called it, had activities having to do with football since Paul Rusch was the father of American Football in Japan. I got to play Charlotte sensei again and teach words like 'touchdown' and 'cheerleader'. Do you know how hard it is for a child to say 'referee' when their native language doesn't really have the 'r' sound? It is very hard. So I got to spend the Saturday hanging with kids and throwing a football around...not exactly what I thought I would ever be doing in Japan, but it was fun to see a different side of this country--pretty much a normal day-to-day activity. Plus, the hospitality student inside me liked seeing the prefectural convention center.

Papa Paul and Charlotte sensei.

You get to do your activities in a helmet!

Football fun--even for girls!

The kids in Japan generally are more excited to learn than any American kid I have ever seen.

Kids harassing the poor local mascot.

          Until next time,

                   Charlotte

Winter is Coming? It 's here.

     I apologize for the bad Game of Thrones joke, but I can't help but think I'm north of the wall and am going to see a white walker when I look out the window. As some of you have told me via Facebook, the news of the record breaking snow in Japan has made it to the U.S. which is a big deal. Here, it's not unusual for the Japanese to be extremely aware of U.S. news and policies (I've had discussions started by my coworkers asking about how many states gay marriage and marijuana are now legal in). I couldn't even begin to speak about what are the big issues in Japan, besides the snow, and I'm living here! To put you all at ease, I am doing perfectly fine. I haven't lost heat or power despite Mother Nature giving it her best attempt, as you tell from this article from Reuters and this article from The Japan Times. If you remember from a few posts ago Kiyosato is in the Yamanashi Prefecture, capital Kofu, which are both the focus of the articles. The amount of snow, 114 centimeters, closed KEEP. Most all of the offices closed on Friday when the storm hit and today was the first day a few of the offices reopened. So what has that meant for me? Well after finishing up my time at Shizen Gakko last Tuesday, I had three days off before I was supposed to go back on Saturday. Obviously, programs were cancelled due to weather, so there was no one to cook for, so I've been hanging out in my dorm for the past nine, NINE! days. I've gotten really into watching West Wing online. I did make it out to the 7-11 to get more food and it looked like the apocalypse had hit. All the bread and cereal AND cookies were gone along with most everything else on the shelves.The creepiness was taken to another level when the only other person in the store at 9:30pm with me was the store clerk who had a face mask on. While I know it's a polite thing to wear when you're sick, it just made me feel like I was in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Yesterday I couldn't really handle the cabin fever that was setting in anymore, so I bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out around KEEP and walked down into Kiyosato itself to check out the storm damage. It's mostly pictures because talking about how many times I've painted my nails or done pilates in my room can get a little boring.

The path from the front door towards the bigger path that leads to the main road.

I totally understand how these things can kill you!

The path that's usually a road to drive to our dorm.

Looking from the road, over what is usually a parking lot to the restaurant of the Siesen Ryo Annex.

Climbed on top of a 7 foot snow pile to look out over the usual parking lot.

Because we're in the mountains, the wind whips around and creates these HUGE snow dunes.

Street sign that's about the height of a US speed limit sign.

Not quite sure of the type of bird--I'm not well versed in Japanese fowl yet, I apologize.

I should have know I was gonna see some wild life.

I believe the bakery has been open the whole time because I've 
heard my roommate get up every morning for 
her 4am shift-it's those West Wing binges.

More killer icicles that haven't been ripped off the roof by a nervous American.

The sign for church.

I now know the hill to church is do-able.

I may be able to get TO church, but whether or not I'll be able to get IN is another story.

Crossing over the railroad tracks walking into town.

While the town is pretty dead in the winter with most of the shops closed, the snow makes it even eerier. 

I'm really excited for summer to come so I can go to the Milk Pot...
who wouldn't want to go 
somewhere that's shaped like a tea pot?

A TEAPOT!

My favorite building besides the Milk Pot--the Green Prah. Have yet to figure out what it is.

We have one police car in Kiyosato. It will make it much easier to creep when I hear sirens.

Hill leading up to the train station. 

Truck taking away plowed snow...to where? I never found out.

Decorative train engine, but it gives you a scale of the snow amount.

What's normally, I would assume, a picturesque, lush, verdant area in front of
the train station. I wouldn't know it's
been covered with snow since I got here.  

Looking down the road through town that leads to KEEP.

Headed back up the hill...clock tower next to the Milk Pot.

The mountains over KEEP...it never gets old.

On the way back they had brought out the snow plow train.

Looking out over the mountains to the south.

I found someone's polar bear that escaped to his natural habitat.

The field where County Fair is usually held.

Three days ago every single one of those cars was covered in snow to their roof.
I don't know who did it, but they
 deserve my first born.

The path back to Lancaster.

I went out again today anticipating exploring up the mountain, but after I started and the road became not as cleared, the warning from my manager in an email saying "Don't go anywhere in the snow without staff" started repeating in my head. I decided to just hang around the rotary by the old Seisen Ryo building and watch the sun start to set. It's my favorite part of the day with the sun going down over the mountains. I climbed a huge snow pile and just sat and watched. 

The old Seisen Ryo lodge with the Paul Rusch statue. 

The Paul Rusch statue in the middle of the rotary.

View from atop my perch.

This couple tried to make their poor dog walk in the snow. It didn't work so well.

View of the Jersey Hut where they sell the famous soft cream.

Just wanted to send a post out to show I'm alive and well even in the heaviest hit area of Japan. 

Until next time,

Charlotte

Home is Where the Wifi is

     Now I know a lot of you have been wondering where exactly I am on the other side of the world. Let me break it down a little for you. Obviously, as you might have already guessed since you are reading this, I am in Japan, although some people are still asking how "China/Korea/other Asian country" is. Hopefully this can clear that up a bit! Japan is the little island country, roughly the size of California, just West of mainland Asia. Within Japan there are prefectures, which are kind of like states with their own governing bodies and such. KEEP is located in the Yamanashi Prefecture. The big city here and capital is Kofu.

Yamanashi is in orange...the prefecture to the Northwest is Nagano, the site of the 1998 Olympics. The prefecture is only a five minute drive from KEEP, but Nagano the city is about and hour away.

     Once inside Yamanashi, there are a bunch of cities that I like to think of as counties within the 'state' of Yamanshi. I am living in Hokuto City, which you can see in the top corner in the pink on the map. It is a very mountainous area, which adds to the fun of living and driving here.

Nirasaki, to the south in bright green, is where the big shopping mall I go to is located.

     Once inside Hokuto City, Takane is the city I live in and Kiyosato is kind of like the village within Takane that is home to KEEP. To the North are the Yatsugatake mountains, like you can see on the map. You could say those are the mountains I live in since we are at a fairly high altitude and pretty much the only place left with snow and ice. To the East and West are other mountain ranges. Japan's second tallest mountain, Kita-dake is visible on the map, is located in this mountain range to the west. Then to the South is a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. It gets dark here quite early, so the sun sets around 5:30pm. Between about 4:50 and 5:20 right now is my favorite time of night, because the colors of the sunset reflect off the mountains and create this glow that is just stunning. Not bad scenery for a place to live, if I do say so myself.

More in depth map of Yamanashi with natural landmarks included

     So think of it as Japan>US, Yamanashi>Indiana, Hokuto City>Marion County, Takane>Indianapolis, Kiyosato>Broad Ripple. At least that is how I keep it straight in my mind.

     Once you are inside Kiyosato, the biggest thing in town is KEEP. The town itself was created when the KEEP founder, American Paul Rusch, introduced the high altitude dairy farming and the idea of democracy to the region. Right now, most of the town is closed for the winter season, but up at KEEP you can see a few tourists here and there coming for lunch at the Farm Shop, staying at the hotel, Seisen Ryo, participating in the environmental programs, and, of course, stopping by the Jersey Hut for the famous soft cream. It's a weird feeling, but it already feels like I've been here for months. So now this is home!

Giant ice wreath they make every year with the founder of KEEP, Paul Rusch, and Mt. Fuji in the background.

My walk to the cafeteria and offices-those are the Yatsugatake mountains to the North

Families getting ready to go on a nature walk, one of the programs the Environmental Education department puts on for the public.

     A lot of people have been asking where I am living at KEEP. Unfortunately, I am no longer in the picturesque lodge, Seisen Ryo, but I can't complain about my new digs in the Lancaster dormitory. Being on the mountain, it gets extremely cold especially when the wind whips down and burns your face, so the fact that I've got a room to myself that stays very warm, I am a happy camper. I live with six other woman in the dormitory, with a shared living room, kitchen, bathroom and shower room. We are all on extremely different schedules, one girl works at the bakery and is up and at 4:00am and gets off at 1:00pm so our only interaction is hearing each other through the wall, and another girl works at the restaurant and works the lunch hour and into the late dinner hours, so it definitely doesn't have the sorority house feel, but when I do see people, they all are extremely nice...even if there is somewhat of a language barrier. After a day of work dedicated to Japanese customs and business practices, I think of my room as my little American oasis because it has wifi so I am able to text all my friends and get online and watch tv shows and such. There are a lot of hours spent on Buzzfeed and Pinterest and I'm currently working on how to get Game of Thrones to stream when it starts in March. It's nice that it's the only place I get wifi because I like to keep the two cultures separate. I don't want to ruin my experience here by giving into the temptation of constantly being in contact with everyone at home, but at the same time I need to have the time to myself and be able to talk to friends and decompress. 

Home sweet home Lancaster. Not a fan of the pack of deer that hang out around it, though.

The dorm is traditional Japanese and we all take our shoes off at the front door. Those are my Wellies, Uggs and hiking boots in the foreground. This is taking some to get used to.

The common room right inside the front door. Currently it's kind of under construction and I'm hoping to get some more seating in there so we can have a place for us all to socialize someday!

Our shared kitchen. Japan is hyper vigilant about sorting their garbage, even down to the different type of plastics, so that's also taking some getting used to.

The hallway I run down in the middle of the night to get to the bathroom, which is so cold because we each heat our rooms individually, not the rest of the dorm.

Yes, Harry Potter on the laptop. With all the overweight luggage, they were the only movies that made the cut. I do have to admit I have I accidentally turned off the wifi to the whole house before because that's the router in the window there...whoops.

My desk and tiny little dresser and vanity. It's interesting to try and do your hair while bent over while trying to look into the mirror.

     Once I got settled in, my coworker, Makoto Urakabe, took me to the Hokuto City office to register my residency. Because I am going to be here for over three months, I have to register as a resident, and subsequently I then lose my foreigner status to get Bullet Train-or Shinkansen-tickets at a discounted price. Bummer! In Japan, you also have to register for their national health care. I was a little hesitant about enrolling in that because of how tricky that can be in the US, but all I had to do was sign some forms. Urakabe translated for me, so I very well may have signed papers saying if I have a cold, I consent to them cutting me open to donate my organs. 

Hokuto City office---so official

It's official...Japan's version of a green card. No illegal alien here!  I can now give people my card now too!

You have to provide your own picture for your residency card....I only needed one, so let me know if anyone is dying to have one. I've got lots of leftovers!

The scenery of the Yatsugatake mountains, where KEEP is located, on the drive home on the main highway, 141. I've gotten lost enough that I have become very familiar with the area and different ways to get home.

     In my free time, I really enjoy going to the mall in nearby Nirasaki, which makes me feel like a total Valley Girl, but they play a lot of American music in the stores and having worked in retail for so long, it's somewhere that feels comfortable and relaxing, suprisingly. It's not a good habit for my wallet to be continually going there, but they really have some great stores. The mall has a "Hundred Yen" store which is just like a dollar store, but is 100x better, Muji, which is like Ikea meets Bed Bath & Beyond with clothes, and my absolute favorite, Uniqlo, which has the same price point and similar product to H&M, but again 100x better. So you can all rest assured I am not suffering 24/7. I will say, though, the radio is lacking. It is like one song for every ten minutes of talking, which of course I don't understand. If you're looking for a simple gift for me, mixed CDs for the car would be great! 

Laza Walk-the shopping mall, my stomping grounds

The English on the clothing here doesn't always translate into something that is coherent and is one of my favorite things to look at, but this store had a table of sweatshirts of some of the US's most picturesque areas...I'm gonna keep an eye on the Indy one and wait for it to go on sale and then snatch it up.

     There you have it. My little home on this side of the world. My next post I will go into what all I have been doing for work here at KEEP. This weekend we are celebrating the Environmental Education initiative's 30th anniversary in Tokyo at Rikkyo University, which has deep connections with KEEP, so I'll have lots of stories and pictures to report back. 

Until next time-

             Charlotte